Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators
2017–18 Nashville Predators season
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1998
History Nashville Predators
1998–present
Home arena Bridgestone Arena
City Nashville, Tennessee
Colors

Gold, Navy, White[1]

              
Media FS Predators
The Game (102.5 FM)
Owner(s) Predators Holdings LLC
General manager David Poile
Head coach Peter Laviolette[2]
Captain Vacant
Minor league affiliates Milwaukee Admirals (AHL)
Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Stanley Cups 0
Conference championships 1 (2016–17)
Presidents' Trophy 0
Division championships 0
Official website nhl.com/predators

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators joined the NHL as an expansion team in the 1998–99 season, and play their home games at Bridgestone Arena.

Franchise history

First attempt to bring NHL hockey to Nashville

In late 1995, rumors began to circulate that the New Jersey Devils would be relocating to the planned Nashville Arena.[3] Nashville offered a $20 million relocation bonus to any team that would relocate, and the Devils attempted to terminate their lease with the NJSEA before ultimately restructuring it to stay in New Jersey.[4][5]

1997–98: NHL expansion and Predators' inaugural season

After the attempt to get the Devils, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that Nashville would probably be considered in upcoming expansion.[6] The arena was opened in 1996, and after an attempt to bring the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings did not go through, the city instead went after a hockey team.[7]

In January 1997, a group led by Wisconsin businessman Craig Leipold made a formal presentation before the NHL requesting an expansion franchise.[8] When Bettman and league officials visited Nashville to tour the arena, thousands gathered on the arena plaza to greet them. In June, the league granted conditional franchises to Nashville, Columbus, Ohio, Atlanta, and Minneapolis – Saint Paul. The Nashville team would be scheduled to begin play in 1998 if they met the NHL requirement of selling 12,000 season tickets before March 31, 1998.[9] Of the four cities, Nashville was the only one with a completed arena and therefore began play first. A month later, Leipold named former Washington Capitals general manager David Poile as the franchise's first general manager.[10] Portland Pirates' head coach Barry Trotz was named the franchise's first head coach on August 6.[11]

On September 25, 1997, Leipold and team president Jack Diller held a press conference where they unveiled the franchise's new logo, a saber-toothed cat (Smilodon floridanus).[11] The logo was a reference to a partial Smilodon skeleton found beneath downtown Nashville in 1971 during construction of the First American National Bank building, now the UBS Tower.[12][13]

Once the logo was unveiled, the franchise held a vote among fans to choose a name. Three candidates were culled from 75: "Ice Tigers," "Fury" and "Attack." Leipold added his own submission to the vote, "Predators." On November 13, Leipold revealed at a press conference that his submission had won out and that the new franchise would be known as the "Nashville Predators."[11]

When awarded a franchise, the city of Nashville paid 31.50% of the $80 million fee to join the league. The city has engaged an affiliate of the team to operate the arena, and that agreement protects the city against annual arena operating losses over approximately $3.8 million.[14] The $15 million payroll of the team was the lowest of the NHL.[7]

The Predators first took the ice on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1–0 at home to the Florida Panthers. It was the only sold out game of the Predators' first five bouts in Nashville.[7] Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3–2 for their first win. Forward Andrew Brunette scored the first goal.

Summary of seasons

1998–99 season

The Predators, in their first year of existence, finished second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 28–47–7 record.

1999–2000 season

The Predators finished with a similar record to the previous season (28–40–7–7) and finished last in the West behind the Calgary Flames. During a game versus the New York Islanders on February 20, 2000, the Predators scored four goals in 3 minutes and 38 seconds.

2000–01 season

The Predators opened with two games in Japan against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Each team won a game in front of the largest crowds ever to see a hockey game in Japan. Backed by the goaltending duo of Mike Dunham and Tomas Vokoun, Nashville finished the season in tenth place in the West, 10 points out of a playoff spot with a 34–36–9–3 record, for 80 total points.

