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140-718: The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee . The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference , and have played their home games at Bridgestone Arena since 1998. Their television broadcasting rights are held by Bally Sports South , and
280-419: A centre and two wingers : a left wing and a right wing . Forwards often play together as units or lines , with the same three forwards always playing together. The defencemen usually stay together as a pair generally divided between left and right. Left and right side wingers or defencemen are generally positioned on the side on which they carry their stick. A substitution of an entire unit at once
420-401: A penalty shootout . If the score remains tied after an extra overtime period, the subsequent shootout consists of three players from each team taking penalty shots. After these six total shots, the team with the most goals is awarded the victory. If the score is still tied, the shootout then proceeds to sudden death . Regardless of the number of goals scored by either team during the shootout,
560-404: A best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with
700-405: A chest protector, a goalie mask, and a large jersey. Goaltenders' equipment has continually become larger and larger, leading to fewer goals in each game and many official rule changes. Ice hockey skates are optimized for physical acceleration, speed and manoeuvrability. This includes rapid starts, stops, turns, and changes in skating direction. In addition, they must be rigid and tough to protect
840-727: A first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs, defeating the Red Wings in a best-of-seven series 4–1. However, for the second year in a row, the Predators were ousted in the Western Conference second round, this time to the Phoenix Coyotes . The following 2012–13 season was shortened to 48 games as a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout . The Predators failed to qualify for the playoffs in the shortened season,
980-537: A forward. The seventh defenceman may play as a substitute defenceman, spend the game on the bench, or if a team chooses to play four lines then this seventh defenceman may see ice-time on the fourth line as a forward. A professional ice hockey game consists of three periods of twenty minutes, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends after each period of play, including overtime. Recreational leagues and children's leagues often play shorter games, generally with three shorter periods of play. If
1120-549: A game is tied after regulation, then a 20-minute period of 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime will be added. If the game is still tied after the overtime, another period is added until a team scores, which wins the match. Since 2019, the IIHF World Championships and the gold medal game in the Olympics use the same format, but in a 3-on-3 format. In ice hockey, infractions of the rules lead to a play stoppage whereby
1260-412: A goal scored by the other team. Major penalties assessed for fighting are typically offsetting, meaning neither team is short-handed and the players exit the penalty box upon a stoppage of play following the expiration of their respective penalties. The foul of boarding (defined as "check[ing] an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards") is penalized either by
1400-528: A larger blade and a wide, flat shaft. This stick is primarily intended to block shots, but the goaltender may use it to play the puck as well. Ice hockey is a full-contact sport and carries a high risk of injury. Players are moving at speeds around approximately 20–30 mph (30–50 km/h) and much of the game revolves around the physical contact between the players. Skate blades, hockey sticks, shoulder contact, hip contact, and hockey pucks can all potentially cause injuries. Lace bite , an irritation felt on
1540-507: A minor or major penalty at the discretion of the referee, based on the violent state of the hit. A minor or major penalty for boarding is often assessed when a player checks an opponent from behind and into the boards. Some varieties of penalty do not require the offending team to play a man short. Concurrent five-minute major penalties in the NHL usually result from fighting. In the case of two players being assessed five-minute fighting majors, both
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#17327723098431680-436: A neck protector. Goaltenders use different equipment. With hockey pucks approaching them at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) they must wear equipment with more protection. Goaltenders wear specialized goalie skates (these skates are built more for movement side to side rather than forwards and backwards), a jock or jill, large leg pads (there are size restrictions in certain leagues), blocking glove, catching glove,
1820-539: A penalty, but was an infraction in the NHL before recent rules changes, is the two-line offside pass . Prior to the 2005–06 NHL season, play was stopped when a pass from inside a team's defending zone crossed the centre line, with a face-off held in the defending zone of the offending team. Now, the centre line is no longer used in the NHL to determine a two-line pass infraction, a change that the IIHF had adopted in 1998. Players are now able to pass to teammates who are more than
1960-409: A player may receive up to nineteen minutes in penalties for one string of plays. This could involve receiving a four-minute double-minor penalty, getting in a fight with an opposing player who retaliates, and then receiving a game misconduct after the fight. In this case, the player is ejected and two teammates must serve the double-minor and major penalties. A penalty shot is awarded to a player when
2100-435: A playoff spot into the last week of the season. Buoyed by the return of Steve Sullivan after almost two seasons recovering from a back injury, the Predators finished with 88 points, settling for tenth place in the Western Conference, missing the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. The Predators made few major additions to their roster in the 2009 off-season, signing former San Jose Sharks forward Marcel Goc (who
2240-415: A shot or pass play. Officials also stop play for puck movement violations, such as using one's hands to pass the puck in the offensive end, but no players are penalized for these offences. The sole exceptions are deliberately falling on or gathering the puck to the body, carrying the puck in the hand, and shooting the puck out of play in one's defensive zone (all penalized two minutes for delay of game). In
2380-642: A strictly geographic six-division structure, with three per conference. The 1998–99 season marked the retirement of Wayne Gretzky , the NHL's all-time leading scorer, who played his final three NHL seasons with the New York Rangers . The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup championship over the Buffalo Sabres on a controversial triple-overtime goal by Brett Hull . The Nashville Predators joined
2520-492: A team losing a skater during regulation instead causes the other side to add a skater. Once the penalized team's penalty ends, the penalized skater exits the penalty box and the teams continue at 4-on-4 until the next stoppage of play, at which point the teams return to three skaters per side. International play and several North American professional leagues, including the NHL (in the regular season), now use an overtime period identical to that from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 followed by
