DETROIT — You know the playoffs are officially underway when the lovely Karen Newman is singing the Star Spangled Banner and the octopus has been thrown on the ice, lands right at her feet and she doesn't even miss a beat.

I've only seen it live twice (the other was last year before Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks in the second round) and I'll confess it's given me goose bumps both times.

You wait in anticipation and there it goes...over the glass and splat! Game on.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who finds this amusing.

Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock was asked if seeing the octopus thrown onto the ice ever gets old?

"You know, Scotty always tells me he hated that because it got the other team all fired up," he explained, referring to former Red Wings head coach Scotty Bowman. "I don't know, I kind of like it myself."

Predators goalie Dan Ellis was making his first Stanley Cup playoff start and said he wasn't nervous at all.

In fact, he soaked up the opportunity to play in a storied building like Joe Louis Arena.

"It was really loud and they got the octopus thrown out there. They've got their traditions and stuff like that," said Ellis. "It's an outstanding place to play. It's an older building and it holds the sound really well. You've got the white (towels) flying around and everyone is screaming and yelling. It's a great atmosphere."