2001–02 season

A highlight of the season for the Predators was recording their 100th victory as a franchise on December 6, 2001. With that win, Nashville became the second-fastest expansion team of the 1990s to reach the 100-win plateau. The team finished with a 28–41–13–0 record – good for 69 points and a 15th spot in the West.

2002–03 season

In 2002–03, head coach Barry Trotz broke the record for most games coached by the original coach of an expansion team (392 games). Nashville finished the season with a 27–35–13–7 record for 74 points, putting them well out of contention in the Western Conference in 14th place.

2003–04 season

The Predators finished eighth in the Western Conference and made their first trip to the playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings eliminated them in six games in the first round.

The 2004–05 season was wiped out by a labor dispute between NHL owners and players.

2005–06 season

In 2005–06, the Predators set an NHL record by winning their first four games by one goal each (although two of those were shootout victories, which would have been tie games in previous seasons). They also became only the fourth NHL franchise to start the season 8–0; the last time a team did so was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who set the mark with a 10–0 start in the 1993–94 season. The Predators set the franchise mark for wins in a season with a 2–0 shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes on March 16, 2006. In that match, Chris Mason became the ninth goaltender to score a goal. By the end of the season, the Predators had accumulated 106 points—their first 100-point season—and clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. They finished the season with an NHL-best 32–8–1 record at home.

In the 2006 playoffs, the Predators faced the San Jose Sharks in the first round; the Sharks beat them in five games.

2006–07 season

The Predators acquired veteran center Jason Arnott from free agency on July 2, 2006. Arnott and David Legwand led the team in goals with 27 each. Late in the season, the Predators traded two former first round draft picks, Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent, plus their first and third-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, to the Philadelphia Flyers for five-time NHL All-Star Peter Forsberg.

The Predators finished the season ranked fourth in the Western Conference with a franchise record 110 points (51–23–8), finishing third overall behind the Buffalo Sabres and the Detroit Red Wings. They were defeated by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs for the second year in a row, losing the series 4–1.

2007–08 season

After having their roster decimated during the off-season, multiple potential buyers, and rumors of the franchise potentially moving hounding the team until almost mid-season, the Predators were not expected to have a successful year. Chris Mason, former backup goaltender to Tomas Vokoun (who was traded to the Florida Panthers) had a shaky season and shared net-minding duties with Dan Ellis. Ellis, who was signed from the Dallas Stars before the season began, had a 233:39 long shutout streak (fifth longest in league history) nearing the end of the season that helped Nashville attain the eighth playoff spot with 91 points.

The Predators met the Presidents' Trophy-winning (and eventual Stanley Cup winners) Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs and were defeated 4–2, their fourth-straight first-round knockout.

2008–09 season

The first off-season of settling in under new ownership was a quiet one for the Predators with little personnel movement. As such, the Predators began the season with little expectation. Following a strong push after the All-Star break and no movement at the trade deadline, the team found themselves still battling for a playoff spot into the last week of the season. Buoyed by the return of Steve Sullivan after almost two seasons recovering from a back injury, the Predators finished with 88 points, settling for 10th place in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

2009–10 season

The Predators made few major additions to their roster in the off-season, signing former San Jose Sharks forward Marcel Goc (who was extended for another year by the club in mid-season) and former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon. The season also saw the much-anticipated debut of top prospect Colin Wilson; however, due to a groin injury suffered in training camp, Wilson spent the first week and a half of the season on the sidelines, and was sent to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) in November. He returned to the club in February and scored 11 points in his next 15 games and finished the season with 15 points in 35 games.

The 2009–10 season was also a breakout year for the last pick in the 2005 Draft, Patric Hornqvist. After scoring just two goals in 28 games the previous year, the 23-year-old Swede scored 30 in 2009–10, becoming the fourth Predator to do so (the others being Steve Sullivan, Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott). Hornqvist was often found in front of the net, often drawing comparisons to Detroit Red Wings winger Tomas Holmstrom.

The Predators finished seventh and faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. The Predators earned their first away win in the post-season on April 16 when they beat the Blackhawks 4–1 at the United Center. The Predators lost to the Blackhawks in 6 games.

