See Puck City

Duck, Duck, LOSE! - Preds Win Home Opener Against Ducks: 4-1

2010-10-09T23:13:00.001-05:00

Readership,

It's HOCKEY NIGHT in SMASHVILLE!!!

The Preds are back for their 2010-2011 season and come out swinging! This year's motto is simple: "Together". That is exactly what we saw tonight, the Preds playing as the Preds do. Goals came from everywhere (Goc, Sullivan, Hornqvist and Dumont respectively) and there were so many "almosts" to boot!

The game was also chippy as hell as penalties were handed out throughout the night. PK units were tested on both sides (both teams with rather effect 5-on-3 units...or just really crap PP units [Sully's scoring shift excluded]). Franky the Cube got into a fight with Troy Bodie (with half a foot on him), to which he said, "Size be damned" and lay waste to the opposing fighter's ass at a speed that would make Matthew Lombardi blush. I believe Shane O'Brien was surprised a handful of penalties had been issued in the 1st alone and none of them were against him!

I can't really pick stand outs because most everyone did everything right. SOB looked great out there for his first night as a Predator, blocking shots, picking up turnovers, keeping the puck in the zone...things that some of our lower line D don't seem to bother with at times. I can't wait to see more of him. Weber stood up for his teammates (Getzlaf trying to start something with Suter...Weber skated up right beside him and the tiff ended), Klein stood up for Rinne when...again...Troy Bodie...half-tackled/half-fell into the netminder causing a pileup on Rinne that resulted in an undisclosed injury despite him being able to play a shift afterwards, and being able to skate off on his own account (best possible scenario; see Josh Harding - MN Wild preseason game against the Blues for worst possible scenario).

Step in Anders Lindback.

No warm-ups, first NHL game, playing against a rather agitated opposing team. He played a bit nervous, but held his own against any rushes that got past his new teammates looking out for him as well. I overheard one fan say, "Might as well be Rinne!" It's true...Goc might as well have been Wilson. Sully might as well have been Erat. Legwand might as well have been Hornqvist (getting his own rebound even!) and Hornqvist...well...no...he's Hornqvist - no one parks it in the face of danger like he does. The point is...when you play strong together...you win games. No egos, no malarkey. Just hockey.

As long as the team plays like a Preds team does, I have no worries about the results of this season. If we can just tweak that PP strategy towards the direction of "effective" - even better.

Tis the season to be jolly...hockey season is back!!!

LET'S GO PREDATORS!!!

Cheers.

Rookie Defense + Lacking Captain Debut = Caps Win 2-1

2010-09-26T01:34:00.002-05:00

Readership,

I honestly don't know where to take this blog format wise. I know thus far it's been a stream of consciousness letter to all of you readers (all...six or so of you, though I can't forget my Asian porn spamming friends that leave random comments here and there), but I don't know if it's worth giving the general run down if so many other lovely, thoroughly detail driven local bloggers are doing it better and quicker than SPC.

I need an angle, dammit, and I haven't given it much thought lately due to all of the events going on outside of the hockey realm of my brain (I know, I'm surprised there is one too). I'll be thinking of that angle more and more because I want to give you something you're not already seeing.

That being said, here's a general run down:

Defense = #RyanEllisProblems - He wasn't that good despite having what seemed like every other shift of ice time. Spitfires...he's yours for a while longer. That being said, Johnson looked quite strong, a #2 that was actually fighting to do something *coughhammercough*, Sulzer quite the opposite. Parent didn't do anything bad or noticeable really.

Capt. Weber...awful debut - left everyone scratching their heads with every move. I wanted him to aim for Backstrom, take him out and hear a collective sigh throughout the arena of everyone with a fantasy league. That didn't happen. Mr. Wilson (Colin, not Kelsey) also didn't do much in the realm of expectations. Well...damn.

If Arnott = half a Halischuk and some change for Lombardi, I wish we had another Arnott to get rid of! #24 with the only notch on the board for the Preds and a nice break away. Lombardi with his Nightcrawler-esque abilities of being on one side of the ice and magically leaping through time and space to the net...I can't wait to see him in full force.