2660-409: A tie occurs in tournament play, as well as in the NHL playoffs, North Americans favour sudden death overtime , in which the teams continue to play twenty-minute periods until a goal is scored. Up until the 1999–2000 season, regular-season NHL games were settled with a single five-minute sudden death period with five players (plus a goalie) per side, with both teams awarded one point in the standings in
2800-462: Is a full-contact sport, body checks are allowed so injuries are a common occurrence. Protective equipment is mandatory and is enforced in all competitive situations. This includes a helmet with either a visor or a full face mask, shoulder pads, elbow pads, mouth guard, protective gloves, heavily padded shorts (also known as hockey pants) or a girdle, athletic cup (also known as a jock, for males; and jill, for females), shin pads, skates, and (optionally)
2940-571: Is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1998–99 (listed with their first team, an asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs): The following is a list of players of note who played their last game in the NHL in 1998–99 (listed with their last team): This was the first season of the league's Canadian national broadcast rights deals with CBC and CTV Sportsnet . CBC continued to air Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada regular season games. The fledgling CTV Sportsnet replaced TSN as
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#17327723098433080-578: Is a multi-purpose venue in downtown Nashville. Fans of the Nashville Predators have modified the octopus-throwing tradition of Detroit Red Wings fans to show their support: on occasion, a fan will throw a catfish onto the ice. The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville cites the first instance of this as being on October 30, 2003. On May 16, 2017, during game 3 of the conference finals at Bridgestone Arena , country music singer, songwriter, and record producer Keith Urban , who had performed
3220-410: Is also a penalty in certain leagues in order to reduce the chance of injury to players. Often the term checking is used to refer to body checking, with its true definition generally only propagated among fans of the game. One of the most important strategies for a team is their forecheck . Forechecking is the act of attacking the opposition in their defensive zone. Forechecking is an important part of
3360-459: Is called a line change . Teams typically employ alternate sets of forward lines and defensive pairings when short-handed or on a power play . The goaltender stands in a, usually blue, semi-circle called the crease in the defensive zone keeping pucks out of the goal. Substitutions are permitted at any time during the game, although during a stoppage of play the home team is permitted the final change. When players are substituted during play, it
3500-418: Is called changing on the fly . An NHL rule added in the 2005–06 season prevents a team from changing their line after they ice the puck. The boards surrounding the ice help keep the puck in play and they can also be used as tools to play the puck. Players are permitted to bodycheck opponents into the boards to stop progress. The referees, linesmen and the outsides of the goal are "in play" and do not stop
3640-422: Is ice hockey. While the general characteristics of the game remain constant, the exact rules depend on the particular code of play being used. The two most important codes are those of the IIHF and the NHL. Both of these codes, and others, originated from Canadian rules of ice hockey of the early 20th century. Ice hockey is played on a hockey rink . During normal play, there are six players on ice skates on
3780-528: Is if a team opts to pull their goalie in exchange for an extra skater during overtime and is subsequently scored upon (an empty net goal), in which case the losing team receives no points for the overtime loss. Since the 2015–16 season, the single five-minute sudden-death overtime session involves three skaters on each side. Since three skaters must always be on the ice in an NHL game, the consequences of penalties are slightly different from those during regulation play; any penalty during overtime that would result in
3920-403: Is the left wing lock , which has two forwards pressure the puck and the left wing and the two defencemen stay at the blueline. Offensive tactics include improving a team's position on the ice by advancing the puck out of one's zone towards the opponent's zone, progressively by gaining lines, first your own blue line, then the red line and finally the opponent's blue line. NHL rules instated for
4060-457: The dump and chase strategy (i.e. shooting the puck into the offensive zone and then chasing after it). Each team uses their own unique system but the main ones are: 2–1–2 , 1–2–2, and 1–4. The 2–1–2 is the most basic forecheck system where two forwards go in deep and pressure the opposition's defencemen, the third forward stays high and the two defencemen stay at the blueline. The 1–2–2 is a bit more conservative system where one forward pressures
4200-631: The 1998–99 season , taking to the ice for the first time on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1–0 at home to the Florida Panthers . It was the only sold-out game of the Predators' first five bouts in Nashville. Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3–2 for their first win. Forward Andrew Brunette scored the first goal. The Predators, in their first year of existence, finished second-to-last in
4340-528: The Buffalo Sabres and the Red Wings. They were defeated by the Sharks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs for the second year in a row, losing the series 4–1. The roster saw a depletion in talent during the off-season. With multiple potential buyers and rumors of the franchise moving hounding the team until almost mid-season, the Predators were not expected to be successful during the 2007–08 season . Chris Mason, former backup goaltender to Tomas Vokoun (who
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4480-605: The Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. The Predators earned their first postseason road win on April 16, 2010, when they beat the Blackhawks 4–1 at the United Center , although they lost the overall series in six games. On July 9, 2010, the Predators announced defenseman Shea Weber would become the club's fifth captain . In the following years' playoffs , the Predators advanced to the second round of
4620-692: The Detroit Red Wings in six games in the first round of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs . The following 2004–05 season was wiped out by a labor dispute between NHL owners and players. The Predators made their biggest free agent signing to that point in August 2005, when they signed Paul Kariya to a two-year, $ 9 million contract. In the 2005–06 season , the Predators set an NHL record by winning their first four games by one goal each (although two of those were shootout victories, which would have been tie games in previous seasons). They also became only
4760-658: The Eastern Conference . This put three of the Original Six teams in the Northeast Division (Boston, Montreal, and Toronto), and the three original cities of the NHL in the Northeast (Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto). The playoff format was subsequently modified so the three division winners in each conference were seeded one through three by order of point finish, then the top five remaining teams in
4900-547: The First American National Bank building, now the UBS Tower . Once the logo was unveiled, the franchise held a vote among fans to choose a name. Three candidates were culled from 75: "Ice Tigers", "Fury" and "Attack". Leipold added his own submission to the vote, "Predators". On November 13, Leipold revealed at a press conference that his submission had won out and the new franchise would be known as