2010–11 season

On July 9, the Predators announced that defenseman Shea Weber would become the club's fifth captain. On April 24, 2011, the Predators celebrated a team milestone, advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They defeated the Anaheim Ducks at Bridgestone Arena, winning the first-round series in six games. On April 22, 2011, Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne was nominated as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.[15] The Predators played against the number one ranked team in the NHL in the second round, the Vancouver Canucks. The Predators lost the series 4–2.

It was a very successful season for the Predators on-and off-the-ice. The Predators racked up 16 regular season sell-outs and an additional six sell-outs during the playoffs.

2011–12 season

On June 22, 2011, the Predators unveiled their modified logo set for the 2011–12 season. With the color scheme simplified to blue, gold and white and eliminating orange, silver and steel, the Predators cleaned up their primary logo and wordmark. A new alternate logo incorporating elements from a guitar pick and the Tennessee state flag was also introduced.[1]

On November 3, 2011, the Predators signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million deal. It was the largest contract awarded in Predators' history, as well as making Rinne the highest paid goaltender in the NHL that year.

On February 27, 2012, at the NHL trade deadline, the Predators acquired Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad from the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres, respectively. The Predators surrendered draft picks to bolster their team for the 2012 playoffs. On March 19, 2012, Russian forward Alexander Radulov returned to the Predators after a four-year hiatus to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

On April 20, 2012, for the second year in a row and the second time in the team's history, the Predators won a first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs.The 2–1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings ended the series 4–1.[16] On May 7, 2012, for the second year in a row, the Predators were ousted in the Western Conference semi-finals, this time to the Phoenix Coyotes.

2012–13 season

During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, Nashville missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 season. After the season, the Predators signed Weber through a front-loaded $110 million, 14-year offer sheet, $68 million of it as a signing bonus, from the Philadelphia Flyers on July 19. The offer sheet was the richest in NHL history in terms of total money, money per season, and length, surpassing the previous offer sheet record set by Thomas Vanek.

2013–14 season

After missing the playoffs for a second season in a row, the Predators decided not to renew the contract of Barry Trotz as its head coach after 15 years, although he was offered an unnamed position within the organization. On May 6, 2014, the Predators announced Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. David Legwand when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings at the trade deadline.

2014-15 season

In Peter Laviolette's first season as coach, the Predators finished second in the Central Division. Despite having home advantage in the first round of the 2015 playoffs, they lost the first round in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

2015-16 season

The Predators finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 96 points. When they advanced to the second-round after beating the Anaheim Ducks in Game 7, it was the franchise's first seven-game series and seven-game series win. They were eliminated in seven games by the San Jose Sharks, who went on to win the conference.

On June 29, 2016, the Predators traded their captain, Shea Weber, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman P. K. Subban. The trade surprised many hockey fans because the details to this trade were kept strictly confidential until the deal was already made.

2016–17 season, First Stanley Cup Final

On September 7, 2016, the Predators announced that Mike Fisher would be the franchise's sixth captain.

In the regular season, the Predators finished fourth in the Central Division with 94 points, which earned them the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. The 2016–17 season marked the first time the Predators sold out all 41 regular season home games.

Their eighth-place finish in the conference gave them a first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, who finished first in the conference during the regular season. The Predators swept the Blackhawks in four games. This was the first time that an eighth seed swept a playoff series against the top seed in the conference in NHL history as well as the first time that there had been a sweep by an eighth seed against a top seed in a best-of-seven playoff series in the history of North American major league professional sports.[17] In the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games, marking the first time the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals. On May 16, the Predators became the first team in 20 years (since Detroit Red Wings in 1997) to achieve 10 straight wins at home in the postseason.[18] On May 22, 2017 the Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6–3 and won the series four games to two and won the Western Conference as a result. It was the franchise's first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.[19]

After going down to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0, the Predators battled back and evened the Series at 2, winning games 3 and 4 at home in decisive fashion. Returning to Pittsburgh, the Predators lost 6-0 before being eliminated at home 2-0 in game 6 of the Finals.

