Nashville Predators: These five teams are the Predator’s biggest rivals?
Detroit Red Wings
It is hard to justify having a rivalry with a team from a different conference, considering they only play twice a year. However, in consideration of the history, the Detroit Red Wings deserve a spot on the list. It has been four years since the Red Wings left the Central Division, but the remnants of the past still ream large every time these two teams meet up.
Ever since the Nashville Predators joined the NHL there was always that one team that acted as the thorn in their side. Every time Nashville came close to making some noise in the division, Detroit was always there to knock them back down. There were plenty of chances for Nashville to win the central, only to come in second to Detroit by a few points. It seemed as if Nashville would always be the little brother to Detroit. Then, 2012 happened.
Nashville finished ahead of Detroit in the division for the first time in franchise history. They would then face off in the first round of the playoffs. Prior to this meeting, Nashville and Detroit had faced each other in the playoffs twice. The Red Wings got the upper hand on both occasions, but 2012 would not follow suit. Nashville won the series 4-1, and finally came out on top in the rivalry.
Nashville and Detroit played one more season in the same division, before realignment moved the Red Wings to the Eastern Conference. The rivalry might not be as big as it used to be, but Nashville still got the last laugh.
St. Louis Blues
Since Nashville’s inaugural season in 1998-99, only two teams other than the Predators have spent the entirety in the central division. The St. Louis Blues are one of those teams. The other will be discussed later on. Like the Red Wings, when Nashville has had a chance to win the division St. Louis was there to make sure they did not. However, it is still harder to consider the Blues a major rival. Before last season the two teams had never even met in postseason play. Moving forward, though; the rivalry between these two teams should strengthen significantly.
During the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, Nashville and St. Louis met in the second round. Speaking from a purely entertainment standpoint, it was probably the most exciting series to watch, in my opinion. Two division foes fighting to get to the Stanley Cup, a trophy neither team has won. The series went back and forth, and displayed some of the best goaltending of the entire playoffs. Nashville ultimately won the series 4-2, but it was much closer than the score suggests.
Once again, the reason this is number four on the list, is because I see this becoming a bigger rivalry in the future. Grueling it out in the playoffs will do that. Both teams are primed for continued success moving forward, and it will be an extremely captivating rivalry to cover in the coming years.
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Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild find themselves at number three on the list, and I might be a little bit biased in this selection. I am one who finds it hard to let go of a grudge, especially when it comes to sports. That is why when Ryan Suter decided to leave Nashville during the 2012 offseason, I developed a lot of animosity towards Minnesota. As did most of th Nashville fans.
The season that Ryan Suter teamed up with Zach Parise in Minnesota did not go well for Predators’ fans. First off the season was shortened to 48 games due to the lockout. Adding to the fact that we only had half a season of hockey to enjoy, Nashville finished in dead last in the division. I know that I am not alone in these feelings towards Minnesota, either. For the longest time, anytime Minnesota traveled to Nashville whenever Suter touched the puck the entire arena would boo him relentlessly.
It is not all bad though. When Suter left Nashville it was a major blow to the Predators. Weber and Suter had been dubbed the best defensive pair in hockey. The short-term effects were evident. However, Suter leaving paved the way for Roman Josi to develop into the elite defenseman he is. At this point in their careers, I even consider Josi to be a better player than Suter. What is even funnier is Suter makes almost double what Josi makes in a year. In the long run Nashville definitely came out on top, and that grudge is slowly starting to die. I am sure it is for most other Predators’ fans, as well. Make no mistake though, Minnesota is still a rival, and as long as Suter is there it will fuel the rivalry that much more.
Anaheim Ducks
As already made clear, a team does not have to be in the same division to be a rival. This is certainly the case when it comes to the Anaheim Ducks. Other than maybe Colorado and Detroit, I honestly can’t think of too many other out of division rivalries as big as Nashville and Anaheim. For teams that only play each three times a year, they really do not like each other.
What really drives this rivalry are the playoff meetings. The Predators and Ducks have faced each other three separate times in the playoffs. What makes it even more special is that the three times they have faced have all been since 2011. This is one of the few rivalries where Nashville has pretty much always had the advantage. In there first meeting in 2011 Anaheim became the first team to lose to Nashville in the playoffs. Likewise, in the two meetings since then Nashville has come out victorious in both.
Aside from the playoff meetings, what also contributes to this rivalry is that the fan bases cannot stand one another. The fans constantly go back and forth on social media during the limited number of times they see each other. Despite the fact that Anaheim and Nashville play so few times a year, that just enriches the rivalry even more. It is kind of like the old saying, “distance makes the heart grow fonder,” except in this case it is the opposite. Distance makes the heart grow colder.
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Chicago Blackhawks
Let’s be honest, before you even clicked on this article you already knew who was going to be number one. The Chicago Blackhawks is Nashville’s biggest rival and it is not even close. Just like St. Louis, the Blackhawks have also been in the central division since 1998. Nashville and Chicago have a ton of history together, but it would not be until recently that this rivalry really took off.
For the better part of the first 10 years of the Nashville Predators’ existence, the Blackhawks were bottom feeders in the central division. Then in 2007, two players joined the Blackhawks that helped turn the organization around in a big way. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews began their careers, and their rookie years was the only season they did not make the playoffs. Two years later in 2009, Marian Hossa teamed up with them and Chicago asserted themselves as one of the best teams in the league.
That 2009-10 season Nashville made the playoffs, but lost to Chicago in the first round. The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup. The next two years Nashville finished ahead of Chicago in the standings, but they were unable to make it past the conference semifinals on both occasions. We all know what happened next in the lockout shortened 2013 season. Nashville did very bad, whereas Chicago won another Stanley Cup.
After a two-year playoff hiatus, Nashville qualified once again in 2015. Their first round opponent? The Chicago Blackhawks. Just like the previous playoff meeting, Nashville lost the series 4-2, and Chicago added to their trophy case, winning their third Stanley Cup in six years. Nashville and Chicago had met in the playoffs twice in history, and both times Chicago wound up winning the ultimate prize. So when Nashville got paired up against Chicago in the most recent playoffs, Chicago fans were pretty excited. It didn’t last long.
The Predators entered the playoffs as the lowest overall seed. Chicago came in as the number one seed in the Western Conference. Nobody told Nashville that, though; they swept their division rival surrendering only three goals in the process. A rivalry that seemed pretty one-sided up to this point, just got a whole lot better. Nashville is a legitimate threat to Chicago, and that only intensifies this rivalry that much more.
Next: Mount Rushmore of Predator's Players
Chicago has now lost in the first round in back to back seasons, meanwhile Nashville is now the team competing for Stanley Cups.