It may be a fish tale, but former Lower Broadway bar owner Bob Wolf claims he's the first fish flinger, a response to octopus-tossing Red Wings fans
Brad Schmitt|The Tennessean
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Note: This story originially published on April 12, 2018.
The Nashville Predators begin their quest for the Stanley Cup this week when the Dallas Stars head to Bridgestone arena.
It's safe to say several catfish will hit the ice as well.
When and why did that traditionstart?
Hockey historians at Wikipedia say the tradition (and first catfish) launched in Nashville Oct. 26, 2002, as a response to arch-rival Detroit Red Wings fans flinging octopuses on the ice.
That's half right, says former Lower Broadway bar owner and musician Bob Wolf, 63, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who spent several decades in Nashville.
Wolf claims he is the very first fish flinger, and that it's a move he made in the Preds inaugural season,1998-99. But yes, he says he did it as a response to the Red Wings 50-year octopus tradition.
Catfish gets thrown at Bridgestone Areana
During Game 5, a Nashville Predators fan smuggled in a catfish to the Bridgestone Arena watch party that had approximately more than 17,000 in attendance.
Autumn Allison/USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee
Back then, Wolf owned a bar called Wolfy's a half block from the arena —and a place that would get packed on game night.
Also back then, when the Predators played Detroit, there were almost as many Red Wings fans as Preds fans in Nashville's arena because so many auto industry workers had moved here from Motor City.
So one night, Wolf and his other hockey-loving buddies —the Wolfy's Predators brew crew —decided Nashville should do something to counter these obnoxious Red Wings fans and their flying squid.
How about tossing guitar picks on the ice? Drumsticks? A bottle of Jack Daniels?
Nah, might be dangerous.
That's when Wolf said he walked outside for a second and looked east down Lower Broadway toward the Cumberland River. A light bulb went off, and he raced back into the bar.
"Catfish!" he shouted at the brew crew, and they all approved.
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Before the next Detroit game, Wolf bought a nine-pounder at the Germantown fish market, wrapped it in newspapers and stuffed half down his pants, half up his shirt, he said.
The plan: When the Preds scored their first goal, Wolf would toss the fish, and he and all his friends, scattered through the arena, would jump out and race out, causing confusion about who flung the fish.
The plan went off without a hitch, except that Wolf first dropped the slippery catfish on the arena floor before heaving it over the glass, he said.
Wolf said he and the brew crew continued tossing catfish onto the ice here and there through the rest of the season, and a tradition and lots of bad smells wereborn.
Wolf and then-Predators owner Craig Leipold were — and still are — great friends, but Wolf said he didn't fess up for weeks.
Wolf — now working for Leipold in Minnesota for the NHL franchise there — will be back in Nashville this week to see his beloved Preds play.
Oh, and he registered a trademark for the flying-on-ice catfish, giving it a name that soon may appear on T-shirts, hats and in children's books — "Preddy the Catfish."
Nashville Predators playoff schedule
Game 1 atNashville: Dallas wins 3-2, leads series 1-0
Game 2 atNashville: 5 p.m. Saturday, Fox Sports Tennessee, CNBC
Game 3 atDallas: 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 15,Fox Sports Tennessee, NBC Sports Network
Game 4 atDallas: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, Fox Sports Tennessee, USA
Game 5 atNashville (if necessary):TBA, Saturday, April 20
Game 6 atDallas (if necessary):TBA, Monday, April 22
Game 7 atNashville (if necessary):TBA, Wednesday, April 24
CATFISH CORNER: Get the latest news and analysis after every playoff game by subscribing to our Predators newsletter
CATFISH PRIMER:What to know about the Predators' tradition
WATCH: Humboldt tragedy brings hockey community together
Reach Brad Schmitt at brad@tennessean.com or 615-259-8384 or on Twitter @bradschmitt.
