NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) -It’s officially playoff time in Smashville when the catfish hit the ice at Bridgestone Arena.

Tuesday night’s Nashville Predators game didn’t end the way fans wanted, but it began with incredible energy in front of a sold out crowd that included three unusual party crashers.

The fishy Nashville tradition became more clear when the perpetrators of Tuesday’s toss unveiled the details of their caper on YouTube and social media.

Austin Casselman, Wes Collins and two friends strapped three catfish, weighing 12 to 18 pounds each, to their backs and snuck them in to Bridgestone Arena just to hurl them onto the ice.

“At Bridgestone, it’s a loud environment. You’ll see opposing coaches say they don’t like playing here and there’s nothing like getting the fans going from the beginning,” said Casselman.

But the guys weren’t worried about the smell giving them away.

“I was more worried about the bulkiness in the back [of the jersey]. You kinda gotta be strategic how you stand to make the shirt fluff out,” said Collins.

While Casselman and Collins enjoyed every minute of their fishy playoff experience, it may have been their last because 40 pounds of catfish is really expensive.