NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tossing catfish onto the ice has been a popular hockey tradition in Music City and the Nashville Predators finally have their own catfish tank inside the arena.
Team President Sean Henry unveiled the new tank hours before the Predators opened the NHL postseason against Colorado in their first-round Western Conference series. The team put the first of four catfish into the tank and No. 2 was on the way.
“Good symbolism with those four catfish,” Henry said. “Four wins per series, four series gets you to the ultimate prize.”
The Predators named the first catfish Gill and the second fish will be named Ben in honor of a longtime fan that died in 2017.
Thursday is the birthday of singer Vince Gill, also known as the mayor of Smashville, and Henry says Gill obviously was the inspiration. Gill was an original season-ticket holder who helped sell tickets when this franchise was getting started, and Gill was featured on billboards around town with a couple of teeth blacked out.