5040-758: The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace , in Paris , France, the precursor to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The sport was played for the first time at the Olympics during the 1920 Summer Games —today it is a mainstay at the Winter Olympics . In 1994, ice hockey was officially recognized as Canada's national winter sport. While women also played during the game's early formative years, it
5180-548: The Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres , respectively. The Predators surrendered draft picks to bolster their team for the 2012 playoffs . The season also saw the return of Russian forward Alexander Radulov to the Predators after a four-year hiatus to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). For the second year in a row, and the second time in the team's history, the Predators won
5320-766: The Nashville Predators Radio Network flagship station is WPRT-FM . The Predators are currently affiliated with two minor league teams: the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL . The club was founded in 1997, when the NHL granted an expansion franchise to Craig Leipold , with the team beginning play in the 1998–99 season . After five seasons,
5460-733: The New Jersey Devils would relocate to the planned Nashville Arena after they won their first-ever Stanley Cup championship. Nashville offered a $ 20 million relocation bonus to any team that would relocate, and the Devils attempted to terminate their lease with the NJSEA before ultimately restructuring it to remain in New Jersey. After the failed attempt to land the Devils, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated Nashville would probably be considered in upcoming expansion. The arena
5600-491: The Tennessee state tri-star inside it, lines reminiscent of guitar strings on the numbers, and piano keys along the neckline inside the jersey as a nod to Nashville's internationally known music heritage. From the 2016–17 season gold helmets became a permanent part of the home uniform, after they first used them on Saturday home games the prior season. In the 2017–18 season the Predators changed their uniform style to fit with
5740-469: The Vancouver Canucks . The Predators lost the series 4–2. On June 22, 2011, the Predators unveiled their modified logo set for the 2011–12 season. With the color scheme simplified to blue, gold, and white and eliminating orange, silver, and steel, the Predators cleaned up their primary logo and wordmark. A new alternate logo incorporating elements from a guitar pick and the Tennessee state flag
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5880-552: The national anthem prior to the game, was seen on the Jumbotron hoisting a massive catfish that Tennessee Titans left tackle, Taylor Lewan had with him at the game. Lewan, along with fellow Titans offensive linemen Jack Conklin , Quinton Spain , Ben Jones , and Josh Klein , and Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota , served as the hype men prior to the game, another Predators playoff tradition prior to home games, which included them waving gold Predators towels, Mariota encouraging
6020-480: The playoffs that year , where the "standing O" during the final TV timeout has since become a fan tradition. The mascot of the Predators is Gnash , a blue saber-toothed cat. Introduced in 1998, Gnash's trademark includes stunts, such as very fast rappels, zip lines, and a pendulum swing that takes him under the scoreboard and just inches off the ice. To go along with the saber-toothed cat mascot, Predators fans proudly use their Fang Fingers during each power play of
6160-419: The "Nashville Predators". When awarded a franchise, the city of Nashville paid 31.50% of the $ 80 million fee to join the league. The city has engaged an affiliate of the team to operate the arena, and that agreement protects the city against annual arena operating losses over approximately $ 3.8 million. The $ 15 million payroll of the team was the lowest of the NHL. The Predators began play during
6300-462: The 1880s, and professional ice hockey originated around 1900. The Stanley Cup , emblematic of ice hockey club supremacy, was initially commissioned in 1892 as the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup" and was first awarded in 1893 to recognise the Canadian amateur champion and later became the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the early 1900s, the Canadian rules were adopted by
6440-490: The 18th and 19th centuries in Britain, Ireland, and elsewhere, primarily bandy , hurling , and shinty . The North American sport of lacrosse , derived from tribal Native American games, was also influential. The former games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules developed, such as shinny and ice polo, but later were absorbed into a new organized game with codified rules which today
6580-659: The 1930s, hockey was an on-side game, meaning that only backward passes were allowed. Those rules emphasized individual stick-handling to drive the puck forward. With the arrival of offside rules, the forward pass transformed hockey into a true team sport, where individual performance diminished in importance relative to team play, which could now be coordinated over the entire surface of the ice as opposed to merely rearward players. The six players on each team are typically divided into three forwards, two defencemen, and one goaltender. The term skaters typically applies to all players except goaltenders. The forward positions consist of
6720-416: The 2006 season redefined the offside rule to make the two-line pass legal; a player may pass the puck from behind his own blue line, past both that blue line and the centre red line, to a player on the near side of the opponents' blue line. Offensive tactics are designed ultimately to score a goal by taking a shot. When a player purposely directs the puck towards the opponent's goal, he or she is said to "shoot"
6860-532: The Dallas Stars in the first round of the 2019 playoffs . The Predators played in their first outdoor game at the 2020 Winter Classic , facing the Dallas Stars at the Cotton Bowl . The Predators fired head coach Laviolette on January 6, 2020, with the team sitting at sixth place in the division at the time and a record of 19–15–7. On January 7, 2020, John Hynes was hired as the third head coach in
7000-652: The Detroit Red Wings in 1997) to achieve 10 straight wins at home in the postseason. On May 22, 2017, the Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6–3 and won the series four games to two, winning the Western Conference, and advancing to the club's first Stanley Cup Finals . In the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals , the Predators went down 2–0 against the Penguins before battling back and leveling the series at two, winning games 3 and 4 at home. Returning to Pittsburgh,
7140-410: The NHL, a unique penalty applies to the goalies. The goalies now are forbidden to play the puck in the "corners" of the rink near their own net. This will result in a two-minute penalty against the goalie's team. Only in the area in front of the goal line and immediately behind the net (marked by two red lines on either side of the net) can the goalie play the puck. An additional rule that has never been