If Lombardi is our fastest player, how's about Lindback as our 2nd fastest? He knows his skill set and wasn't afraid to show it off to the rest of us, and the Cap who thought he had a breakaway chance, but instead had a face full of ice. Also, the one that went by Lindback wasn't over his top glove side, so...that was a bit of a shock despite an overall strong performance. A friend of mine had talked to Rinne recently and said he didn't seem to think Lindback was ready to be backup. If tonight's performance says anything about Lindback, it's "*BeepBeep* Hey Pekka! On your ass!". The back-up decision just got even tighter! I can't wait to see what develops.

Belak...drop the gloves more, have A/V play that montage of yours right afterwards each time, you'll become the fan favorite you think you already are! That being said, you're funny and I can't wait to see you at Zanies again.

The Caps newbies look pretty good. #50 (Cody Eakin) was a pest on the forecheck and showed off some sharp handling skills. Neuvirth looked quite strong despite our only goal against him. Non-newbie Mike Green tried a one-timer, rebounded off Rinne, and they set up the same exact move only he made it...due to the same exact defensive mistakes...so...bully for your patience. Enough Caps love - that's what Ovi does to the Press for the rest of the season.

That's that. I can't wait for Monday. I'm eager to see what Atlanta brings to the table - if it's more rookie-oriented of if they're trying to get the final roster set. I feel they'll actually give the Southeastern division something to talk about, make the playoffs and pull a last season's Phoenix...but that's just me.

See you at Zanies on Sunday or at The Bridge on Monday!

Cheers.

Welcome Back Fodder

2010-09-23T22:52:00.001-05:00

Readership,

It's been a hot minute, hasn't it? I must apologize, but a lot has been going on, the good and the bad, that has kept me away from tippity typing away. Relationship status changes, job schedule changes, money pit home improvement changes and what-to-use-my-free-time-on-as-a-hobby changes - even seat changes (303 B! Up from H this year!). Change seems to be the theme of this past month and change is what will be taking place over these next pre-season games. Changing up lines, changing pre-conceived notions about the younger players, and, hopefully beyond hope, changing the way Special Teams takes to the ice.

Tonight, we saw a team of primarily rookie players take on a team of primarily top line NHL professionals (sans their goalie). It was a chance to see what many of our draft picks were finally made of on the big stage. Some performed well. Most performed like rookies playing against veterans. And there were enough broken sticks in this game to make an NHL11 demo blush. Players we all had high hopes for made some poor mistakes (see Blum, Laakso, Beck). Others were a pleasant surprise (Parent - looking a few tads better than Franson out there). And then there were the familiar names we all know and love, putting on a helluva a show for us whenever they took the ice (Rinne...my god, Rinne; Tootoo, Dumont, Goc).

All of the above will change, of course. I'm sure Dekanich, who played alright in net for the 2nd half of the game, will be replaced with Pickard and/or Lindback over the next few games, and THAT situation may change completely with the possibility of a Theodore or Toskala hanging out on the sidelines with their trapper gloved fingers crossed.

What won't change is the passion the fans have, putting us over 14k for the evening (see pic of Coyotes/Kings pre-season opener here). What won't change is the fact that this year's team is looking to be the best team the city has ever had on the ice. What won't change is...well...the Poile/Trotz tandem and their mad genius that only shows itself as the season goes on and as the homegrown drafted players grow into captains. The respect the rest of the world has for this team...that WILL change, despite our city's local rag of a paper flat out refusing to change. That shouldn't be a surprise though - the same thing happens with our local rock bands: the world takes notice, while we refuse to say anything nice cos we're too busy criticizing things that don't really matter...though that's a whole 'nother rant.

Anyway - what we saw tonight was a welcome change to what we've had over the last 3 months (no hockey, whatsoever) and it was an interesting experiment to say the least. Let the younguns season up a bit, try out every goalie to see if they can hold their own and thensome, watch that Rinne save on the highlight reel over and over again and put him a round or two higher in your fantasy rankings and get ready for a helluva season.

In other news...I answered a lewd classified ad and found myself becoming a writer for Intent to Blow. Weeeeeird, right?! But awesome.

A Goalie A GoGo update will take place soon. I've been gathering equipment and talking with a few folks that would also love to see me between the pipes. I personally can't wait (but I have to...cos I still don't have a helmet yet).

Damn...it feels great to be back, doesn't it?

