The double duck dare.

Throw a catfish onto the ice of Bridgestone Arena as entrance fee to Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference finals between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks.

He's a retired Nashville schools teacher

But when Doug Harris III showed up with a skinned duck on Tuesday, instead, his uncle Don Harris — a retired Nashville schools teacher — accepted the challenge.

"I was sure I was going to get thrown out," Harris said. "We were sitting on row six and I got down really low to the ice. I waited until the security guard turned his head and heaved it over.

"He looked at me and didn’t say a word."

The move went over with Nashville fans swimmingly, as fans flocked to him with high fives. His antics, however, did ruffle a few feathers.

"I had someone ask if I killed the duck," Harris said (his nephew bought it at a market off Nolensville Pike). "I told him, 'He died for the enjoyment of 20,000 hockey fans.'"

"It was a good-natured joke," he added. "We didn’t kill the duck just for that. Someone would have eaten him anyway."

His passion for the Predators explodes after the Blackhawk series

Harris' fervor for the sport began during the Predators' showdown in the first round of the playoffs with the Chicago Blackhawks, when his nephew took Harris to his first game.

Harris has refereed sports in Nashville for decades, but hockey now fits the bill for a fun night on the town.

"Hey, I fell in love," Harris said. "I had a ball. It is an incredible sport and I never thought I would like hockey."

As for the dare, the duck almost never made it on the ice.

Related:

Someone threw a skinned duck onto the ice during Game 3 between Predators and Ducks

When Doug Harris III showed up with the duck, he stamped it with a Predators logo and painted the bill and feet a l'orange with nail polish. His nephew then tried to plastic wrap it to his body, but it looked a bit daffy.

So Don Harris volunteered.

So how did he get the duck into Bridgestone?

Harris threw on a Predators jersey and the duck was able to be smuggled through security.

"My wife looked at me and said, 'I’m not bailing you out,'" he said.

With his first animal ice toss under his belt, Harris said he will let the skinned duck fly again if he gets the chance. After all, everyone's been congratulating him the last few days for roasting the Anaheim Ducks.

"I’d like to get a ticket [Thursday] and do it again," he said. "And if I can get into Anaheim, I'll do it. But first I am going to ask a cop to please take me away after I throw it before somebody kills me."

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.