Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we travel to Nashville, or as the local hockey fans know it, Smashville, for an in-depth look at the Predators:

Establishment Story: The Predators joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1998. Previously, Nashville had almost become the home of a relocated New Jersey Devils, but that deal fell through. After the team’s logo was revealed, a naming competition commenced, with options being Ice Tigers, Fury and Attack. One final alternative was submitted by owner Craig Leipold, that being the eventual winner Predators.

Stanley Cups: The Predators have never won the Stanley Cup, but did appear in the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing in six games. Aside from 2017, Nashville has only advanced as far as the second round, which they have achieved four times. The Predators have qualified for the playoffs 15 times over their 24 seasons in existence.

Celebrity Fan: Due to Nashville’s music scene, many artists of the area have become supporters of the Predators. This includes Keith Urban and wife Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood (who is married to former Predator Mike Fisher), Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, and Shania Twain. This has made life very easy on whoever has to book musical acts for between periods or national anthem duties.

Super Fan: Section 303 of Bridgestone Arena, affectionately known as The Cellblock or Cellblock 303, has been called “the loudest section of the loudest arena in the NHL”. The fan club dates back to the days of the Nashville Knights (1989-96) minor league team. Some popular members included Eudora Hunter, an 82-year-old woman who held up funny signs to the delight of other fans, and Ben ‘Big Ben’ Butzbach, who painted various images on his stomach. Sadly, both fans have passed away.

Mascot: Gnash is a sabre-toothed tiger, the animal being selected because the partial skeleton of one was found during excavation of the First American Cave in Nashville in 1971. Based on this story, it’s said that Gnash was discovered frozen in ice, while crews were building the Nashville Arena, today’s Bridgestone Arena. The frozen cat thawed and disappeared, re-emerging to debut with the Predators in 1998.

Tradition: Adapting the Detroit Red Wings tradition of throwing octopi onto the ice, Predators fans have been known to toss catfish from the stands, first occurring on October 30, 2003. Fans are also known to display their Fang Fingers, either foam gloves or curled index and middle fingers, which they use in a biting motion to sounds from the movie Psycho, prior to Predators power plays.

Appearances in Media: The Predators were the 2022 feature team in the NHL Network’s Behind the Glass series, which documents the chosen franchise’s training camp. This was the third installment of the all access series, with other teams followed being the New Jersey Devils in 2018 and Philadelphia Flyers in 2019. No team was highlighted in 2020 or 2021, due to the pandemic. Four episodes aired in fall 2022, with footage including Nashville starting their season with games in Prague, Czechia.

Events/Scandals: On June 16, 2018, Predators forward Austin Watson was arrested following a domestic incident. He would plead no contest to a charge of domestic assault and be sentenced to one year probation and attending a batterer intervention course. The NHL suspended Watson for the 2018 pre-season and 27 regular season games (reduced to 18 by an arbiter) for unacceptable off-ice conduct. Watson didn’t rejoin Nashville until March 25, 2019, following time in the league’s substance abuse program.

Rivalry: The Predators greatest feuds have occurred against fellow long-time Central Division opponents, such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. Nashville also had decent rivalries with the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets, but those have dissipated to some degree, as both teams were moved into the Eastern Conference during the 2013 divisional realignment.

Tragedy: Wade Belak played the final three seasons of his NHL career with the Predators. When he retired in 2011, he remained with the franchise in an organizational role. Sadly, on August 31, 2011, Belak was found dead in his Toronto hotel room, where he was to take part in the hockey/figure skating crossover reality TV series Battle of the Blades. Belak’s cause of death was never officially released, but it was treated as a suicide by hanging.

Player Nicknames: Two of Nashville’s top goalies of all-time have memorable handles, including Pekka Rinne being known by teammates as Chief, while his incumbent Juuse Saros has been dubbed Juice. Also, 6’6” fourth-liner Michael McCarron has been the recipient of two wrestling-themed monikers while a member of the Predators organization. First, he was known as Big Show with the minor league Milwaukee Admirals, followed by Big Sexy with the big league club.