Ownership history

On May 23, 2007, Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold was reported to have reached a tentative agreement to sell the team to Research in Motion chairman and co-CEO Jim Balsillie.[20] At the time, Leipold indicated that the team would play the 2007–08 season in Nashville but that the future of the team after that was not clear.[21]

On June 23, information was leaked by several sources indicating that Leipold no longer wanted to sell the Predators to Basillie.[22] Subsequently, a campaign to land the team in Kansas City, Missouri, received a boost in late June 2007.[23] The Canadian National Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that Leipold planned to sell the team to San Jose venture capitalist William "Boots" Del Biaggio III, who wanted to relocate the club to Kansas City's new Sprint Center for the 2008–09 season.[23] Del Biaggio, who had a contract with Anschutz Entertainment Group to own an NHL club that would play home games in Sprint Center, had made an offer reported to be for about $190 million for the Predators. Del Biaggio had entered an agreement two years earlier, in 2005, to purchase the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the club backed out of the deal after it won the NHL draft lottery and took Sidney Crosby with the first overall pick.[23]

On July 19, 2007, a group of local business owners known as Our Team Nashville held a rally at the Sommet Center to encourage fans to buy season tickets in order to help the Predators meet the attendance figures needed to keep the team in Nashville. They drew approximately 7,500 fans and sold the equivalent of 726 full season tickets during the rally.[24] The rally was heavily supported by George Plaster, then a sportscaster on WGFX 104.5 "The Zone" sports radio in Nashville. On August 1, 2007, the group released a letter of intent from Craig Leipold.[25] After negotiations with the City of Nashville, the local group headed by David Freeman reached an agreement with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, and the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale on November 29, 2007. The $172 million acquisition of the Nashville Predators included repayment of existing debt of approximately $61 million and $2.2 million in fees and expenses. The sale of the Predators to the Tennessee-based group included Del Biaggio, who had been trying to move the team to Kansas City. The locally based buyers held 73% of the team, while Del Biaggio and a minority partner acquired about 27% of the club.

In June 2008, Del Biaggio ran into legal trouble over a multitude of unpaid loans, culminating in his filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[26] Furthermore, it was alleged that Del Biaggio acquired the loans he used to buy his stake in the team through fraudulent means, prompting an FBI investigation and criminal charges.[27] The charges culminated in a 97-month prison sentence for Del Biaggio. Under United States bankruptcy law, a trustee was appointed to sell Del Biaggio's assets, including his stake in the Predators, to pay off his creditors.[28]

On March 1, 2010, Freeman stepped down as chairman of the Nashville Predators in favor of Thomas Cigarran.[29] Cigarran announced on September 2 that the local ownership group had completed the purchase of the Del Biaggio stake.[30]

In November 2011, it was announced that Calgary businessman W. Brett Wilson had purchased a 5% interest in the Nashville Predators.[31]

Ownership dispute

On June 23, 2016, Freeman filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Nashville Predators and Cigarran. His claim was that his ownership stake has been improperly diluted by Cigarran failing to notify him of capital calls, and that he had not received loan guaranty fees that the ownership group had agreed to pay him.[32] The lawsuit stated that Freeman initially owned a 48% share, while the holding company for the Nashville Predators stated that Freeman controlled less than 1% of ownership in the team at the time of the suit.[33] This dilution was exacerbated by the existence of two classes of investments in the Predators: the common units owned by Freeman were subject to capital calls; the Series A units originally owned by Del Biaggio and his minority partner were not subject to capital calls.[34]

The dispute was sent to court-ordered arbitration on July 29, 2016. The arbitration is under the supervision of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.[35]

