If Arby’s ever needed a hockey spokesman, perhaps they should look to Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson.
The rising scorer generated the first hat trick of his NHL career in the Predators’ 7-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, an unusual instance beyond it being Arvidsson’s first three-goal output.
For one thing, it’s odd - though far from unprecedented - to see a player generate a hat trick in a pretty lopsided loss. Peter Laviolette essentially said they wouldn’t burn the tape from this “gross” game, instead hoping the team would learn from it. Then again, maybe he thought Arvidsson’s moment deserved to be preserved?
The other strange thing is that hats weren’t the only thing to get tossed onto the ice by the Bridgestone Arena crowd. Apparently it was free oven mitt day, so fans sent their casserole protection toward the rink.
First #MittTrick in NHL history? #Preds #FLAvsNSH pic.twitter.com/HHEDUqnu3W
— Thomas Willis (@TomAWillis) February 11, 2017
Maybe this game was just meant to be a little strange, even beyond the matinee start time. You don’t often see moments like P.K. Subban’s ill-fated fight, either.