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#17327723098437280-399: The NHL, increasing the league to 27 teams. The 1998 NHL expansion draft was held on June 26 to fill the Predators' roster. With the debut of the Predators, and the planned expansion of three more teams within the next two seasons ( Atlanta , Columbus , and Minnesota ), the NHL realigned to a strictly geographic six-division structure (three per conference). This erased the last vestiges of
7420-555: The National Hockey League, a number of leagues have implemented the "four-official system", where an additional referee is added to aid in the calling of penalties normally difficult to assess by one referee. The system is used in every NHL game since 2001, at IIHF World Championships , the Olympics and in many professional and high-level amateur leagues in North America and Europe. Officials are selected by
7560-541: The Predators finished second in the Central Division. Despite having home advantage in the first round of the 2015 playoffs , they lost the first round in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. For the following 2015–16 season , the Predators name Sean Henry CEO and then finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 96 points. When they advanced to
7700-512: The Predators hosted the NHL entry draft . Future Predators captain Shea Weber was selected by the team with the 49th overall pick. The club failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for their first five years as a franchise. However, in the 2003–04 season , the Predators finished eighth in the Western Conference, qualifying for their first postseason berth. The Predators were eliminated by
7840-598: The Predators lost 6–0 before being eliminated at home 2–0 in game 6. On April 5, 2018, the Predators clinched their first division title in team history while also claiming their first Presidents' Trophy . They defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs in six games, and then lost to the Winnipeg Jets in seven games in the second round. The next season saw the Predators clinch their second consecutive division title, but lost to
7980-422: The Predators made minor tweaks to their uniforms. Most notably, the white uniforms no longer featured a contrasting nameplate color, while the city name was added above the Predators logo. From 2009 to 2011, the Predators wore navy third jerseys but with black replacing gold as trim color. A roundel logo featuring the fossilized cat adorned the shoulders while a checkerboard pattern of black and navy squares adorned
8120-541: The Predators qualified for their first Stanley Cup playoffs during the 2003–04 season . In 2008, ownership of the team was transferred from Leipold to a locally based ownership group. The Predators advanced to their first Stanley Cup Finals in 2017 , but were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. In the following season , the Predators won their first Presidents' Trophy and Central Division title. In late 1995, rumors began to circulate that
8260-431: The Predators sold out all 41 regular season home games. Their eighth-place finish in the conference gave them a first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, who finished first in the conference during the regular season. The Predators swept the Blackhawks in four games. This was the first time an eighth seed swept a playoff series against the top seed in the conference in NHL history as well as
8400-519: The Predators' franchise history. In Hynes' first game as coach, Pekka Rinne became the second Predators goaltender to score a goal in a 5–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. The team's season would come to an abrupt end two months later when the league suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Predators advanced to the 2020 playoffs , but were defeated by the Arizona Coyotes in
8540-576: The Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan against the Pittsburgh Penguins . Each team won a game in front of the largest crowds ever to see a hockey game in Japan (13,849 for the first game and 13,426 for the second game). This included around 100 fans who made the trip from Tennessee. Backed by the goaltending duo of Mike Dunham and Tomas Vokoun , Nashville finished the season in tenth place in
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#17327723098438680-550: The Western Conference with a 28–47–7 record. In the 1999–2000 season , the Predators finished with a similar record to the previous season, and finished last in the Western Conference behind the Calgary Flames . However, during a game versus the New York Islanders on February 20, 2000, the Predators scored four goals in 3 minutes and 38 seconds. To begin the 2000–01 season , the Predators played two games at
8820-451: The Western Conference, ten points out of a playoff spot with a total of 80 total points. During the 2001–02 season , the Predators recorded their 100th victory on December 6, 2001. With that win, Nashville became the second-fastest expansion team of the 1990s to reach the 100-win plateau. In the 2002–03 season , head coach Barry Trotz broke the record for most games coached by the original coach of an expansion team (392 games). In June 2003,
8960-415: The app determines that a particular impact has the potential to cause brain injury, it will alert the coach who can in turn seek medical attention for the individual. Defensive ice hockey tactics vary from more active to more conservative styles of play. One distinction is between man-to-man oriented defensive systems, and zonal oriented defensive systems, though a lot of teams use a combination between
9100-483: The arena plaza to greet them. In June, the league granted conditional franchises to Nashville, Columbus, Ohio ; Atlanta , and Minneapolis–Saint Paul . The Nashville team would begin play in 1998 if they met the NHL requirement of selling 12,000 season tickets before March 31, 1998. Of the four cities, Nashville was the only one with a completed arena and therefore began play first. On July 9, 1997, Leipold named former Washington Capitals general manager David Poile as
9240-477: The blue and centre ice red line away. The NHL has taken steps to speed up the game of hockey and create a game of finesse, by reducing the number of illegal hits, fights, and "clutching and grabbing" that occurred in the past. Rules are now more strictly enforced, resulting in more penalties, which provides more protection to the players and facilitates more goals being scored. The governing body for United States' amateur hockey has implemented many new rules to reduce
9380-478: The club in February and scored 11 points in his next 15 games and finished the season with 15 points in 35 games. 2010 also saw a breakout year for the last pick in the 2005 draft , Patric Hornqvist , as the 23-year-old Swede scored 30 in the 2009–10 season, becoming the fourth Predator to do so (the others being Steve Sullivan, Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott). The Predators qualified for the 2010 playoffs, facing
9520-728: The conference were seeded four through eight. The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York . Vincent Lecavalier was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning . Three preseason games were held in Austria. The Tampa Bay Lightning played against Austrian team VEU Feldkirch at Vorarlberghalle in Klagenfurt on September 15. One day later at
9660-472: The crowd to get louder, Lewan hoisting the catfish, and the offensive linemen chugging beer. Section 303 is where a section of fans at the Bridgestone Arena sit, stand, and cheer, colloquially known as The Cellblock . The group refers to themselves as "the loudest section of the loudest arena in the NHL." The fan-based organization has been recognized by the Predators' front office. A large banner
