Nashville Predators: Predators to Appear on NBC Sports 7 Times
By Jake Evans
Thanks to a monumental 2016-2017 season, the Nashville Predators are now set to appear on NBC Sports seven times this coming season.
Monday morning, NBC Sports announced their broadcasting schedule for the upcoming NHL season. This schedule includes 99 games, and the Nashville Predators seven times. Five of those seven will be in Smashville.
If there was any doubt that the rest of the hockey world caught Predator fever this past postseason, look no further than the NBC schedule.
NBC Sports is calling the 2017-2018 broadcast schedule their “most diverse schedule ever”. They want to give hockey fans games “From classic rivalries and historic franchises, to young stars such as Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, a hockey-crazed market in Nashville, and a new franchise in Vegas, this schedule represents our commitment to present the NHL’s diverse and emerging stars, teams, and stories.”
There it is Predator fans.
Nashville is finally being recognized as a hockey town.
We made it. It only took 20 years of catfish-throwing, fang fingers, and goalie chants, but we finally did it.
The Schedule
The Predators will have their first shot on national TV this season in San Jose against the San Jose Sharks on November 1st. Two weeks later, the boys in gold and the Smashville faithful will get their first shot on national TV when Barry Trotz and his Washington Capitals come to Bridgestone Arena on November 14th.
From there, it heats up.
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November 28: Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators
December 29: Nashville Predators vs Minnesota Wild
January 9: Edmonton Oilers vs Nashville Predators
January 30: Chicago Blackhawks vs Nashville Predators
February 1: Los Angeles Kings vs Nashville Predators
Overview
As you can see here, NBC Sports has faith in the Predators and their fans to put on a show. With the exception of Los Angeles, all of the Predators’ opponents finished in the top 6 in the Western Conference last season. The hated Blackhawks and Patrick Kane come to town twice. 2017 Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid will skate in Bridgestone on national TV. Former Predator Ryan Suter will lace it up against the Predators once for the country.
This schedule for the Predators has it all: bitter rivalries, former players, exciting superstars, and more.
Laviolette’s Predators have been reloading this offseason, and appear to be sharper than ever this coming season. With a franchise record 7 scheduled appearances on national TV, all eyes are on Smashville and the defending Western Conference champions to prove to the hockey world that they really do belong with the elite teams of the NHL.
Next: Top Plays from the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Stay tuned Predator fans, and get ready to put on a show for the rest of the nation.