Team information

The team practices at Centennial Sportsplex. For the 2011–12 season, the Nashville Predators changed their jersey design and color scheme. The home jerseys are a bright gold with navy and white highlights, while the away jerseys are white with gold and navy highlights. Furthermore, the Predators changed their logo, making it purely white, gold and navy. The jerseys have a guitar pick on the shoulder with the Tennessee state tri-star inside it, lines meant to be guitar lines on the numbers, and piano keys along the neck line inside the jersey as a nod to Nashville's internationally-known music heritage. From the 2016–17 season gold helmets became a permanent part of the home uniform.[36]

Fan traditions

Fans of the Nashville Predators have modified the octopus-throwing tradition of Detroit Red Wings fans to show their support: on occasion, a fan will throw a catfish onto the ice. The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville cites the first instance of this as being on October 30, 2003.[37] At the Stanley Cup playoffs Western Conference (NHL) Final Game 3 at Bridgestone Arena on May 16, 2017, country star Keith Urban, who had performed the National Anthem at the game, was viewed on the Jumbotron hoisting a massive fish.[38]

Section 303 is where a section of fans at the Bridgestone Arena sit, stand, and cheer, colloquially known as The Cellblock. The group refers to themselves as "the loudest section of the loudest arena in the NHL."[39] The fan-based organization has been recognized by the Predators' front office. A large banner was produced by the front office for posting on the wall behind the section.

On April 3, 2008, with the Predators clinging to a 3–2 lead with 4:30 in their final home game of the regular season, a sellout crowd at the then-Sommet Center gave the team a standing ovation through the entirety of the final TV timeout. The Predators went on to win the game against the St. Louis Blues and advanced to the playoffs that year, where the "standing O" during the final TV timeout has since become a fan tradition.

The mascot of the Predators is Gnash, a blue saber-toothed cat. Introduced in 1998, Gnash's trademark includes stunts, such as very fast rappels, zip lines, and a pendulum swing that takes him under the scoreboard and just inches off the ice.

To go along with the saber-toothed cat mascot, Predators fans proudly use their Fang Fingers during each power play of the game. There are foam saber-fang gloves that can be purchased, but most fans simply curl their index and middle fingers on each hand into fang shapes and brandish them in an up-and-down motion. Fang Fingers are done to the horror sounds from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Psycho.[40]

Fans are also known for a variety of chants taunting players of the opposing team, particularly the goalie. For example, after each Predators goal, fans call the opposing goalie's name, accompanied by shouts of "It's all your fault" and other epithets. These cheers are sometimes said to originate from tradition at college football games,[41] but some of these derive from traditions held by fans of pre-NHL hockey clubs Nashville Dixie Flyers, Nashville South Stars, Nashville Nighthawks, and Nashville Knights.[42]

Nashville's fanbase is said by many to be among the loudest in the National Hockey League, with sound levels reaching over 120 dB during the playoffs.[43]

Season-by-season record

Nashville's third jersey logo (2001–2007); a more detailed, three-quarters front view of the team's saber-toothed cat logo.

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Predators. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Nashville Predators seasons.

GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L OTL Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
2012–13 48 16 23 9 41 111 139 5th, Central Did not qualify
2013–14 82 38 32 12 88 216 242 6th, Central Did not qualify
2014–15 82 47 25 10 104 232 208 2nd, Central Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Blackhawks)
2015–16 82 41 27 14 96 228 215 4th, Central Lost in Second Round, 3–4 (Sharks)
2016–17 82 41 29 12 94 240 224 4th, Central Lost in Stanley Cup Finals, 2–4 (Penguins)