9800-399: The departure of center David Legwand , the first player ever drafted by the Predators, the club's all-time leading scorer, and was co-leading scorer for the season at the time. Agreeing to waive his " no-trade clause ", he was traded on March 5, 2014, to his hometown team, the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for prospect forward Calle Jarnkrok , forward Patrick Eaves and a third-round pick in
9940-413: The details to this trade were kept strictly confidential until the deal was already made. On September 7, 2016, the Predators announced Mike Fisher would replace Weber as the sixth captain of the club. In the 2016–17 season , the Predators finished fourth in the Central Division with 94 points, which earned them the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The 2016–17 season marked the first time
10080-452: The event of a tie. With a goal, the winning team would be awarded two points and the losing team none (just as if they had lost in regulation). The total elapsed time from when the puck first drops, is about 2 hours and 20 minutes for a 60-minute game. From the 1999–2000 until the 2003–04 seasons, the National Hockey League decided ties by playing a single five-minute sudden-death overtime period with each team having four skaters per side (plus
10220-411: The final score recorded will award the winning team one more goal than the score at the end of regulation time. In the NHL if a game is decided in overtime or by a shootout the winning team is awarded two points in the standings and the losing team is awarded one point. Ties no longer occur in the NHL. Overtime in the NHL playoffs differs from the regular season. In the playoffs there are no shootouts. If
10360-486: The first round of the playoffs and were defeated 4–2, their fourth-straight first-round knockout. The first off-season of settling in under new ownership was a quiet one for the Predators with little personnel movement. As such, the Predators began the 2008–09 season with little expectation. Following a strong push after the All-Star break and no movement at the trade deadline, the team found themselves still battling for
10500-491: The first round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. They finished the season with an NHL-best 32–8–1 record at home. However, the Predators would be eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in five games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs . During the off-season, the Predators acquired veteran center Jason Arnott from free agency on July 2, 2006. In the following season , Arnott and David Legwand led
10640-519: The first round. In February 2023, David Poile announced that he would retire as general manager of the team at the end of the 2022–23 season , and that former head coach Barry Trotz would succeed him, effective June 30, 2023. On May 31, 2023, Trotz announced that the team had hired former player Andrew Brunette as the fourth head coach in franchise history. The Nashville Predators have played their home games at Bridgestone Arena since their inaugural season in 1998. Opened in 1996, Bridgestone Arena
10780-468: The first time that there had been a sweep by an eighth seed against a top seed in a best-of-seven playoff series in the history of North American major league professional sports. In the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Predators defeated the St. Louis Blues in six games, marking the first time the team advanced to the conference finals. On May 16, the Predators became the first team in 20 years (since
10920-523: The first time they failed to do so since the 2008–09 season. After the season, the Predators signed Weber through a front-loaded $ 110 million, 14-year offer sheet , $ 68 million of it as a signing bonus, from the Philadelphia Flyers on July 19. The offer sheet was the richest in NHL history in terms of total money, money per season, and length, surpassing the previous offer sheet record set by Thomas Vanek . The following season saw
11060-566: The fourth NHL franchise to start the season 8–0; the last time a team did so was the Toronto Maple Leafs , who set the mark with a 10–0 start in the 1993–94 season . The Predators set the franchise mark for wins in a season with a 2–0 shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes on March 16, 2006. In that match, Chris Mason became the ninth goaltender to score a goal . By the end of the season, the Predators had accumulated 106 points—their first 100-point season—and clinched home-ice advantage in
11200-441: The franchise's first general manager. Portland Pirates ' head coach Barry Trotz was named the franchise's first head coach on August 6. On September 25, 1997, Leipold and team president Jack Diller held a press conference where they unveiled the franchise's new logo, a saber-toothed cat ( Smilodon fatalis ). The logo was a reference to a partial Smilodon skeleton found beneath downtown Nashville in 1971 during construction of
11340-511: The front of the foot or ankle, is a common ice hockey injury. Compared to athletes who play other sports, ice hockey players are at higher risk of overuse injuries and injuries caused by early sports specialization by teenagers. According to the Hughston Health Alert, prior to the widespread use of helmets and face cages, "Lacerations to the head, scalp, and face are the most frequent types of injury [in hockey]." One of
11480-427: The game , too many players on the ice , boarding , illegal equipment, charging (leaping into an opponent or body-checking him after taking more than two strides), holding, holding the stick (grabbing an opponent's stick), interference, hooking , slashing , kneeing, unsportsmanlike conduct (arguing a penalty call with referee, extremely vulgar or inappropriate verbal comments), "butt-ending" (striking an opponent with
11620-411: The game when the puck or players either bounce into or collide with them. Play can be stopped if the goal is knocked out of position. Play often proceeds for minutes without interruption. After a stoppage, play is restarted with a faceoff . Two players face each other and an official drops the puck to the ice, where the two players attempt to gain control of the puck. Markings (circles) on the ice indicate
11760-512: The game. There are foam saber-fang gloves that can be purchased, but most fans simply curl their index and middle fingers on each hand into fang shapes and brandish them in an up-and-down motion. Fang Fingers are done to the horror sounds from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Psycho . Fans are also known for a variety of chants taunting players of the opposing team, particularly the goalie. For example, after each Predators goal, fans call
11900-406: The game. There are typically two linesmen who are mainly responsible for calling "offside" and " icing " violations, breaking up fights, and conducting faceoffs, and one or two referees , who call goals and all other penalties. Linesmen can report to the referee(s) that a penalty should be assessed against an offending player in some situations. The restrictions on this practice vary depending on
12040-401: The goalie). In the event of a tie, each team would still receive one point in the standings but in the event of a victory the winning team would be awarded two points in the standings and the losing team one point. The idea was to discourage teams from playing for a tie, since previously some teams might have preferred a tie and 1 point to risking a loss and zero points. The exception to this rule
12180-402: The goaltender carries a stick consisting of a long, relatively wide, and slightly curved flat blade, attached to a shaft. The curve itself has a big impact on its performance. A deep curve allows for lifting the puck easier while a shallow curve allows for easier backhand shots. The flex of the stick also impacts the performance. Typically, a less flexible stick is meant for a stronger player since