Cheers.

New SPC Blog Spin-off: Goalie A Go Go

2010-07-24T18:44:00.001-05:00

Readership,

As I had mentioned in previous posts, I'm bored as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore! Rather, not only does off-season have me jonesing for hockey, I had this thought LAST FALL, but didn't really start actively seeking out ways to deal with it until this past April.

The goal: to teach myself to be a goalie.

This means teaching myself to skate, to physically re-invent myself, to study and memorize movements and techniques, to commit myself to the laundry list of items required for the position, and to swallow my pride and ask for any and all advice from anyone who would like to help a very late-comer to the game.

The link will now on be included in the right column here and will soon be available at www.goalieagogo.com.

Thanks to those who have already been helpful through the mere beginning few months of this journey. @maalivahti has already made such a journey (beginning in 2005), if not a more impressive feat (due in part to the gender barriers associated with contact sports) with her blog From the Couch To The Crease. The first handful of posts had me looking around myself, nodding, practically following similar paths - and giving me insight on what challenges I may face in the future. That, and her love of industrial music tickles me black. Anyway, the chance that I stumbled upon her blog a few weeks ago through a Twitter conversation with Justin from The Goalie Guild was too perfect to ignore. Things are moving in the right direction and that's all there is to it.

Personal updates, achievements, opinions, news, equipment reviews, and more...chock full of SPC-style goodness - now available at GoalieAGoGo.

Cheers.

NHL 11 Is Almost Here & Kovy Still Doesn't Have A Contract

2010-07-09T00:30:00.001-05:00

Readership,

Have you been enjoying the summer as I have? No? I understand - I've been going through hockey withdrawals as well. Oh, believe me, I tried to get back into it (if you've been following my Twitter feed - SeePuckCity) by going to the official NY Rangers draft party to help console Rangers fans when they had the chance to pick the 3rd and 4th best player on the list and instead went with a much lower "enforcer" type. I tried to get back into it by going to the NJ Devils equipment sale hours early, only to find myself with No.323 and among a slew of folks wondering what the hell was under their feet.

After being in the Big Apple for a month to test the waters for a possible future fit up north, I came home with a hankering for real BBQ (which up north they believe is either "anything on a grill" or "Texas-style beef brisket" - wrong on both accounts with the correct answer being "smoked pork, you damn Yankee") and my beloved Hockeytown South. Sure, they've got some great fans and even a greater amount of amateur hockey leagues, and local hockey shops with *gasp* a large amount of goalie equipment, but something was lacking.

I monitored every bit of news coming out of the Poile camp like the rest of you, only I did it from a 400 sq ft studio sublet in Brooklyn with no A/C...and yes, it was pretty much the same weather Nashville had the whole time I was there. Activity began stirring about...something we're not often used to seeing. Capt'n Concrete was sent back to NJ while I was looking out at it from the Q train, while Hammer and Ellis were sent off to be someone else's recyclables. Forwards were picked in the draft - something else we're not used to seeing...as much! And then the (rather obvious) rumors that Weber would be named captain began floating about just in time for me to touch back down in the heartland in time for Prospect Camp (after being near Prospect Park for a month) and the Skate of the Union. That's more like it!

My question was, and still is, who will back up Pekka Rinne with Ellis now set to take over Tampa Bay? Will Deks be brought up from Milwaukee or will Poile set aside a chunk of change for another, more veteran goalie presence? If Deks comes up...will Pickard take over? The video above shows what I think is the future of Preds goaltending: Anders Lindback. If he's out to challenge a shooter, the shooter will lose. At 6'6" (that's TALLER than Pekka), pucks just bounce off of him. Over the first 2 days of Prospect Camp, Lindback has been the best of all 4 (Lindback, Pickard, Smith and Engren - and in my opinion, that order). Pickard will have to watch his back if he's trying to win that starting role in Milwaukee. We'll see how the rest of Prospect Camp unfolds this weekend!