Line: The Vowel Line consisted of Martin Erat, Denis Arkhipov and Vladimir Orszagh, for obvious reasons. Some other former top units include Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg, as well as J.P. Dumont, Jason Arnott and Alexander Radulov. The franchise has always been known for the quality of its defense, with one of their most dominant pairs being Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.

Captain: Speaking of Shea Weber, he was named captain of the Predators on July 8, 2010. He served in the role for six seasons, before his shocking trade to the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 off-season. Fellow blueliner Roman Josi is the team’s current leader and going into the next season, will surpass Weber as the franchise’s longest-serving captain. With Josi under contract until 2027-28, he should set a new standard of leadership within the organization.

Enforcer: Jordin Tootoo was a fan favourite for Predators supporters during his eight seasons with the team. The first Inuit person to play a regular season NHL game, Tootoo holds the all-time franchise record for penalty minutes with 725. Nicknamed the Tootoo Train for his devastating hits, Tootoo could also be relied upon to help on the scoresheet, putting up 30 points in his final campaign in Nashville. After retiring in 2018, Tootoo was invited to return to Nashville for Jordin Tootoo Night on February 2, 2019.

Family Values: Brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn played a portion of one season together with the Predators. They had previously also suited up together with the Montreal Canadiens. Andrei returned to play in Europe in 2012, following a curfew issue during the previous playoffs. Sergei lasted one more season, before his contract was mutually terminated and he too was Europe bound. The brothers were the first Belarussian siblings to play in the NHL.

Returning Players: Two back-to-back first round Nashville draft picks started and ended their careers there, with gaps in between. Forward Scott Hartnell was drafted 6^th overall in 2000, playing six seasons with the Predators. Hartnell closed his career with a final season in Smashville in 2017-18. Defenseman Dan Hamhuis, drafted 12^th overall in 2001, played eight seasons with the organization, returning for two campaigns from 2018 to 2020.

Short Stint: Peter Forsberg’s tenure with the Predators lasted all of 22 games. He was brought in prior to the 2007 trade deadline, in exchange for the hefty price of Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and first- and third-round draft picks. While he was productive, scoring 19 points in those games, the Predators were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Forsberg then contemplated retirement, returning to the Colorado Avalanche for nine games the next season.

Undrafted: Vernon Fiddler was signed by the Predators on May 6, 2002, after playing with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, as a free agent. He would debut with the big club in November 2002 and become a fixture of the roster from 2006 to 2009. Fiddler played the final 20 games of his career with Nashville, finishing with 877 games played, 104 goals and 157 assists.

Trade: One of the most lopsided deals in NHL history saw the Predators trade Martin Erat (along with Michael Latta) to the Washington Capitals for top prospect Filip Forsberg at the 2013 trade deadline. Erat was practically useless for the Capitals, while Forsberg became a star with Nashville. Forsberg is already the Predators all-time leading goal scorer and entered the 2022-23 season with an eight-year contract extension.

Signing: Among the better deals the Predators have signed, include Paul Kariya (two-year, $9 million in 2005) and Jason Arnott (five-year, $22.5 million in 2006). As for one that didn’t turn out so well, was Matt Duchene’s seven-year, $56 million pact in 2019. Duchene, an avid country music fan, was bought out of the last three years of his deal in the 2023 off-season, leaving the Predators with a payout of $9.33 million over six years.

Draft Pick: The highest the Predators have ever picked was second overall, using their first ever selection on David Legwand in 1998. The team has made some amazing second round choices, stealing future captains Shea Weber in 2003 and Roman Josi in 2008. Nashville has also done well drafting goalies in later rounds, taking current netminder Juuse Saros 99^th overall in 2013 and all-time backstop stat leader Pekka Rinne 258^th overall in 2004.

Holdouts: While the Predators have had no contract impasses over their history, it should be noted that Nashville prospect Jimmy Vesey (drafted 66^th overall in 2012) refused to sign with the team. This meant he would become a free agent in the 2016 off-season, as teams have four years to sign a college draft pick. To settle the dispute, the Predators traded Vesey’s rights to the Buffalo Sabres, but he still elected to become a free agent and eventually signed with the New York Rangers.

