Although the cinderella run of the 2016-2017 Nashville Predators fell two games short, the unlikely success of the Predators is great for the NHL altogether.
The worldwide NHL fan base is filled with New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks in abundance; however, the world has never cheered for an expansion team like the Nashville Predators before. The city is growing exponentially, with the Tennessee Titans on the upswing and the Predators officially a team no one will take lightly.
The young and talented team delivered a Cinderella season that very few people expected. The Predators, the 16 seed that almost missed the playoffs all together, swept their division rival and top seed Blackhawks. Then took out another division foe in the St. Louis Blues , followed by Western Conference powerhouse Anaheim Ducks. All that was left was the Pittsburgh Penguins – the golden boys of the league, the defending champions, and the home of multiple future hall of famers.
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NHL Approved
As a fan, you must think the NHL loves this Nashville Predators team. The southern United States has always been the armpit of the hockey world. The little brothers of the north. A place that no real hockey talent has ever reigned.
Northerners dislike southern hockey success, and rightfully so since the south produces few NHL talents. While hockey is a northern game, why can’t a new team and a new city get some of the action? The Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, and Penguins alone have won 52 Stanley Cups.
Nobody likes to see the same team win over and over again, right? The New England Patriots and Golden State Warriors are prime examples. Year after year, they roll through the season and playoffs only to end up playing for the championship. It makes for great stories when those teams dominate, but for boring games.
The NHL on the other hand, year in and year out, leaves fans with no shortages of playoff thrillers. Nail-biters and overtime games. Nobody sweeps through the playoffs. There is no perennial dominator, and teams like Predators have just as good a shot at the Stanley Cup as anyone else.
That is why the NHL has increased its popularity in recent years. Fans love to see good games with new teams in contention for the title. Exciting young players and teams rise up every year, leaving fans hungry for more. This makes everyone happy. Happy fans equal a happy league. And even more so, the league loves to see their game expand. With this years success, hockey has reached new fans in the south, that otherwise might never tuned in.
Cinderella-effect
Few pro-sports leagues ever have Cinderella stories. Teams might make a short run and beat quality opponents that they would lose to nine times out of ten. In the end, it’s always the powerhouses that come though. However, the NHL has delivered them many times, with teams as recent as the 2012 Los Angeles Kings who won the Cup as an eight seed. The Nashville Predators broke new ground this year though, becoming the first 16 seed to make the Stanley Cup. That is a real Cinderella story that fans and the league loves to see.
At first, it seemed like a hard pill for the NHL to swallow when their beloved Blackhawks were embarrassingly swept in the first round. But, after the Predators proved that they were for real by beating the Blues convincingly in six games, it seemed that the league was rooting for the Predators to make the Stanley Cup. The Predators are a young, talented, fast, and exciting team that thrived in adversity. The loss of Kevin Fiala and Ryan Johansen to injury. The no-names like Pontus Aberg, Frederick Gaudreau, Calle Jarnkrok, and Colton Sissons stepping up. All of this created a playoff run that the NHL and NBC couldn’t get enough of.
You couldn’t watch a Predators playoff game without hearing the announcers rave about the party on Broadway, seeing a catfish fly onto the ice, or hear about the deafening crowd noise inside Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville and the Predators are a fresh market that has never seen any real success in its sports teams. The city latched onto this team that has brought a city of over 3-million people together. Since the beginning of this season’s playoffs, people donning a Predators shirt or jersey are seen on every street corner. Flags hang from many balconies, and bumper stickers are common on cars.
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With a vibrant city drawing new people to it daily, a loyal fan base that will do anything for its teams, and an untapped market that presents ample opportunities for the NHL. Why not cheer for the up and coming Nashville Predators?