Nashville is hosting its 1st Stanley Cup Final game, so expect lots and lots of catfish

The people of the fine city of Nashville seem rather excited for their first Stanley Cup Final game. There’s a big festival going on Saturday in the lead-up to Game 3 between the Predators and Penguins at Bridgestone Arena. Expect the building to be shaking when P.K. Subban and his teammates take the ice amid a sea of yellow (not as bad as it sounds).

You can also expect catfish. Lots of catfish.

As many watching at home discovered during Game 1, Predators fans have a little tradition involving throwing dead catfish on the ice. The lengths that fan went to throw the carcass on the ice at PPG Paints Arena were a bit ridiculous. But with Game 3 back home in Tennessee, plotting some fish-throwing seems much easier. Plan for the game to get delayed at some point while a clean-up crew scrapes fish guts off the playing surface.

And when it happens, all those yellow-clad Preds fans in the arena will absolutely love it (unless the referees give the team a delay of game penalty, which they would not love).

Here’s something for you to read when that delay inevitably goes down.

We already did a breakdown of where the Predators’ tradition comes from, which you can check out here. Long story short: It takes inspiration from Red Wings fans and their octopuses. I also imagine there is some fleeting sense of liberation when throwing the catfish — a brief reminder that the world is big and colorful and full of possibilities like flying catfish. Then you probably get ejected, which is less fun.

Compared to the guy who had to buy a catfish in Tennessee, run it over with his car, spray it with cologne, vacuum seal the fish, drive across the country, tape it to his crotch, and get it past security to throw it on the ice in Pittsburgh, things should be a little easier for the Game 3 fan who wants to catfish the crowd.

At least one fish market in the Nashville area is offering free catfish to any fan who shows up with a ticket to the game. So unlike the past two games, getting a catfish into Bridgestone Arena on Saturday likely won’t be all that difficult.

(And let’s be honest, if you spent hundreds to get playoff tickets, you probably wouldn’t mind spending another $10 on a catfish if that’s what you’re going to do.)

Technically, you’re not supposed to throw anything on the ice during an NHL game. It’s against the law, partially because of the risk involved to the players if objects are being hurled all over the place. But the fan from Game 1 in Pittsburgh had all charges against him dropped. The Pittsburgh mayor responded to the situation with a bunch of puns.

If the only risk is getting ejected from the game, I doubt that’ll stop some rapturous fans from pulling off the fishy operation. (I’d probably recommend waiting until the third period, though, since you’d like to get some hockey out of all that money you spent on tickets.)

When you combine all these factors — the Predators’ tradition, their first time hosting a Stanley Cup Final game, the city of Nashville taking any opportunity it can get to throw a party — there’s a good chance the catfish are out in force Saturday.

This is the first time many of these fans have ever attended a Stanley Cup Final, and they’re going to want to show the world what Nashville is all about. That includes having a good time more than anything, but it also includes catfish.

And hey, you’ll become a local celebrity.

If these playoffs have shown anything (other than the Penguins’ miraculous ability to win despite losing shot battles), it’s that Nashville is crazy about its hockey team. Maybe this is partially the result of the city lacking an MLB or NBA team that might sap away from mind share in May and early June. But it’s remarkable to see how a city in the American South has become one of the most passionate hockey towns in North America.

And with traditions like the catfish, the Predators and their fans have carved out an identity that’s very much Nashville, yet perfect for the hockey world. On Saturday, we’re going to get to see it first-hand.

There will be hockey. There will be excitement. There will probably be catfish, too.