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Nashville Predators: 5 Reasons to be thankful to be a Preds fan

By Garett Kerber

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 3: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators acknowledges the cheering fans following a 1-0 shutout against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena on November 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 3: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators acknowledges the cheering fans following a 1-0 shutout against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena on November 3, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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When you sit down with your loved ones this Thanksgiving, enjoy that meal knowing you are a fan of the best team in the NHL.

If you’re like me, you have some non-Preds hockey fans in your life. In my case, I live in central Illinois and get the joy of driving north into Blackhawks territory fairly regularly. The joy I get from wearing a Nashville Predators hat, shirt, jacket and jersey up there is something I’m thankful for. There is a cornucopia of reasons to be thankful for Preds-fandom, but we’ll just stick to five.

However you celebrate the holiday, you’ll have some Predators-related bullet points to share.

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Reason #1: Uniqueness

There is no team like the Nashville Predators. They said hockey couldn’t work in the south. They tried in Atlanta. Twice. They even tried to move the Preds! The franchise remained in Music City, though, and in a lot of ways, are more “Nashville” than the Titans, the other big sports team in the city that plays in the NFL, you might have heard of it.

Sure, you have teams in Florida and Tampa Bay, which are technically south, but, with all due respect, that’s different. The Predators embraced the culture of the city and weren’t afraid to try “controversial” ideas.

Yellow jerseys?! Yellow helmets!? “Get the Red Out”?!

Some ideas didn’t really work. Remember the gold ice idea a few years back? Even so, the courage to try to be unique is part of the beauty of this team! They did it their own way. They didn’t try to be Chicago, Detroit, or anyone else. They took some things from those franchises, but they stayed true to their roots: Nashville.

Now, they’re kind of trend-setters. I look at the success and atmosphere of the Vegas Golden Knights and see a lot of similarities to Nashville. They are boldly embracing the Vegas-ness and trying to make the whole experience exciting and entertaining, as you’d expect in “Sin City”.

Nashville is the blue-print (gold-print?) for success in non-traditional markets. It is about growing roots in the city you play in and making that culture shine through.

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