Oh Captain, My Captain: Nashville Predators Captains Through History
Mr. Expansion himself. Tom Fitzgerald was the first Nashville Predator to wear the “C” for the franchise from 1998 – 2002.
The old school Predators fans who have been here from the start will remember Fitzgerald very well. He was clearly one of the main leaders of the early teams that lacked a lot of elite talent.
Fitzgerald not only was selected by Nashville in the 1998 Expansion Draft; he was also selected by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 Expansion Draft.
Though the Panthers fell to the Avalanche 4-0 in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, he made a mark as one of the best weapons on the team.
With the Predators, he never saw the playoffs, but he provided a foundation for hockey in Smashville, and for that, we say thank you.
Fitzgerald would finish out his time with the Predators with 42 goals and 46 assists in 307 games.
After Fitzgerald’s departure for the Chicago Blackhawks (gross), the franchise turned to another player taken in the 1998 Expansion Draft (with the 23rd pick), Greg Johnson.
Johnson would go on to serve as captain of the team from 2002 – 2006, and during its first two playoff appearances in both 2004 and 2006 (because of the 2005 lockout).
Though the Predators didn’t make it out of the first round in either instance, it was still a major milestone for the franchise, and the first indicator that hockey belonged in Nashville.
In seven seasons with Nashville, Johnson managed a respectable 238 points while logging 14 game-winning goals.
Johnson would later sign with the Red Wings, and then retire before playing with them, due to a heart condition. He died tragically in November of 2019 and will always be remembered as one of the original leaders of the Predators franchise.
Another product of the 1998 Expansion Draft, Scott Walker is the often forgotten captain of the Predators. Why? Well, he was only captain from January 12th – 27th in 2003, due to injury to Greg Johnson.
Still, Walker should be appreciated for what he brought to the team; like Johnson, he was a big contributor during the seasons in which the Predators made their first two playoff appearances.
Walker would later be traded to Carolina, during the same offseason which saw former captain Johnson move to Detroit.
It was an impressive seven-year run with the Predators for Walker, including the 2003-04 season when he posted 25 goals and nearly a point-per-game average with 67 points in 75 games. That was unheard of during the early days of the franchise.
While Walker may not be on the Predators’ Mount Rushmore of captains, he was a foundational piece to Smashville hockey being built to a perennial playoff team.
Following Johnson’s move to Detroit and subsequent retirement, and the trade of Scott Walker to Carolina, Kimmo Timonen wore the “C” for the Preds in the 2006-2007 season.
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What makes Timonen special is that he was one of the first Nashville Predators prospects to work is way up to captaincy. He started with the Milwaukee Admirals in the 1998-1999 season before assuming full-time NHL duties in the 1999-2000 season.
Timonen was a part of the team’s first three playoff appearances. Not counting the 2004-2005 lockout, the Predators made the playoffs three consecutive seasons (2004, 2006, and 2007) with Timonen on the roster.
After the 2006-2007 season, Timonen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers to the dismay of many fans. This trade also included sending off another fan-favorite in Scott Hartnell for a first-round pick.
Check out the breakdown of this trade from the Hockey Writers if your memory is a little fuzzy on this deal with Philadelphia that was a major one at the time.
Timonen would go on to win a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks (once again, gross), leaving us to wonder what might have been.
Jason Arnott arrived in Nashville before the 2006 season, after an already successful career that included a Stanley Cup win (and Game 6, Cup-clinching goal in OT) with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.
Arnott would serve as captain from 2007 to 2010 after Timonen’s one-term stint as Captain. He was the captain during the team’s fourth consecutive playoff appearance in 2008.
Though the team didn’t qualify for the 2009 playoffs, they would return in 2010. Still, the team would not advance out of the conference quarterfinals.
Arnott was a significant piece to the Predators because he had achieved that elite status in his career, and the Predators had always been a blue collar team that didn’t have a lot of elite level talent.
Though Arnott may not have gotten the team over the first round hump, he still led the team during a time of transition, before making way for a player captain that is still beloved by Predators fans everywhere.
Ah, Shea Weber. Old friend. The first captain to wear the “C” on what many would consider the iconic gold (gold, not mustard) jerseys. Sidenote, these jerseys are still this writer’s favorite jersey scheme, but the Reebok…the Adidas are just ok.
Weber is a special one not only for what he did during his long tenure in Nashville (2005 -2016), but because he led the team over the first-round playoff hump in 2011.
The team would advance past the first round again in 2012. Though the team had a playoff drought in 2013 and 2014, they would return in 2015, and advance out of the first round again in 2016.
Weber was another home-grown player in the franchise, signing as an entry-level player, starting with the Admirals, and then playing a decade, culminating in his captaincy. Many thought Weber would be a Predator for life, but it wasn’t in the cards as he was traded to the Canadiens for P.K. Subban.
You can’t help but be grateful for all Weber did for the franchise.
Alright, first things first, he is WAY more than Carrie Underwood’s husband, obviously – but Carrie is Smashville royalty almost as much as Mike Fisher.
All that being said, though Fisher’s tenure as captain may have been short (2016-2017), his year as captain produced the storybook run of the 2017 postseason that culminated in the team’s first Stanley Cup appearance.
Though the Predators didn’t win the Stanley Cup, there were so many memories made that year; just to throw some shade, the Predators sweeping the top-seeded Blackhawks in the first round was…*chef’s kiss*.
When Fisher made the unexpected comeback out of retirement, the fanbase went nuts. That playoff run didn’t end as well, but it was awesome to see Fisher come out of retirement for one more run.
Fisher is iconic in and around Smashville, and continues to give back to the city, even after retirement. He’s a staple, and belongs on the Nashville Predators Captain Mount Rushmore for all he’s done and continues to do on and off the ice.
Roman Josi. Current Captain of the Nashville Predators. Where to begin?
Home grown, from prospect to Predators Captain: ☑️
Multi-year All-Star (2016, 2019, 2020): ☑️
NHL First-Team All-Star (2020): ☑️
Stanley Cup Finals Alternate Captain (2017): ☑️
President’s Trophy Captain (2018): ☑️
James Norris Memorial Trophy (2020): ☑️
Josi checks every single box you want in someone who leads by example, and especially everything you could want in a captain for the Nashville Predators.
Through the adversity that the team has faced the last few seasons, especially in the 2019-2020 season, Josi has been the story of grit and consistency. He’s not only an excellent leader on and off the ice, but at the top of his game as arguably the best defenseman in the NHL (and anyone who says otherwise should be committed).
More. Reconstructing the Predators Starting Lineup for 2021. light
The only player I can think of who deserves to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup more than Josi is Pekka Rinne, but how sweet it would be to see Josi receive the Stanley Cup.
Let’s hope the 2020 offseason and all the change it has brought will lead to this fantasy becoming a reality. He should remain the captain for several years to come.
Roman Josi, long may he reign.