The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins will kick off the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night in Pittsburgh and Penguins fans are working hard to make sure Preds fans don’t take over their territory.
The Predators have been one of the most exciting teams to watch this postseason and the franchise and the fans have done a great job showing the world why the city is referred to as ‘Smashville’.
The fans have done a few things this postseason to go above and beyond the rest of the league. From smashing old cars featuring their opponent’s logo to tossing ducks and catfish onto the ice, the fans have made it one of the loudest and most intimidating arenas in the league and aren’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
However, Wholey’s Fish Market, a popular fish market in Pittsburgh, is doing whatever it takes to make sure travelling Preds fans can’t purchase any catfish from them to throw onto the ice at PPG Paints Arena.
“You have to show ID if you want to buy catfish here. If you’re from Tennessee, we’re not selling it to you,” Wholey’s co-owner Jim Wholey told Ben Schmitt of the Tribune-Review this past Friday.
Wholey’s Fish Market did the exact same thing during the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and 2009 when the Penguins played the Detroit Red Wings, only that time they refused to sell octopus to Michigan residents. Dan Wholey, another owner of the market, told Schmitt exactly why they don’t plan on selling to any Tennessee residents.
“Like I said in 2008, this is for eating, not throwing,” said Wholey. “Catfish are delicious, and we’re going to eat them before, during and after we beat the Predators.”
It’s highly unlikely we’ll see any catfish being thrown onto the ice at PPG Paints Arena during the series, but that might just mean we’re going to see even more at Bridgestone Arena.
(H/T Ben Schmitt/Tribune-Review)
