47 Fun Facts About Nashville Predators

Which 1997 expansion team followed Nashville onto the ice in 1999?

The Atlanta Thrashers followed in 1999, with Columbus and Minnesota in 2000; Nashville took the ice first, in 1998, because its arena had already been open for almost two years.

Which NHL team did Nashville nearly lure to its new arena in 1995?

The New Jersey Devils tried to end their arena lease as Nashville dangled a $20 million relocation bonus in 1995, then restructured it and stayed, in the same summer they won their first Stanley Cup.

Which Wisconsin businessman led the group awarded the Nashville franchise?

Craig Leipold, a businessman from Racine, Wisconsin, led the ownership group awarded the Nashville franchise in June 1997; he later sold the club and bought the Minnesota Wild.

Which former Capitals general manager became the Predators' first GM in July 1997?

David Poile ran the Washington Capitals for 15 seasons before Nashville hired him; in 2018 he passed Glen Sather as the NHL's winningest general manager by beating Edmonton 4-2, the club Sather had built into a dynasty.

Which minor-league club was the Predators' first head coach running when Nashville hired him in 1997?

The Portland Pirates won the 1994 Calder Cup in their first season after the franchise moved from Baltimore, under the coach Nashville hired in August 1997 as its first; the club was Washington's top farm team.

The Predators' logo honors a saber-toothed cat skeleton found where in 1971?

Beneath a downtown Nashville bank site is where workers building the First American National Bank tower in 1971 broke into a cave holding Smilodon bones; that building later became the UBS Tower.

Which fan-submitted finalist lost the Predators' 1997 naming vote to the owner's own entry?

Ice Tigers, Fury and Attack were the fans' three finalists. The club had unveiled its saber-toothed logo on September 25, 1997, seven weeks before the vote gave the team a name.

Which goalie did Nashville claim in the 1998 expansion draft, then lose back to the Rangers?

Mike Richter, a pending free agent, was claimed from the Rangers by Nashville in the June 1998 expansion draft, then re-signed with New York, so the Predators never got him under contract.

Nashville lost its first-ever game 1-0 to which team on October 10, 1998?

The Florida Panthers won 1-0 on a Ray Whitney power-play goal; three nights later Andrew Brunette, who returned in 2023 as head coach, scored Nashville's first-ever goal in a 3-2 win over Carolina.

In which country did the Predators open the 2000-01 season with two games against Pittsburgh?

Japan hosted both games at the Saitama Super Arena outside Tokyo in October 2000, the third time in four years the NHL opened a season there; Nashville won the first 3-1 and Pittsburgh took the second by the same score.

Nashville took Shea Weber 49th in the 2003 draft after picking which defenseman seventh overall?

Ryan Suter and Weber, taken 42 picks apart in the same draft, grew into Nashville's top defense pair, until Suter left for Minnesota as a free agent in 2012.

Which team ended Nashville's first playoff appearance in 2004?

The Detroit Red Wings, the league's best regular-season team, needed six games: Nashville won Games 3 and 4 at home, its first playoff victories, before Detroit closed the series with a shutout.

Which free agent did Nashville sign in summer 2005, ahead of its 106-point 2005-06 season?

Paul Kariya chose Nashville over nine other suitors in August 2005, drawn by its fast-skating style, and set a club record with 85 points; he left in 2007, citing the team's uncertain future as it was put up for sale.

Which former league MVP did the Predators rent from Philadelphia at the 2007 deadline for Upshall, Parent and picks?

Peter Forsberg came from Philadelphia at the February 2007 deadline for Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and two draft picks, but Nashville lost to San Jose in the first round for a second straight year.

Which Canadian billionaire tried to buy the Predators in 2007, allegedly to move them north?

Jim Balsillie, the Research In Motion co-CEO, agreed to buy the Predators in 2007 and took season-ticket deposits in Hamilton, Ontario, before the deal collapsed and a local group kept the team in Nashville.