Buyouts: Center Kyle Turris was a key component of a 2017 three-way trade between the Predators, Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators, signing a contract extension with Nashville immediately following the swap. However, on October 7, 2020, the Predators bought out the remaining four seasons of that six-year, $36 million contract. Nashville would have to pay Turris $16 million over the next eight years, while Turris would play 50 more NHL games over two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers.

Unique Game: In 2000, the Predators faced the Pittsburgh Penguins for a pair of regular season games in Saitama, Japan. In more recent years, they’ve participated in other high-profile league spectacles, such as the 2020 Winter Classic versus the Dallas Stars, a 2022 Stadium Series game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and were part of the 2022 Global Series, opening their campaign with two matches versus the San Jose Sharks in Prague, Czechia.

Goal: One of the greatest feats in hockey is for a goalie to score a goal. Predators legend Pekka Rinne did just that on January 9, 2020, firing a puck into the empty net of the Chicago Blackhawks, en route to a 5-2 victory. The win was also the first for coach John Hynes behind the Nashville bench. Fellow Predators netminder Chris Mason was also credited with a goalie goal in 2006, but that was the result of an own goal by the Phoenix Coyotes.

Fight/Brawl: Although not a traditional rival, the Predators and Winnipeg Jets have shared the same division since 2013. In the 2017 playoffs, the Predators defeated the Jets in seven games and for the teams first meeting since the elimination, in October 2018, tempers boiled over quickly, resulting in a line brawl. 76 penalty minutes were handed out in the contest, with a lopsided 60 going to Winnipeg. Nashville won the game 3-0.

Injury: In an unfortunate incident of friendly fire, when Jason Arnott scored the winning goal of Game 3 of the first round of 2008 playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings, teammate Alexander Radulov jumped on him in celebration. The resulting fall led to Arnott receiving a concussion and missing much of the rest of the playoffs. Nashville lost the series in six games, playing the final two contests without their captain and regular season scoring leader.

Penalty: Jordin Tootoo was suspended a couple times during his Nashville tenure, including five games in 2007 for a sucker punch to Stephane Robidas (which resulted in a concussion) of the Dallas Stars and two games in 2011 for charging Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. It was Miller’s first game back after being hit by Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic three weeks earlier, which caused many around the NHL to call for changes to that part of the game, including Predators GM David Poile.

Wildest Story: During the 2012 playoffs, Predators forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn were spotted in a Scottsdale, Arizona bar at 5:00 am, the morning of Game 2 of Nashville’s series against the Arizona Coyotes. This violated team curfew and both players were suspended for that night’s contest. Radulov had just returned to the organization after four seasons in Russia. When his contract expired following the team’s elimination by the Coyotes, Radulov returned to Russia for another four years.

Blooper: During a November 2011 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, winger Craig Smith looked to seal the win for the Predators with an empty net goal. He was alone on a breakaway and nobody had any chance of stopping him. The horn inside Bridgestone Arena went off and everyone assumed Smith had scored… except he had tried to shoot the puck into the top of the net and had completely put it over the net and into the stands instead. Thankfully, Nashville still emerged with a 4-1 victory.

Miscellaneous: When NHL jobs seem to have short shelf lives, it’s amazing that Predators GM David Poile guided the franchise from its earliest days until retiring after the 2023 NHL draft. Poile owns the record for most wins as a GM, finishing his executive career with 1,533 victories. He won the NHL General Manager of the Year award in 2017 and outside of the NHL, Poile also oversaw the 1998 and 1999 USA World Championship teams, as well as the American 2014 Olympics squad.

Nashville Predators: Predator Smash

• 2 oz Bourbon
• Top with Iced Tea
• Blend with Ice
• Splash of Lemon-Lime Soda
• Garnish with a Lime Slice

This frozen drink was served for a time at Bridgestone Arena. While it didn’t come with a name when I found it, I’ve dubbed the beverage myself. I vowed to use my Margaritaville blender more this summer, so this was a good recipe to start with.