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On May 4, 1998 the NHL announced the Nashville Predators as the 27th franchise in league history. It took General Manager David Poile and inaugural head coach Barry Trotz five seasons to crack the postseason in 2003-2004 and a change in head coach to make the Stanley Cup Finals in 2016-2017. Despite a more challenging path to playoff success than recent expansion teams have had, Nashville has become a place NHL players want to play.
The franchise
While Predators fans may take exception to a handful of moves David Poile made during his tenure, most would agree that the successes the Predators have had should be significantly credited to the winningest general manager in league history. Poile was able to draft talent like David Legwand, Shea Weber, Roman Josi, and Pekka Rinne. Poile convinced free agents like Paul Kariya, Jason Arnott, and most recently Ryan O'Reilly to sign with the franchise and made savvy trades that brought players like Filip Forsberg and P.K. Subban to Nashville.
Recently the torch has been passed to Barry Trotz who became the second GM of the Predators franchise on July 1. Trotz got his NHL coaching start in Nashville and now begins his first general managing job in the front office. Well respected across the league, Trotz led the Washington Capitals to a Stanley Cup in 2018 and knows what it takes to win in this league.
It isn't just the talent Poile and Trotz compiled on the ice that players appreciate. The franchise is invested in and committed to the players as individuals off the ice. The culture of support has been evident as the organization is at the forefront of the league when it comes to addressing the importance of mental health and inclusion.
Retired defenseman and new Predators development coach Mark Borowiecki acknowledged how important that commitment was when he decided to accept a coaching position with the team.
"One of the reason I wanted to work with the Predators is that I find they are pretty cutting edge when it comes to doing that [mental health awareness and support]," said Borowiecki in a conversation earlier this summer.
"They're very progressive in terms of making sure guys have access to resources. We spent a lot of time in development camp just talking about the mental side of the game. There's going to be a big emphasis on making sure we do things right here in bringing these players along the correct way."
While the franchise has fallen short of winning the Stanley Cup, the Predators have made the playoffs 15 of their 24 previous seasons, including eight in a row before falling just short in 2022-23 as the team began a reset at the trade deadline. The reset may keep Nashville from making a deep playoff run in the next few seasons, but Barry Trotz is intentional and aggressive in getting back to serious contention. This is a franchise that wants to win it all and won't be content to be just another consistent playoff team.
The fans
People have questioned in the past whether hockey can grow in the South, but teams in Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Dallas have proven that there is a passionate fan base ready to support the sport. Nashville is clearly no exception. From the chants originating from Cellblock 303 at Bridgestone Arena to the tossing of the catfish, Predators fans are all in with this team.
The investment that hockey legends Terry Crisp and Pete Weber made in introducing the sport to Nashville has paid dividends evident any Saturday night in Smashville. Predators fans are passionate about the sport, their team, and giving the Preds that seventh man advantage.
"I haven't won too many games in this building so I guess that's a good thing now that I'm a part of it," newly signed free agent Gustav Nyquist said at his introductory press conference.
"It's always a great building to play, and it's loud. It's an intimidating building, so it will be fun to be on the right side of that," the Swedish veteran continued.
It isn't just the enthusiasm of the fan base at Bridgestone on game night. Players who come to Nashville enjoy gifted anonymity from the fans as well. It isn't that Predators fans don't know their hockey players, but in a city that is home to Garth Brooks, Bill Belichick, Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, and Nicole Kidman, Nashvillians play it cool and allow famous folks to just be neighbors here. Players and their families enjoy as quiet a life as they'd like from a fan base that will lose their voices on game night rooting for their team.
The city
There is much to love about Nashville and the surrounding area for players looking to join a new team. Nashville is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and is a place hockey players seem to enjoy. Beautiful weather much of the year makes up for the weeks of humidity in the summer, a brief stretch that hockey players from cold climates can easily overlook for a majority of southern sunshine.
Nashville has a unique vibe that appeals to young players who want to enjoy some night life or delve into the music scene and to veteran players with families looking for quiet neighborhoods to raise their children. The city made quite an impression on the newest Predators draftees who got to spend some extra time around town between the draft and development camp.
"This place is awesome," Tanner Molendyk said shortly after being drafted. "Just walking around and seeing people singing and all the people every night. It seems like a lot of fun here."
Players who have moved on from the Predators organization speak highly of the area as well. Former Predator Nick Cousins shared his thoughts on Nashville during an interview on the Nasty Knuckles Podcast this past week saying this area was one of the places he would consider moving to after his NHL career is finished.
Cousins also mentioned another little benefit for players who come to Nashville to play, although this advantage may be bigger in conversation than reality. Tennessee is one of a handful of states that has no state income tax.
"It's a great place to play, it really is," Cousins shared. "The no state tax helps if you're really a penny pincher and you're looking for that kind of stuff."
Some have wondered as recently as this offseason how Poile and Trotz convinced free agents that Nashville is a great place to play hockey. The Predators franchise isn't an original six or a large market team (yet), but there is plenty here to develop and entice top talent who will one day bring the Stanley Cup to Broadway.
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