Pittsburgh trying to stop Nashville fans from buying catfish to honor team tradition

This Pittsburgh fish market is doing its best to stop the traveling Nashville fans.

The Nashville Predators are in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, and their fans are rightfully excited. Locals in Pittsburgh are preparing for an influx of Tennesseeans this week as the Preds come to play Games 1 and 2 against the Penguins.

Predators fans have a long-standing tradition of throwing catfish onto the ice during playoff games. With hundreds of them heading to Pittsburgh, Pens supporters have taken some precautions to stop the visitors from getting fish into PPG Paints Arena.

Wholey’s Fish Market, situated near the Penguins’ home rink, has announced that it will refuse to sell catfish to any Preds fan. The market will be requiring customers to show ID before purchasing that particular product, and won’t allow the sale if the buyer is from Tennessee.

Last week, when the Predators won Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks to advance to the Cup Final, Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan made headlines by tossing the catfish in the third period. Nashville has been drumming up support from celebrities throughout the playoffs, so we’ll see who has the honor when the series shifts back to Bridgestone Arena.

Nashville’s fans have been one of the most impressive parts of this year’s NHL Playoffs, with the loud sea of yellow making a lot of noise throughout the team’s run. This is the Preds’ most successful postseason performance ever, and fans at Bridgestone have not disappointed.

The Penguins, meanwhile, return to the final for the second straight year, looking to repeat as champions.

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Game 1 between the Predators and Penguins goes on Monday night. According to USA Today, Wholey’s market is closed for Memorial Day on Monday anyway, so Preds fans will need to find another Pittsburgh business for their seafood needs.