Nashville Predators fans are welcome to go to Pittsburgh during the team’s Stanley Cup Final matchup with the Penguins, but they won’t be able to buy any catfish there unless it’s fried and served on a plate.
Preds fans have a tradition of throwing catfish on the ice at Bridgestone Arena for good luck, but a popular Pittsburgh fish market is trying to prevent that from happening at PPG Paints Arena during the Penguins’ home games. Wholey’s Fish Market plans to card anyone who tries to purchase the bottom feeders.
“You have to show ID if you want to buy catfish here,” co-owner Jim Wholey told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Friday. “If you’re from Tennessee, we’re not selling it to you.”
While Tennesseeans might think the rule is unfair, they’re not the first hockey fans to be banned from buying seafood at Wholey’s. Detroit Red Wings fans throw octopi on the ice at their home games — a tradition Nashville fans probably were inspired by — and Wholey’s wouldn’t let Michiganders buy their sea creature of choice when they met the Penguins in the 2008 and ’09 Final, either.
“Like I said in 2008, this is for eating, not throwing,” co-owner Dan Wholey told the Trib. “Catfish are delicious, and we’re going to eat them before, during and after we beat the Predators.”
We can confirm that catfish are, in fact, delicious, so it’s pretty hard to argue with that logic.
Game 1 of the series is set for Monday at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh.
Thumbnail photo via Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports Images