12320-404: The governing rules. On-ice officials are assisted by off-ice officials who act as goal judges, time keepers, and official scorers. The most widespread system is the "three-man system", which uses one referee and two linesmen. A less commonly used system is the two referee and one linesman system. This system is close to the regular three-man system except for a few procedure changes. Beginning with
12460-465: The head and most types of forceful stick-on-body contact are illegal. A delayed penalty call occurs when an offence is committed by the team that does not have possession of the puck. In this circumstance the team with possession of the puck is allowed to complete the play; that is, play continues until a goal is scored, a player on the opposing team gains control of the puck, or the team in possession commits an infraction or penalty of their own. Because
12600-568: The heads, as well as checks to unsuspecting players. Studies show that ice hockey causes 44.3% of all sports-related traumatic brain injuries among Canadian children. Some teams in the Swiss National League are testing out systems that combine helmet-integrated sensors and analysis software to reveal a player's ongoing brain injury risk during a game. These sensors provide players and coaches with real-time data on head impact strength, frequency, and severity. Furthermore, if
12740-513: The ice at a time, barring any penalties, including a goaltender . It is a full contact game and one of the more physically demanding team sports. The modern sport of ice hockey was developed in Canada, most notably in Montreal , where the first indoor game was played on March 3, 1875. Some characteristics of that game, such as the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck, have been retained to this day. Amateur ice hockey leagues began in
12880-458: The ice per side, one of them being the goaltender. The objective of the game is to score goals by shooting a hard vulcanized rubber disc, the puck , into the opponent's goal net at the opposite end of the rink. The players use their sticks to pass or shoot the puck. With certain restrictions, players may redirect the puck with any part of their body. Players may not hold the puck in their hand and are prohibited from using their hands to pass
13020-508: The ice. Loafing , also known as cherry-picking , is when a player, usually a forward, skates behind an attacking team, instead of playing defence, in an attempt to create an easy scoring chance. 1998%E2%80%9399 NHL season The 1998–99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League . The league expanded to 27 teams with the addition of the Nashville Predators . The NHL also realigned to
13160-417: The illegal actions of another player stop a clear scoring opportunity, most commonly when the player is on a breakaway . A penalty shot allows the obstructed player to pick up the puck on the centre red-line and attempt to score on the goalie with no other players on the ice, to compensate for the earlier missed scoring opportunity. A penalty shot is also awarded for a defender other than the goaltender covering
13300-422: The knob of the stick), "spearing" (jabbing an opponent with the blade of the stick), or cross-checking . As of the 2005–2006 season, a minor penalty is also assessed for diving , where a player embellishes or simulates an offence. More egregious fouls may be penalized by a four-minute double-minor penalty, particularly those that injure the victimized player. These penalties end either when the time runs out or when
13440-482: The leading causes of head injury is body checking from behind. Due to the danger of delivering a check from behind, many leagues – including the NHL – have made this a major and game misconduct penalty. Another type of check that accounts for many of the player-to-player contact concussions is a check to the head resulting in a misconduct penalty (called "head contact"). In recent years, the NHL has implemented new rules which penalize and suspend players for illegal checks to
13580-492: The league they work for. Amateur hockey leagues use guidelines established by national organizing bodies as a basis for choosing their officiating staffs. In North America, the national organizing bodies Hockey Canada and USA Hockey approve officials according to their experience level as well as their ability to pass rules knowledge and skating ability tests. Hockey Canada has officiating levels I through VI. USA Hockey has officiating levels 1 through 4. Since men's ice hockey
13720-415: The league's cable broadcaster. Tuesday Night Hockey became CTV Sportsnet's signature weekly regular season telecasts. Coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs continued to primarily be on CBC, while CTV Sportsnet aired first round all-U.S. series. This was the fifth and final season of the league's U.S. national broadcast rights deals with Fox and ESPN . Both ESPN and ESPN2 aired weeknight games throughout
13860-562: The locations for the faceoff and guide the positioning of players. Three major rules of play in ice hockey limit the movement of the puck: offside , icing , and the puck going out of play. Under IIHF rules, each team may carry a maximum of 20 players and two goaltenders on their roster. NHL rules restrict the total number of players per game to 18, plus two goaltenders. In the NHL, the players are usually divided into four lines of three forwards, and into three pairs of defencemen. On occasion, teams may elect to substitute an extra defenceman for
14000-435: The misconduct (a two-and-ten or five-and-ten ). In this case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes, at which point the ten-minute misconduct begins. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent (at
14140-468: The new Adidas template. While the gold home uniforms received minimal alterations, the away white uniforms featured more gold accents in the sleeves, shoulders and tail while navy was relegated to trim color. Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates , usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to
14280-417: The number of stick-on-body occurrences, as well as other detrimental and illegal facets of the game ("zero tolerance"). In men's hockey, but not in women's, a player may use his hip or shoulder to hit another player if the player has the puck or is the last to have touched it. This use of the hip and shoulder is called body checking . Not all physical contact is legal—in particular, hits from behind, hits to
14420-442: The officials' discretion), or for a major penalty for a stick infraction or repeated major penalties. The offending player is ejected from the game and must immediately leave the playing surface (he does not sit in the penalty box); meanwhile, if an additional minor or major penalty is assessed, a designated player must serve out of that segment of the penalty in the box (similar to the above-mentioned "two-and-ten"). In some rare cases,
14560-423: The opposing goalie's name, accompanied by shouts of "It's all your fault" and other epithets. These cheers are sometimes said to originate from tradition at college football games, but some of these derive from traditions held by fans of Nashville's former pre-NHL hockey teams Nashville Dixie Flyers , Nashville South Stars , Nashville Knights , and Nashville Nighthawks/Nashville Ice Flyers . This has contributed to
