Nashville Predators Check-In: Hockey is Gradually Getting Closer

We are drawing ever closer to playoff hockey. The next milestone will be training camp for the Nashville Predators on July 10.

Training camp for the Nashville Predators is almost here. After that comes an exhibition game and then the playoffs. Is everyone getting excited? I know we are.

This wait for many diehard hockey fans has been like a student counting down the days until summer vacation, and some even think this is all too good to be true and hockey won’t truly return.

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While we are counting down the days until the playoffs, we’re checking in on some of our favorite Nashville Predators players and the team to see what they have been up to this week.

Until we get actual hockey games and practices to report on, we’ll be following the team closely to see how they’re passing the time and staying ready to go when the season continues.

In this week’s check-in with the Predators, I took a look at some of the fun things going on with some of the players, including a wedding for a certain defenseman.

Congratulations Ida and Mattias

The Predators’ posted a great announcement on social media this week. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm and his fiancee, Ida Bjornstad, were wed in Sweden on June 19. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Ekholm has always been a vastly underrated player for the Predators. Diehard fans know how critical he is to the team and what he brings, but he often gets overlooked on a league-wide level.

When the Predators return to action, Ekholm will be a key piece in bolstering a defense that has lacked badly at times.

Happy Canada Day

July 1 was officially Canada Day. This Canadian national holiday celebrates the anniversary of Canada’s Constitution Act. Thank you, Canada, for some of our Predators players.

High School vs. Now

Here is the GOAT when he was a fresh-faced youngster. Time sure does fly. What advice do you think the older Pekka Rinne would have for the younger Pekka Rinne?

Rinne might still end up being the starting goaltender once again for the Predators in Game 1 of the qualifying round against the Arizona Coyotes. Nothing has been set in stone on who to start, and it looks like there will be an open competition in training camp.

If Rinne does become the starter again and carries the Predators to a Stanley Cup, how incredible would that be to end his illustrious career?

Rocco Grimaldi…Iron Man?

There was a time when Rocco Grimaldi played for another team with a less ferocious feline mascot. During his time with that team, he played in an early AHL game and then flew to California to play in an NHL game. Check out this great story below.

Grimaldi always works his butt off to make the most out of his shifts on the ice. He’s elevated his career with the Predators and looks to stick around for the foreseeable future. It’s not hard to understand why he’s a fan-favorite for many.

Free Agency

July 1 is usually the time when the NHL world is buzzing with free agency talk. Not this year. Check out this great article about someone who went through the free agency process several times, former Predators goaltender Chris Mason.

The NHL is still working out the details on offseason business such as free agency and contracts as the pandemic brings so much uncertainty.

During these trying times, it’s good that we can continue to follow our favorite teams on social media to help provide some form of comfort and normalcy.

 For more information about COVID-19, visit CDC.gov or the website for your state’s Department of Health.