After their big win last night, the Preds are getting even more national attention...this time from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who aren't too thrilled with the catfish-chucking. PETA Senior Director Colleen O'Brien says catfish are "sentient beings who feel fear and pain, and throwing fish—dead or alive—onto the ice is no more acceptable than throwing live or dead kittens onto the ice". Pretty much a walk-off debate point right there...throwing kittens would NOT be acceptable. Look, I consider myself an animal lover, although I've usually restricted that to the cute and cuddly ones, but maybe Colleen has a point. A couple of things to consider here before we turn to the This Is Cruel vs. It's Our Tradition debate:

1. Cruelty aside, who is carrying a fish in their pants for an entire game, waiting for just the right moment to toss it over the glass? And you're doing this with LIVE FISH? Time to take a loooong look in the mirror and see if you're enjoying sports in a healthy way. I think you might care too much.

2. I'm sort of inclined to let the Preds off the hook for this. People are going to sneak stuff into the arena, and the type of person willing to conceal a fish is HIGHLY motivated. I would like to know if the fish-chuckers are being ejected, as I'm pretty sure that practice is already a violation of general arena policy. There is the problem of the little plush catfish for sale in the pro shop though...

The full letter from PETA: