I’m going to start out by saying the Grinch is a nuanced character. Sure, he did try to steal Christmas. The lights, the presents, the tree,but really, he was a product of his environment. The Grinch never got the love he deserved, until he met Cindy Lou Who.
Where am I going with this? We had a player who helped steal Christmas (the Stanley Cup) from our beloved Nashville Predators, but we converted him and came to love him. He may be gone now, but he was a genuinely good dude while wearing the gold jersey: Nick Bonino.
Of all the players the Predators lost this offseason, Bonino may be one of them I miss the most.
Not only was Bonino solid on the third line, but his service to the greater Nashville area was notable while he was here. Yes, he won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins against the Predators, but he saw the error of his ways and joined the good guys, and he made a positive impact, including helping the team to win its first President’s Trophy.
Call this the chaser of this list, if you will. Here’s a Bonino video from simpler times, when he scored a hat trick against the Blackhawks: