Little Big Town had barely finished belting out ” . . . and the home of the brave” while singing the U.S. national anthem Sunday before it began raining catfish at Bridgestone Arena ahead of Game 4 of the Nashville Predators‘ NHL playoffs game.
No fewer than six catfish were thrown on to the ice that afternoon before it all ended in the devastating overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Past catfish throwers include former Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who threw one that nearly hit a woman in the neck before the team’s Stadium Series game at Nissan Stadium.
Why do Nashville Predators throw catfish on the ice?
What began as a retort to Detroit Red Wings fans throwing octopi on the ice has turned into a tradition among the Predators’ fan base.
When did Predators catfish hockey tradition start?
In 1999 or 2002, depending on who you ask.
Bob Wolf, a former Broadway bar owner and musician, says he threw the first catfish on the ice during the Predators’ first season, on Jan. 26, 1999. He said he did it in response to a Red Wings fan who threw an octopus on the ice, which is their tradition.
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After he left a game earlier that season, Wolf said looked at the Cumberland River and was inspired.
“Catfish!” he said he yelled.
Others believe the tradition began on Oct. 26, 2002, when the Predators defeated the Red Wings 3-1 at Bridgestone.
What happens to Predators fans who throw catfish on the ice?
At Bridgestone Arena? Nothing, really, except maybe some face time on the big screens above center ice and a showering of applause from approving Predators faithful.
Road arenas can be a different story. Just ask Jacob Waddell, who had beer thrown on him as he was escorted from PPG Paints Arena and charged with disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and possession of an instrument of crime after he threw a four-pound catfish on the ice before the start of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.
The charges were dropped the next day, though Waddell quickly earned the nickname “Catfish Jake.” Waddell also pulled off the stunt during a road game against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver, but avoided charges.
Sometime in the mid-2010s, the NHL warned Predators team officials they were going to begin assessing the team with delay-of-game penalties if a catfish was thrown on to the ice during a game.
What is the Nashville Predators catfish record?
No such…
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