Which Predators minority owner's fraudulent loans led to a 97-month prison sentence?

Boots Del Biaggio bought his share of the Predators with loans he had obtained by fraud; he went bankrupt in 2008, drew a 97-month prison sentence, and a trustee sold his stake to repay creditors.

Which goalie's 233-minute shutout streak in 2008 helped Nashville grab the final playoff spot?

Dan Ellis began 2007-08 as Chris Mason's backup; his 233 minutes 39 seconds without conceding, across four games late in the season, carried Nashville to the West's last playoff spot.

Which Russian forward was suspended in 2008 for signing with Salavat Yulaev Ufa while under Predators contract?

Alexander Radulov left for Salavat Yulaev Ufa in 2008 with a year left on his Nashville deal, returned in 2012, and was suspended again after a late-night Scottsdale bar sighting during the 2012 playoffs.

Which defenseman did Nashville select 38th overall in the 2008 draft?

Roman Josi lasted until the second round, 38th overall; he became captain in 2017 and in 2020 the first Predator to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman.

Which team beat Nashville in the franchise's first second-round series in 2011?

The Vancouver Canucks, that season's Presidents' Trophy winners, beat Nashville in six games in the 2011 second round after the Predators had eliminated Anaheim for their first series win.

Which team's 14-year, $110 million offer sheet to Shea Weber did Nashville match in 2012?

The Philadelphia Flyers front-loaded the richest offer sheet in NHL history with $68 million in signing bonuses; Nashville, which had just lost another star defenseman to free agency, matched it five days later.

Which franchise original, then its all-time leading scorer, was traded to Detroit in 2014?

David Legwand, the first player Nashville ever drafted and its career points leader, waived his no-trade clause in March 2014 so the club could send him to the Red Wings, the team of his birthplace.

Which forward came from Columbus in 2016 in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones?

Ryan Johansen came from Columbus on January 6, 2016, in a one-for-one trade for defenseman Seth Jones, giving Nashville the first-line center it had lacked.

Whom did the Predators receive from Montreal in the 2016 trade of captain Shea Weber?

P. K. Subban, the 2013 Norris Trophy winner, arrived on June 29, 2016, in a one-for-one swap of star defensemen; in his first season Nashville reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.

Which top seed did Nashville sweep in the 2017 first round?

The Chicago Blackhawks, the West's top seed, were swept in four games by Nashville in the 2017 first round, the first playoff sweep in Predators history, on a run that ended in the Stanley Cup Final.

Which team beat Nashville in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final?

The Pittsburgh Penguins won in six: Game 6 was scoreless when a quick whistle wiped out a Colton Sissons goal for Nashville, and former Predator Patric Hornqvist scored the winner with 1:35 left.

Which country star sang the anthem before Game 3 of the 2017 conference finals, then joined Titans players on the Jumbotron?

Keith Urban sang the anthem before Game 3 against Anaheim, then turned up on the video board beside Titans players Taylor Lewan and Marcus Mariota, who were serving as that night's pre-game hype men.

Which captain retired in August 2017, then un-retired to finish the following season?

Mike Fisher announced his retirement on August 3, 2017, after captaining the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final, then returned in January 2018 and played through that spring's playoffs before retiring again.

Which team eliminated the Presidents' Trophy-winning Predators in the 2018 playoffs?

The Winnipeg Jets won Game 7 in Nashville 5-1 in the second round, ending the season in which the Predators had finished first overall and taken their first division title.

Which center joined Nashville from Ottawa in a 2017 trade for Girard and Kamenev?

Kyle Turris came to Nashville from Ottawa in the November 2017 three-team trade in which Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev went to Colorado and Matt Duchene went from Colorado to Ottawa.

Which coach was hired in January 2020, the third in franchise history?

John Hynes, fired by New Jersey a month earlier, was hired by Nashville on January 7, 2020, as the third head coach in franchise history, and led the team through the 2022-23 season.

Which former Tennessee governor began buying into the Predators in 2022 to become majority owner?

