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Keep the
Predators in Nashville!
Here are some ways you can
help:
Visit the Our Team
Nashville site.
Visit the Save the
Predators site.
Buy
full season or
partial season tickets at the
official site.
You can obviously see
that I have a hard time keeping this Web site up to date. New
content will be added from time to time, but there are plenty of
other Nashville Predators
resources out there to keep you up
to date. Click the Links button for some of these sources.
Thanks for visiting!
Preds Fans Rally at Sommet Center
July 19, 2007
Predator fans gathered at the recently renamed Sommet Center to
show their support for the NHL franchise in Nashville. If you've
seen the pictures (like
this one) you know that it was a huge success!
Free Agents Bonk and de Vries
Signed
July 5, 2007
It isn't all doom and gloom for the Preds. The team has inked
forward Radek Bonk and defenseman Greg de Vries to two year deals.
This is de Vries' second stint with the franchise as he played six
games here during its inaugural season.
Poile Sheds Payroll for
Post-Leipold World
July 1, 2007
It has been a trying time for Predator fans. With the impending
sale of the team due to sustained financial losses by owner Craig
Leipold, GM David Poile is faced with the daunting challenge of
fielding a competitive but frugal roster for the upcoming season.
Nashville has seen the departure of Paul Kariya via free agency, and
star players Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen, and Scott Hartnell via
trade.
Franchise at a Crossroads
April 22, 2007
The sting of yet another first round playoff exit is still being
felt by Predator fans and players. A season that had so much
promise, a team with superstar and youthful talent, with the third
best regular season record in the league, ended in disaster with a
five game elimination at the hand the San Jose Sharks. Now with
Forsberg possibly retiring from the NHL for good, many high profile
players becoming free agents, and the coaching staff with expiring
contracts, everyone is wondering what to do next.
Rumors of the team re-locating to
another city have been consistently squelched by the front office
and owner Craig Leipold. Yet, we all know that it is hard to
sell-out a game in the Music City due to the lack of support from
the business sector. The arena no longer has a name since Gaylord
Entertainment failed to live up to its contract. Leipold has been
looking for someone to take a minority ownership in the club. A
strong playoff run would have been a huge boost in support as has
been demonstrated in other Southern cities like Carolina and Tampa
Bay. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Another question is who is to blame
for this third lousy outing into the post-season. Can Trotz and his
staff coach an NHL-playoff contending team? Or is it general manager
David Poile's player choices for small and fast players ill-suited
for the post-season? Clearly there is plenty of blame to go around.
The summer of 2007 will be a season
of soul-searching as the team tries to find an identity that can
compete in the post-season, fill seats in the Nashville Arena, and
contend for Lord Stanley's cup.
Radulov Suspended One Game by NHL
April 15, 2007
The NHL has suspended the rookie shooter Alexander Radulov for
one game for a hit from behind on Steve Bernier. He received a
five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct at the time of the
hit in game two. The Predators not only killed off the entire
penalty but scored a short-handed goal and went on to a 5-2 victory.
The league rescinded one of Hartnell's two game misconducts he
received in that game so he will not be penalized heading into game
three. Hartnell was targeted by the Shark's goons after an
accidental knee-on-knee collision in game one took out team star
Jonathan Cheechoo for the remainder of that one game.
Games One & Two Sold Out
April 8, 2007
The first two games of the playoff tilt against the Sharks are
sold out! This is an improvement over last year when neither of the
games had every seat sold.
Preds Finish Third Best in League
April 8, 2007
The Predators concluded the 2006-07 regular season with the
third best record in the league, behind only Detroit and Buffalo, which
obviously was also a franchise high water mark. The bad news is that
Detroit yet again captured the Central Division crown and will have
the top seed in the playoffs. Nashville will have a re-match against
last year's playoff opponent, the San Jose Sharks. The 2006 postseason
lasted only five games for the Music City team as the Sharks won
four straight against the smaller, less disciplined Predators. Let's
hope the retooled team, with Forsberg, Arnott, Radulov, Dumont, and
a healthy Vokoun can produce a better result this year!
Ticket Sales Brisk on Day After
Trade
February 16, 2007
The ticket office on Broadway was hectic today. They sold
roughly 3,500 tickets and 100 season tickets for this season, which
includes priority for playoff tickets. The remaining seats for
Forsberg's home ice tilt against the Minnesota Wild were also sold
out today.
A Jaw Dropper: Forsberg a
Predator!
February 15, 2007
I had to read the headline three times and make sure it wasn't
some minor league player with the same name. No, it is true. Former
league MVP Peter Forsberg is now a Nashville Predator! David Poile
paid a high price for a superstar with a damaged foot - sending
Scottie Upshall, Rich Parent, and first and third round picks in
this year's draft. Forsberg is also in the last year of his contract
and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. But the
Predators are hoping to sell more tickets, go deep into the
playoffs, and preserve the viability of the franchise here in Music
City. Forsberg has a no-trade clause in his contract, which we was
willing to waive for four Western Conference teams - including
Nashville.
Three-Way Trade Swaps C Vasicek
for D Vishnevski
February 10, 2007
Nashville traded C Josef Vacicek back to Carolina for Eric
Belanger. Vasicek was added to the roster last summer to boost the
size of the team at center ice. The Preds gave up original Predator
Scott Walker in the deal. Unfortunately, Vasicek had a hard time
getting ice time. The following day, Poile traded Belanger to
Atlanta for D Vitaly Vishnevski.
Preds Right the Ship with Four
Game Win Streak
October 21, 2006
The Predators are returning to their winning form thanks to a
three game tour up in the Northeast. The losing streak ended with a
4-1 victory at home against the Coyotes. The Nashville club then
traveled to the tri-state area and beat Mike Dunham and the
Islanders 2-1 in a shootout, shutout the Rangers 3-0, and defeated
the Devils 4-3 also in a shootout.
0-3 Start Worst in Franchise
History
October 13, 2006
This is a kind of historical start you don't want to have. The
Predators are the only team left in the league without a point and
only one of two without a win. The losses have come from two tilts
against Chicago and one against Minnesota. This situation stands in
stark contrast with last year's historic season opening eight game
winning streak.
To read old news, click here!
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