Predators Fan Charged After Throwing Catfish on Ice During Game 1 vs. Penguins

Jacob Waddell, a Nashville Predators fan who threw a catfish on the ice during Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins, has been charged with "disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and possessing instruments of a crime," according to CBS Pittsburgh.

According to TMZ Sports, Waddell could be facing six years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Waddell threw the catfish on the ice at the 16:40 mark of the second period, causing play to be stopped as the fish was removed from the ice. He was promptly kicked out of the PPG Paints Arena.

CBS Pittsburgh shared an image of the catfish on the ice:

The Penguins won the game 5-3.

Throwing catfish on the ice has become a tradition among Nashville fans, though Waddell had to jump through several hoops to bring one into Pittsburgh's arena, per CBS Pittsburgh:      

"He said he brought the catfish with him from Nashville. Wholey’s Fish Market in Pittsburgh’s Strip District had announced before the start of the Stanley Cup Final that it would not sell catfish to Predators fans. Waddell said he vacuum sealed the fish and placed it inside his compression shorts. Once inside the arena, he entered a restroom, wrapped the fish in a free T-shirt and towel handed out at the gate and went to his seat."

Singer Carrie Underwood, the wife of Predators captain Mike Fisher, appreciated the effort: 

Pittsburgh authorities were clearly less amused.