Bill Haslam, governor from 2011 to 2019, bought in by stages from 2022 and completed the takeover from Herb Fritch in July 2025; his family made its fortune building the Pilot truck-stop chain.

Who took over when the Predators' original general manager retired in 2023?

Barry Trotz, the Predators' first head coach, took over as general manager on July 1, 2023, when the franchise's original GM retired after 26 years running the club.

Which three big free agents did Nashville sign in the 2024 offseason?

Marchessault, Stamkos and Skjei (Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei) all signed with Nashville on July 1, 2024, yet the Predators missed the playoffs in 2024-25.

Predators fans throw what onto the ice, adapting Detroit's octopus tradition?

Catfish have landed on the Nashville ice since the club's early years, a Southern answer to the octopus Detroit fans have thrown since 1952; in the 2017 playoffs Titans lineman Taylor Lewan hoisted one over his head for the crowd.

Fans make 'Fang Fingers' during power plays to horror music from which film?

The screeching strings are from Psycho, Bernard Herrmann's shower-scene score for the 1960 Hitchcock film; fans curl their index and middle fingers into fangs and stab downward in time.

Section 303 at Bridgestone Arena is known by what nickname?

The Cellblock is Section 303, whose regulars bill themselves as the loudest section of the loudest arena in the NHL; the club's front office recognised them with a banner hung behind their seats.

The 2001-07 third jerseys with a front-facing cat earned what nickname?

The Mustard Cats jersey, a mustard-gold alternate with a front-facing sabre-tooth cat on the chest, debuted in November 2001 and was retired after 2006-07; the cat logo was later revived for a Reverse Retro uniform.

What symbol sits inside the guitar pick on the shoulders of the 2011 uniforms?

The Tennessee tri-star comes from the state flag, where the three stars stand for the state's East, Middle and West grand divisions; guitar strings also run through the jersey numbers.

What is the name of the Predators' saber-toothed mascot?

Gnash takes his name from a pun on the first syllable of Nashville; the saber-toothed cat has been the mascot since the team's first season in 1998 and is known for his stunts above the crowd.

Which Predators forward did Vegas claim in the 2017 expansion draft?

James Neal was left unprotected days after Nashville's run to the 2017 Final ended; that October he scored the first two goals in Golden Knights history, in a 2-1 win in Dallas.

Which arena football team shared the Predators' building from 1997 to 2001?

The Kats left for Atlanta after the 2001 season and became the Georgia Force; Titans owner Bud Adams then revived the name for a second team that played in the building from 2005 to 2007.

Whose No. 35 became the first number retired by the Predators, in February 2022?

Pekka Rinne's No. 35 was raised on February 24, 2022, seven months after he retired, the first number the club retired; a year later it unveiled a bronze statue of the goalie outside the arena.

The Predators' franchise wins leader became, in 2017, the all-time shutout leader among goalies born where?

Finland: he passed Miikka Kiprusoff's 44 shutouts in November 2017 and retired with 60; in 2020 he even scored a goal himself, shooting the puck the length of the ice into an empty net.

Where did the Predators play their first outdoor game, the 2020 Winter Classic against Dallas?

The Cotton Bowl in Dallas hosted the 2020 Winter Classic on January 1, 2020, where the Stars beat Nashville 4-2 in the Predators' first outdoor game; head coach Peter Laviolette was fired five days later.

Where did the Predators host Tampa Bay in their second outdoor game, in February 2022?

Nissan Stadium, the Titans' home across the Cumberland River, hosted the February 26, 2022 Stadium Series, which Tampa Bay won 3-2; Nashville was later swept by eventual champion Colorado in the first round.

The Predators' 2020 Winter Classic uniform was inspired by which defunct EHL team?

The Dixie Flyers were Nashville's first professional hockey team, playing in the Eastern Hockey League from 1962 to 1971, a generation before the NHL arrived; the 2020 sweater borrowed their script crest and gold stripes.