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Nashville Predators Magical Run Comes to an End

By Doug Praskach

May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; A view of a Nashville Predators hockey pucks in the team store prior to game of the San Jose Sharks against the Nashville Predators in game six of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; A view of a Nashville Predators hockey pucks in the team store prior to game of the San Jose Sharks against the Nashville Predators in game six of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Nashville Predators sure gave their Smashville Fans something to cheer about.

The Nashville Predators were this close…to the Western Conference Finals and maybe more.  It was a magical run with a really tough ending.  That last game was brutal, but there is so much to look forward to.

Our Gold-clad heroes gave us a taste of something special and some memories that we may end up telling our grandkids about. Where were you when Mike Fisher scored that goal at 1:03 in the morning?

Let’s face it, the Nashville Predators headed into the playoffs as a big underdog.  1,056 of 1,061 experts picked against them or some astronomical number that no one can actually quantify.  But we believed.

When the Ducks won Game 5 out in Anaheim and we were on the cusp of elimination.  When we had to win two straight games against all odds…we believed.  When we lost those first two games in San Jose, then lost Game 5 there too, the Smashville faithful filled the Bridgestone with noise and excitement to help send the series to a Game 7.  We believed.

We didn’t lose that last series, we just ran out of time.  If we could have had another game back in the friendly confines…you know we would have tied it up.  We just ran out of games.

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Now we sit back and watch the final four teams, knowing that we could be one of them.  It is just a small step back in our journey to the Stanley Cup.  We gained a lot in this year’s adventure.  Who can forget starting off the season as one of the hottest teams in the league, then falling into a long spiral that looked like we wouldn’t even make the playoffs.

How about those crazy rumors that the Nashville Predators were going to trade for Matt Duchene or Eric Staal or even the young and talented Ryan Johansen.  And then it happened.  It took a little while for this team to gel but wow, did we put it together.

May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators center Colin Wilson (33) reacts to scoring the game tying goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators center Colin Wilson (33) reacts to scoring the game-tying goal against the San Jose Sharks during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

May 9, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators center Colin Wilson (33) reacts to scoring the game tying goal against the San Jose Sharks. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Remember sweeping across Canada and defeating almost the entire country in January?  How about that five-game winning streak at the end of February that included wins in a row against Chicago, St. Louis, and the Dallas Stars?  That was fun with a capital “F”!

Like a Star Trek journey, we went where no Pred had gone before.  The seventh game of the second round. We cheered overtime heroes Mike Fisher and Viktor Arvidsson.  We saw a new player come back from the milk carton by the name of Colin Wilson.  We were introduced to Fang-lets and How to Chuck a Catfish.

Related Story: Catfish Chucking in Nashville Video

And we got a taste of what it’s like to have a team that for the first time you truly believed just might be good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup. And that taste was pretty sweet.  The kind of sweet when you taste Jeni’s Ice Cream for the first time and you can’t wait for that next bite.

All in all, this season was a step in the right direction.  It sure hurts like hell right now.  What will we do now that we are all finally on Pacific time and there’s no more Nashville Predators Hockey to watch?  October games seem like an eternity away.

But let’s look at the bigger picture.  David Poile is the architect of something that looks like it is going to be beautiful.  He has a little more designing to do and a bit more construction but you can sure see the design and it sure looks like it’s going to be something special. We can’t wait to be a part of it.

Next: Josi and Forsberg Played with Injuries

Be on the lookout for Player Grades and lots of offseason information from PredLines.  We appreciate our readers and look forward to bringing you more and better articles.  For the final time this season…Go Preds!

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