14700-540: The other team scores during the power play. In the case of a goal scored during the first two minutes of a double-minor, the penalty clock is set down to two minutes upon a score, effectively expiring the first minor penalty. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, or when a minor penalty results in visible injury (such as bleeding), as well as for fighting. Major penalties are always served in full; they do not terminate on
14840-413: The other, the opposing team gets a power play for the remainder of the time); this applies regardless of current pending penalties. In the NHL, a team always has at least three skaters on the ice. Thus, ten-minute misconduct penalties are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the ice unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with
14980-468: The penalty is still assessed to the offending player, but not served. In 2012, this rule was changed by the United States' National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for college level hockey . In college games, the penalty is still enforced even if the team in possession scores. A typical game of hockey is governed by two to four officials on the ice, charged with enforcing the rules of
15120-499: The play is restarted at a faceoff. Some infractions result in a penalty on a player or team. In the simplest case, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and their team must play with one less player on the ice for a designated time. Minor penalties last for two minutes, major penalties last for five minutes, and a double minor penalty is two consecutive penalties of two minutes duration. A single minor penalty may be extended by two minutes for causing visible injury to
15260-411: The player is looking for the right balanced flex that allows the stick to flex easily while still having a strong "whip-back" which sends the puck flying at high speeds. It is quite distinct from sticks in other sports games and most suited to hitting and controlling the flat puck. Its unique shape contributed to the early development of the game. The goaltender carries a stick of a different design, with
15400-461: The players serve five minutes without their team incurring a loss of player (both teams still have a full complement of players on the ice). This differs with two players from opposing sides getting minor penalties, at the same time or at any intersecting moment, resulting from more common infractions. In this case, both teams will have only four skating players (not counting the goaltender) until one or both penalties expire (if one penalty expires before
15540-478: The playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, winning the fourth game of the series at Bridgestone Arena on April 24, 2011. Two days prior, Predators' goaltender Pekka Rinne was nominated as a Vezina Trophy finalist for his performance during the 2010–11 season . The Predators played against the number-one ranked team in the NHL in the second round,
15680-439: The puck carrier and the other two forwards cover the oppositions' wingers, with the two defencemen staying at the blueline. The 1–4 is the most defensive forecheck system, referred to as the neutral zone trap, where one forward applies pressure to the puck carrier around the oppositions' blueline and the other four players stand basically in a line by their blueline in hopes the opposition will skate into one of them. Another strategy
15820-406: The puck carrier in the neutral zone preventing him from entering the offensive zone. Body checking is using one's shoulder or hip to strike an opponent who has the puck or who is the last to have touched it (the last person to have touched the puck is still legally "in possession" of it, although a penalty is generally called if he is checked more than two seconds after his last touch). Body checking
15960-405: The puck in the goal crease, a goaltender intentionally displacing his own goal posts during a breakaway to avoid a goal, a defender intentionally displacing his own goal posts when there is less than two minutes to play in regulation time or at any point during overtime, or a player or coach intentionally throwing a stick or other object at the puck or the puck carrier and the throwing action disrupts
16100-443: The puck to their teammates unless they are in the defensive zone. Players can knock a puck out of the air with their hands to themselves. Players are prohibited from kicking the puck into the opponent's goal, though unintentional redirections off the skate are permitted. Players may not intentionally bat the puck into the net with their hands. Hockey is an off-side game, meaning that forward passes are allowed, unlike in rugby. Before
16240-409: The puck. A deflection is a shot that redirects a shot or a pass towards the goal from another player, by allowing the puck to strike the stick and carom towards the goal. A one-timer is a shot struck directly off a pass, without receiving the pass and shooting in two separate actions. Headmanning the puck , also known as breaking out , is the tactic of rapidly passing to the player farthest down
16380-439: The qualifying round. The Predators returned to the playoffs in 2021 , but were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. The Predators hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium in their second outdoor game, the 2022 Stadium Series , on February 26, 2022, losing 3–2 in front of a crowd of 68,619. They clinched the 2022 playoffs , but were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in
16520-483: The regular season, and Fox had the All-Star Game and weekly regional telecasts on 11 weekend afternoons between February and April. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected games, while Fox had Sunday regional telecasts. Each U.S. team's regional broadcaster produced local coverage of first and second round games (except for those games on Fox). Fox's Sunday telecasts continued into
16660-418: The right side" (of the puck). Another popular concept in ice hockey defensive tactics is that of playing a 200-foot game . An important defensive tactic is checking—attempting to take the puck from an opponent or to remove the opponent from play. Stick checking , sweep checking , and poke checking are legal uses of the stick to obtain possession of the puck. The neutral zone trap is designed to isolate
16800-972: The same arena, the Buffalo Sabres faced of against KAC Klagenfurt . The Sabres and the Lightning then met at Olympiahalle in Innsbruck on September 18. The Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks played a two-game series on October 9 and 10, 1999 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo , Japan. The All-Star Game was held on January 24, 1999, at Ice Palace in Tampa , home to the Tampa Bay Lightning . Divisions: ATL – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division Divisions: CEN – Central, PAC – Pacific, NW – Northwest bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy ; y – Won division In each round, teams competed in
16940-573: The second round after beating the Anaheim Ducks in game 7, it was the franchise's first seven-game series and seven-game series win. They were eliminated in seven games by the San Jose Sharks, who went on to win the conference. The Predators hosted the 2016 National Hockey League All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena. In the 2016 off-season, on June 29, 2016, the Predators traded Weber to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman P. K. Subban . The trade surprised many hockey fans because
17080-519: The secondary logo featuring the Gaylord Entertainment Center (now Bridgestone Arena) tower adorned the shoulders. From 2001 to 2007 the Predators wore mustard gold third jerseys featuring the front-facing saber-toothed cat logo. These jerseys are known by the nickname "Mustard Cats." The logo then replaced the tower alternate logo on the shoulders of their primary uniforms in 2005. Switching to Reebok 's Edge template in 2007,
