A Nashville hockey tradition made its way to Pittsburgh on Monday night and a catfish cadaver became an instrument to a crime.

Pittsburgh police said a Nashville Predators fan threw a catfish on the ice during Monday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and is being charged with three misdemeanors in connection to the incident.

According to police, 36-year-old Jacob Waddell of Nolensville — a suburb about 30 miles south of downtown Nashville — bought the catfish in Tennessee and vacuum sealed it, put it in his compression shorts and removed it in a men's room at PPG Paints Arena.

At 9:30 p.m., during the second period, the catfish sailed over the glass around the rink and flopped onto the ice, police say.

The tradition of tossing catfish onto the ice in Nashville began in 2003. It's a Nashville take on a Detroit Red Wings tradition of tossing octopus onto the ice in Michigan. At the time, it took eight wins to claim the cup (octopus have eight tentacles).

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, no one has been cited for the Predator pastime in the last 14 years.

Detroit Red Wings Legend of the Octopus

►More:Man hailed as 'hero' for throwing catfish onto ice in Pittsburgh

►Rexrode:You've got to be catfishing me, Pittsburgh

Police in the Steel City escorted Waddell immediately from the arena and charged him with disorderly conduct, disrupting a meeting and possession of an instrument of crime.

Calling himself "Catfish Jake" Waddell took to Twitter, boasted Tuesday about his toss and thanked a Nashville-based bar, Losers, for agreeing to pick up any fines levied against him.

He tweeted that he brought the fish to the game from Nashville. He also told WSMV-TV, Nashville he ran over the catfish with his truck to flatten it out and then shoved it down his shorts.

Preds fans pledge support

Shortly after the charges became public Tuesday morning, legions of Nashvillians pledged to help Waddell.

A handful of Middle Tennessee fans created GoFundMe campaigns on his behalf.

Several Metro Nashville council members also took to Twitter in his support. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation also expressed its confusion about one of the charges. There was even an offer of free legal help.

Nashville Councilman Freddie O'Connell said he's asked the Metro Council office to draft a resolution requesting that Allegheny County, Pa., where Waddell was charged, pardon him.

"This is fandom," O'Connell said. "If we're really going to escalate this to the point where people are having some fun in a sports arena, and a little prank becomes a serious charge and carries with it a fine, maybe it's time to de-escalate that and let fans be fans."

Nashville-based lawyer and former assistant prosecutor Rob McGuire offered free legal representation.

“This is good-natured fandom, it didn’t hurt anybody, didn’t disrupt the game,” said McGuire, a Preds fan who couldn’t get tickets to the Stanley Cup Final.

“If he wanted my help, I’d go to Pittsburgh and defend a Nashvillian’s right to throw catfish on the ice all day long.”

►More:How a Predators fan tossed the catfish in Pittsburgh

It may not be that easy: McGuire would need a Pennsylvania lawyer to support him before he can practice law there.

So McGuire turned to Twitter, asking for an assist from fans of the Penguins’ in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers.

“My heart goes out to the guy,” he said, “that’s ridiculous for him to get arrested for something so petty.”

When asked if she'd intervene, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry's office called for good sportsmanship.

"Mayor Barry appreciates and applauds the enthusiasm of our fans. However, as mayor she knows that it would be inappropriate for her to intercede in a criminal matter locally, let alone ask the mayor of Pittsburgh to do the same. We would hope that in the spirit of good sportsmanship that any charges for throwing a catfish onto the ice would be quickly dismissed."

In Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto agreed that the charges may have been too harsh and said community service would be a fitting penalty.

"This has turned into a whale of a story. From my perch, I agree with Mayor Barry that we shouldn't be baited into interfering with this fish tale, but if the charges eventually make their way to a judge I hope the predatory catfish hurler who got the hook last night is simply sentenced to community service, perhaps cleaning fish at Wholey's."

For its part, PETA is backing the Pittsburgh police on this one.

In a Tuesday letter addressed to David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins, the Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said, “Thank you for taking swift action that will remind all sports fans that this offensive behavior will not be tolerated.”

In a statement provided to the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee, Tracy Reiman, PETA's executive vice president wrote: "Whether catfish or cat, it's never acceptable to toss any sensitive, intelligent animal's body onto the ice during a hockey game."

Reach Natalie Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitteer @nataliealund. Reach Stacey Barchanger at 615-726-8968 and follow her on Twitter @sbarchanger.

►More:4 GoFundMe campaigns launched to help catfish guy

►More:Catfish as 'instruments of crime?' TBI says no