Nashville Predators: These five teams are the Predator’s biggest rivals?

Rivalries are great for all sports. They are comprised of passionate fans willing their team to victory. So who are the Nashville Predators’ biggest rivals?

As the great George Jones once said, “It’s Finally Friday!” Which only means that it is time for another Friday Five. We are about a month away from preseason hockey, and the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to get brighter. Just think you will only have to read four more Friday Fives before we will have actual hockey to talk about. Anyhow, for today’s post, we will go over the top 5 Predators’ rivals.

Sports are great for many reasons. One of those major reasons are the rivalries. Yankees-Redsox, Alabama-Auburn, Duke-North Carolina, the list could go on forever. So, who are some of the Predators biggest rivals? They are still a young franchise, but that doesn’t mean that a history of hatred for another team doesn’t exist. The Predators certainly have their share of rivals, and here are the top 5.

Note: This list is composed of the top rivals as of right now, not all time.

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.

(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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.