Players

Current roster

Updated July 10, 2017.[44]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
46 Sweden Aberg, PontusPontus Aberg LW R 23 2012 Stockholm, Sweden
38 Sweden Arvidsson, ViktorViktor Arvidsson LW R 24 2014 Skellefteå, Sweden
2 United States Bitetto, AnthonyAnthony Bitetto D L 27 2012 Island Park, New York
13 United States Bonino, NickNick Bonino C L 29 2017 Hartford, Connecticut
14 Sweden Ekholm, MattiasMattias Ekholm D L 27 2009 Borlänge, Sweden
4 Canada Ellis, RyanRyan Ellis (A) D R 26 2009 Hamilton, Ontario
25 Russia Emelin, AlexeiAlexei Emelin D L 31 2017 Togliatti, Russia
56 Switzerland Fiala, KevinKevin Fiala  LW L 21 2014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
9 Sweden Forsberg, FilipFilip Forsberg LW R 23 2013 Östervåla, Sweden
32 Canada Gaudreau, FrederickFrederick Gaudreau C R 24 2016 Bromont, Quebec
8 Sweden Granberg, PetterPetter Granberg D R 24 2015 Gällivare, Sweden
17 Canada Hartnell, ScottScott Hartnell LW L 35 2017 Regina, Saskatchewan
52 Canada Irwin, MattMatt Irwin D L 29 2016 Victoria, British Columbia
19 Sweden Jarnkrok, CalleCalle Jarnkrok C R 25 2014 Gävle, Sweden
92 Canada Johansen, RyanRyan Johansen  C R 25 2016 Vancouver, British Columbia
59 Switzerland Josi, RomanRoman Josi (A) D L 27 2008 Bern, Switzerland
50 Russia Kamenev, VladislavVladislav Kamenev LW L 21 2014 Orsk, Russia
55 Canada McLeod, CodyCody McLeod LW L 33 2017 Binscarth, Manitoba
29 Canada O'Connor, MattMatt O'Connor G L 25 2017 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
35 Finland Rinne, PekkaPekka Rinne G L 34 2004 Kempele, Finland
20 Finland Salomaki, MiikkaMiikka Salomaki RW L 24 2011 Raahe, Finland
74 Finland Saros, JuuseJuuse Saros G L 22 2013 Forssa, Finland
10 Canada Sissons, ColtonColton Sissons C R 23 2012 North Vancouver, British Columbia
15 United States Smith, CraigCraig Smith RW R 27 2009 Madison, Wisconsin
76 Canada Subban, P. K.P. K. Subban D R 28 2016 Toronto, Ontario
51 United States Watson, AustinAustin Watson LW R 25 2010 Ann Arbor, Michigan
7 Switzerland Weber, YannickYannick Weber D R 28 2016 Morges, Switzerland
Shea Weber was the team's longest serving captain serving from 2010 to 2016.

Team captains

First-round draft picks

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers, goal scorers, and assist leaders in franchise regular season history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

David Legwand is the franchise leader in goals and points, and was the final member of the inaugural team to retire or move.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

