Hockey fans have been throwing items on the ice, some unwanted, some wanted, for decades including rubber rats in Florida and octopus in Detroit. This season with the PWHL's expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes, a new item rained down, rubber duckies.
Rubber duckies. They're the favorite bath-time companion for Sesame Street's Ernie. They also crowd the dashboard of Jeep owners who participate in the friendly trend of Jeep ducking, or Duck Duck Jeep if you prefer.
More recently however, the little yellow duckies have taken flight over the frozen pond of Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver landing on the ice after wins by the PWHL's Vancouver Goldeneyes.
"I think it definitely just shows how much this fan base and started kind of a bunch of new traditions here," said Canadian Olympian Sophie Jaques after watching the duckies rain down onto the ice following her overtime winner in Vancouver's season finale.
In the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings have long been tied to octopus landing on the ice in the playoffs. More recently, the Florida Panthers became a team that threw rubber rats to the ice, sometimes in the thousands.
Hockey fans have thrown other items like teddy bears on special nights, and hats following hat tricks. Vancouver saw a few of those hit the ice recently when British Columbia's Jennifer Gardiner scored four goals
Vancouver's rubber duckies, which tie to the team name, Goldeneyes, a sea duck, is the next iteration.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes celebrate at center ice with rubber duckies scattered across the ice - Photo @ PWHLVancouver is even home to the world's only Rubber Duck Museum, opened in 2025 at Tsawwassen Mills mall. Not only does the museum look at the history, design, manufacturing, and many of the common cultural connections, it's also a store for rubber ducks.
Rubber ducks were invented in the 1920s and emerged in the 1930s for bath time, it was in 1947 when sculpter Peter Ganine patented the flat bottomed vinyl ducks, often featuring a squeaky, that people know today.
When Ernie sang "Rubber Duckie" in 1971 and the song climbed to number 11 on then Billboard charts, the creation was cemented into popular culture. There's even an International Rubber Duck Day celebrated each year on January 13, which happens to be Ernie's believed birthday.
Vancouver following heir final home game - Photo @ PWHL