Nashville Predators: Forgotten Unsung Heroes of the Past

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 17: David Legwand #11 and Joel Ward #29 of the Nashville Predators congratulate teammate Martin Erat #10, center, on scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bridgestone Arena on April 17, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 17: David Legwand #11 and Joel Ward #29 of the Nashville Predators congratulate teammate Martin Erat #10, center, on scoring a goal against the Anaheim Ducks in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bridgestone Arena on April 17, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
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Ever since the Nashville Predators made that fateful trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, it’s been a wild ride that’s made it easy to forget important players from before.

If you haven’t been a fan of the Nashville Predators from the start in 1998, then you missed out on a grueling journey with rosters full of blue collar players that didn’t garner much national attention.

The Predators had to do it the hard way to get to where they got to in 2017, and where they’re trying to get back to heading into next season. They’ve been a perennial playoff team over the last decade, and even beyond that.

There’s some players from the past that are easy to overlook. When thinking of those past teams you instantly think of guys like David Legwand, Paul Kariya, Kimmo Timonen and Shea Weber. But there were other key players that were more of the unsung heroes of the team.

Time to go back in time and look at the forgotten unsung heroes of the Predators franchise that helped build the foundation of winning hockey in Nashville.