NHL awards and trophies

Lester Patrick Trophy

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

NHL Foundation Player Award

Mark Messier Leadership Award

NHL First All-Star Team

NHL Second All-Star Team

NHL All-Rookie Team

NHL All-Star Game selections


Franchise individual records

References

  1. 1 2 "Preds Unveil New Logos". NHL.com. Nashville Predators. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Nashville Predators Name Peter Laviolette Head Coach". NHL.com. Nashville, TN: Nashville Predators. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. ↑ MacFarquhar, Neil (June 29, 1995). "HOCKEY; Fans Caught Between Devils and Nashville". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  4. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (June 8, 1995). "1995 N.H.L. PLAYOFFS; Devils Reject Offer on New Lease". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  5. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (July 14, 1995). "HOCKEY; Devils and New Jersey Call Truce and Strike Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  6. ↑ "HOCKEY; Nashville Still Seeks Team". The New York Times. July 14, 1995. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 Farber, Michael (9 November 1998). "Hockey-Tonk Town Nashville and its biggest country music stars have taken a down-home hankerin' to the expansion Predators". SI.com. Time, Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Litsky, Frank (January 14, 1997). "Cities Line Up To Join The N.H.L". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "N.H.L. Names 4 Cities For Its New Franchises". The New York Times. June 18, 1997. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  10. ↑ "NHL Expansion Franchise Nashville Chooses Poile For GM".Boston Globe. July 10, 1997.
  11. 1 2 3 "Nashville Predators Timeline". WSMV. Nashville, TN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ Ingram, Tom (October 2, 1971). "Specialists to Study Cave Bones". Nashville Tennessean. p. 7.
  13. ↑ Guilday, John E. (July 1977). "Sabertooth Cat, Smilodon Floridanus (Leidy), and Associated Fauna From a Tennessee Cave (40DV40), the First American Bank Site.". Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science. 52 (3): 84–94.
  14. ↑ Jones, Donald W. (April 15, 2008). "Metropolitan Nashville Council, Analysis Report for April 15, 2008" (PDF). nashville.gov. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010.
  15. ↑ Pekka Rinne named a finalist for Vezina Trophy, ontheforecheck.com, April 22, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Predators Eliminate Redwings". New York Times. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  17. ↑ Curtis, Cory (April 21, 2017). "Predators sweep Blackhawks with 4-1 win". wkrn.com.
  18. ↑ "Ducks Resting Up for Aggressive Preds Down 2-1 in West". The New York Times. The Associated Press. May 17, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Colton Sissons' hat trick pushes the Predators into their first Stanley Cup finals appearance". espn.com. 2017-05-22. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  20. ↑ Balsillie attempting to buy Predators, tsn.ca, May 23, 2007. Archived October 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ "Canadian Billionaire To Buy Predators". newschannel5.com. Nashville, TN: WorldNow. May 24, 2007. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007.
  22. ↑ Cox, Damien (23 June 2007). "NHL calling the tune in Nashville". TheStar.com. Toronto, ON: Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 Covitz, Randy. Kansas City's chances for the NHL's Predators get boost Kansas City Star, June 28, 2007.
  24. ↑ Wilson, Kevin (July 20, 2007). "Local supporters stage successful ticket rally". predators.nhl.com. Nashville Predators. Archived from the original on August 7, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Predators set to sell team to local group". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  26. ↑ National Post story on Del Biaggio bankruptcy
  27. ↑ Maki, Allan (13 June 2008). "Del Biaggio's trials take another twist". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  28. ↑ "Nashville reaches deal to consolidate ownership". The Globe and Mail. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  29. ↑ Hoag, Dirk (1 March 2010). "David Freeman steps down as chairman of the Nashville Predators". On the Forecheck. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  30. ↑ Hoag, Dirk (2 September 2010). "Nashville Predators complete purchase of Boots Del Biaggio shares". On the Forecheck. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  31. ↑ "St. Denis takes rare path to NHL". The Montreal Gazette. November 17, 2011. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011.
  32. ↑ Rau, Nate (23 June 2016). "Predators owner sues team, chairman for $250M". The Tennessean. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  33. ↑ Steimer, Jacob (29 July 2016). "Predators lawsuit sent back to arbitration, major win for team". Nashville Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  34. ↑ "IN RE BIAGGIO | Case No. 08-30991 TEC, Adv. Proc. No. 12-3065 TEC.". Leagle.com. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  35. ↑ Barchenger, Stacey; Rau, Nate (29 July 2016). "Judge rules in favor of Predators, Cigarran, arbitration". The Tennessean. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  36. ↑ Bratten, Brooks (September 15, 2016). "Preds Adopt Gold Helmets for Every Home Game". NHL.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  37. ↑ Tennessean.com, Catfish hunters: Fans throw a curve at Preds
  38. ↑ Barrett Caldwell on Twitter
  39. ↑ Bonvissuto, Dominic. "Section 303: I came, I saw - I yawned". Nashville City Paper. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  40. ↑ "An Introduction To Smashville". NHL.com. Nashville Predators. 27 April 2010.
  41. ↑ Godfrey, Steven (17 April 2015). "How the Nashville Predators built a fan base in the heart of college football country". SBNation.com. Vox Media, Inc.
  42. ↑ "Nashville Knights hockey team statistics and history at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com.
  43. ↑ "Preds' postseason run has turned Music City into Smashville". FOX Sports. Associated Press. 11 May 2017.
  44. ↑ "Predators Roster". "Nashville Predators". Retrieved May 20, 2017.
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