Hockey

Laviolette asks Predators fans not to throw stuff on ice

Coach Peter Laviolette has a message for Nashville fans attending Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final: Don't throw anything onto the ice.

Game 4, in Nashville, takes place tonight

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury helped remove one of the five catfish that were thrown on the ice in Game 3. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Coach Peter Laviolette has a message for Nashville fans attending Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final: Don't throw anything onto the ice.

Five catfish, several towels, a stuffed penguin and a cowboy hat hit the ice Saturday night in the Predators' 5-1 win over Pittsburgh, which pulled Nashville within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

The team shared Laviolette's video plea Monday on Twitter hours before Game 4. The coach asks fans to avoid both putting players and officials in danger and penalties.

Police estimated more than 50,000 turned out for the first Stanley Cup final game in Tennessee on Saturday night. That prompted changes to handle the crowds with only 200 fans with wristbands allowed on the plaza with a downtown amphitheatre opened for a watch party.