Taylor Lewan emerged as one of the Nashville Predators’ biggest fans during the team’s march to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, his fandom may have come at a cost.
Taylor Lewan cut his finger on a tallboy when Titans OL pumped up Predators crowd
Lewan sacrificed for the good of the Preds.
The Pro Bowl left tackle had the honor of throwing a catfish — Nashville’s answer to Detroit’s tradition of throwing an octopus onto the ice in big games — onto the playing surface in the middle of the Preds’ decisive Game 6 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
He also suffered a minor laceration at some point during the game, but he was quick to shift blame away from an innocent siluriform.
The Titans have been a regular fixture at Bridgestone Arena throughout the NHL playoffs, donning gold jerseys and cheering on Music City’s only other professional franchise. On Monday night, Lewan, Quinton Spain, Ben Jones, and a handful of other Tennessee blockers hyped the home crowd with a mid-game cheers ... quickly followed by the slamming of five tallboys of Bud Light.
A beer-less Marcus Mariota could only look on in astonishment.
The hype worked. Nashville got off to a 3-1 start, then rallied to break a 3-3 tie in the third period to dispatch the Ducks and claim the biggest series win in franchise history. If the Predators can dig out four more victories in the Stanley Cup Finals, they’ll be the first major professional team to bring a title home to Music City.
The Titans may have to curtail their drinking as organized team activities ramp up as June approaches, but they’ll have to fend off some heavy peer pressure from the rowdy Nashville crowd after Monday’s performance. Offseason workouts began Tuesday and will run three days a week until June 8. Tennessee is primed to build off an encouraging 9-7 campaign this fall, but they’ll need Lewan and his crew at full strength to do so.