17220-544: The skater's feet from contact with other skaters, sticks, pucks, the boards, and the ice itself. Rigidity also improves the overall manoeuvrability of the skate. Blade length, thickness (width), and curvature (rocker/radius) (front to back) and radius of hollow (across the blade width) are quite different from speed or figure skates. Hockey players usually adjust these parameters based on their skill level, position, and body type. The blade width of most skates are about 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. Each player other than
17360-401: The sleeves, tail stripes and socks. For the 2011–12 season, the Nashville Predators changed their jersey design and color scheme. The home jerseys are a bright gold with navy and white highlights, while the away jerseys are white with gold and navy highlights. Furthermore, the Predators changed their logo, making it purely white, gold and navy. The jerseys have a guitar pick on the shoulder with
17500-413: The sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey . Two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a vulcanized rubber hockey puck into the other team's net. Each goal is worth one point. The team with the highest score after an hour of playing time is declared the winner; ties are broken in overtime or a shootout . In a formal game, each team has six skaters on
17640-399: The team also being called "Smashville". The original Predators uniforms were worn from 1998 to 2007 and both featured a silver yoke on the shoulder. Navy and white were the base uniform colors while gold was used only as an accent color. The white uniforms featured the primary Predators logo outside a navy triangle while the navy uniforms use the same logo minus the triangle. From 1998 to 2004
17780-499: The team in goals with 27 each. Late in the season, the Predators traded two former first-round draft picks, Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent , plus their first and third-round pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft , to the Philadelphia Flyers for five-time NHL All-Star Peter Forsberg . The Predators finished the season ranked fourth in the Western Conference with a franchise-record 110 points, finishing third overall behind
17920-407: The team on which the penalty was called cannot control the puck without stopping play, it is impossible for them to score a goal. In these cases, the team in possession of the puck can pull the goalie for an extra attacker without fear of being scored on. It is possible for the controlling team to mishandle the puck into their own net. If a delayed penalty is signalled and the team in possession scores,
18060-419: The three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8. The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team
18200-406: The traditional Adams / Patrick / Norris / Smythe four-division structure abandoned in 1993–94 . Other than the reassignment of Colorado to the Western Conference in 1995 due to its move from Quebec , the divisions' membership had remained static for five years although several franchises had relocated. As part of this realignment, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved from the Western Conference to
18340-399: The two. Defensive skills involve pass interception , shot blocking , and stick checking (in which an attempt to take away the puck or cut off the puck lane is initiated by the stick of the defensive player). Tactical points of emphasis in ice hockey defensive play are concepts like "managing gaps" (gap control), "boxing out"' (not letting the offensive team go on the inside), and "staying on
18480-414: The upcoming 2014 NHL entry draft . After missing the playoffs for the second season in a row, the Predators opted not to renew the contract of Barry Trotz as their head coach after 15 years, although he was offered an unnamed position within the organization. On May 6, 2014, the Predators announced Peter Laviolette as their new head coach. In Peter Laviolette's first season as the Predators' head coach,
18620-498: The victimized player. This is usually when blood is drawn during high sticking. Players may be also assessed personal extended penalties or game expulsions for misconduct in addition to the penalty or penalties their team must serve. The team that has been given a penalty is said to be playing short-handed while the opposing team is on a power play . A two-minute minor penalty is often charged for lesser infractions such as tripping , elbowing , roughing , high-sticking , delay of
18760-463: Was also introduced. Home jerseys changed from blue to gold. In the beginning of the 2011–12 season , on November 3, 2011, the Predators signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $ 49 million deal. It was the largest contract awarded in Predators' history, as well as making Rinne the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL that year. On February 27, 2012, during the NHL's trade deadline, the Predators acquired Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad from
18900-492: Was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. The Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the most goals by a player in a season made its debut this year. Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points Source: NHL. Regular season The following
19040-553: Was extended for another year by the club in mid-season) and former Montreal Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon . The 2009–10 season also saw the much-anticipated debut of top prospect Colin Wilson . However, due to a groin injury suffered in training camp, Wilson spent the first week-and-a-half of the season on the sidelines, and was sent to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) in November. He returned to
19180-436: Was not until organizers began to officially remove body checking from female ice hockey beginning in the mid-1980s that it began to gain greater popularity, which by then had spread to Europe and a variety of other countries. The first IIHF Women's World Championship was held in 1990, and women's play was introduced into the Olympics in 1998 . Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in
19320-502: Was opened in 1996, and after an attempt to bring the National Basketball Association 's Sacramento Kings did not materialize, the city instead went after a hockey team. In January 1997, a group led by Wisconsin businessman Craig Leipold made a formal presentation before the NHL requesting an expansion franchise. When Bettman and league officials visited Nashville to tour the arena, thousands gathered on
19460-488: Was produced by the front office for posting on the wall behind the section. On April 3, 2008, with the Predators clinging to a 3–2 lead with 4:30 in their final home game of the regular season, a sellout crowd at what was then known as the Sommet Center , gave the team a standing ovation through the entirety of the final TV timeout . The Predators went on to win the game against the St. Louis Blues and advanced to
19600-558: Was traded to the Florida Panthers ) had a shaky season and shared net-minding duties with Dan Ellis . Ellis, who was signed from the Dallas Stars before the season began, had a 233:39 long shutout streak (fifth longest in league history) nearing the end of the season that helped Nashville attain the eighth playoff spot with 91 points. The Predators met the Presidents' Trophy -winning (and eventual Stanley Cup winners) Red Wings in
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