Needless to say, most Nashville Predators fans, and even many hockey fans in general, were upset with the goaltender interference call made at the end of the Predators/Panthers game Tuesday night. Reactions poured in all over social media from fans, talking heads of hockey and even celebrities.
One fan, Briley Meeks of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, decided to take the Smashville reaction to another level by sending a catfish right to the situation room in Toronto.
“We all saw that goal last night,” said Meeks. “Me and my dad were jumping up and down. We were hollering, woke the baby up and everything. Then they overturned it. The excitement was so huge and then it was devastating. Someone on the fan page posted the address for the situation room and said that someone should send a catfish to it. So I did. I felt compelled.”
A little idea went a long way, and she was set on getting it done.
“I went to Little’s Fish Company in Germantown because I knew they had catfish,” Meeks said. “I went there and bought two catfish. I called UPS asking if you can send fish through the mail. They knew what I was doing. So, I went down there and this man, the manager of the UPS Store, helped me. He said it would have to go through customs, and didn’t want me to spend all this money and it be returned. He called customs for me and made sure that it was okay that I send a dead catfish to a business. They said it was fine. We’re hoping it gets there.”
The total shipping cost for a dead catfish to Toronto: $134.50. “Worth every penny” according to Meeks.
What’s the message Meeks hopes the NHL gets with this package?
“I just want them to get it, open it and realize it stinks because what they did stinks to us,” Meeks said. “Maybe they’ll think about it harder before they go and rob people of a game.”
Aside from being very upset with the call that caused the Predators to lose in regulation, Meeks and the rest of her family are very excited for the upcoming playoff run. She’s been a fan since day one.
“We went to the inaugural game way back when, so I’ve been a Preds fan since I was a little girl,” said Meeks. “We followed last season in the playoffs and I was pregnant with my daughter. For every single game, we would cook and have the whole family over. That was a lot of games! It just made my fandom grow even more. Now that the playoffs are here, and my baby’s here, she’s got her own jersey, too. It’s just super exciting with what happened last season. I’ll be there on Saturday night for the last home game.”
The legend of the catfish lives on, and now it’s international. We’ll await word to see if the package arrives in Toronto.
Update: Briley posted the afternoon of April 5 that the package had indeed been delivered.
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Photo courtesy of Fang Fingers Clothing