Lastly, the Skate of the Union. I left the camp to check out the arena, find out any more details regarding the equipment sale that I could. The NJ Devils sale left me a bit paranoid, having arived there nearly 3 hours early and still having 300 people in front of me - I caught a glimpse of a jackass with 10 or so goalie sticks all wrapped up in a bundle, all Brodeur of course - nothing spared for anyone else who gave a damn. Sadly, that's the way of the world, even in Nashville. I grabbed a bite at SATCO and headed back to The Bridge around 1:30. One other fella was standing outside of the arena when I plopped my bag of books down on the trashcan in the entry lobby. He came inside and we began talking about hockey. Some of his friends came in a few minutes later and we had a decent chat. I mentioned the fella above, with all of the Brody sticks and they all agreed that the guy was a nogoodnik. Then I found out through hours of conversation that the fella I had been talking to nabbed not just 1 Rinne stick last year, but most of them. I'm sorry to say, for the sake of all the Rinne fans, for the up-n-coming goalies (or well-established goalies looking for cheap equipment), for TigerPredsChick and a few others that asked me when they got through the line and saw me with my 1 Ellis stick, that same guy grabbed all 4 Rinne sticks, handed 2 to his friend that was behind me, and began trying to bargain to other fans for a Hornqvist stick. Yes...you read that correctly - bargaining with merch that wasn't yet actually his own. Cheap-shot move, buddy. Stay classy. It was then that I realized that maybe the "treasure hunt" technique the NJ Devils people used might not have been a bad idea after all.

Ptty! Phooey! Thhhpt!! Now that I've got that bad taste out of my mouth, Weber is now Capt'n and Lombardi is #15. Hopefully soon we'll hear about Franson and Hornqvist, but until then...have a helluva Friday with all your new (or used) toys from the sale and I'll see you all at Centennial Sportsplex on Saturday if you decide to show up and recognize me.

Cheers.

Beast of 7 - Summer Begins: Random Bits

2010-05-13T11:31:00.002-05:00

Readership,

The Habs did it. They beat Washington in a Best of 7. They just beat Pittsburgh in a Best of 7 (and yet the talking heads - no, not the good David Byrne ones - still won't let the Crosby/Ovechkin comparisons die). The Bruins have allowed their series to go to a Best of 7 (I wish them the best in their folly; they looked a bit like the Preds in October last night). The Red Wings beat Phoenix in a Best of 7 (but lost to the Sharks). Pred's ECHL affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones came back from a 0-3 game deficit to win their Best of 7 last night (congrats, Cyclones and Cyclones fans)! The summer (technically still Spring, I know) is starting out on fire to say the least - especially if you're a Montreal cop car.

Enjoying the highlighted links? I know I've been missing them for awhile!

The 2010 IIHF World Championships have been a blast - a blast for the upsetters anyway. Team Germany defeating Team USA (a sign of things to come for what will soon be known as Team Relegation; go Goc!), Denmark beating Finland (Pekka's only game thus far) then USA, Switzerland just beat Canada for their first time in 76 years yesterday, and Norway has been on a roll themselves beating the Czech Republic and just finished beating France as I type this. PredsOnTheGlass has more to tell regarding Team USA's downfall.

That being said, the IIHF website has had a few fun fan-oriented activities. One such example was asking fans to send in questions for Team Germany captain (and familiar face of Preds forward greatness) Marcel Goc to answer. I did my civic duty as a Nashville Predators fan paying attention to the Worlds' games and sent in a handful of questions - most of which he answered! I've got a white Team Germany jersey that will soon have a #57 on the back (thanks to IceJerseys being great).

Yes, I've still got to look into WordPress formatting. I keep seeing more and more sites that are built on WordPress, but I've got no idea about coding or format or any tech-y gobbledy-gook. Any suggestions from my web-savvy readers?

Lastly, I've got two big summer projects I'm working on. One is myself - building myself to become a hockey player, specifically a goalie. I've skated as many times as I've got fingers on my hand (not counting the thumb), but I've come to grips with the fact that I can no longer just be a fan - I want to be more (kinda like that old commercial where the kids drop the video games in favor of actually playing the sports outside). I'd like to document it via this blog, but in various media formats (and, again, with better web design).

The other...well...are there any hockey-loving artists in the house? Who might also like comic books? I'm looking for an illustrator that love hockey and I think you know where I'm going with this.

[Below: 3 games at the same time: Habs/Pens on the left, Bruins/Flyers upper right, Cyclones/Royals bottom right - schizo hockey!]

Today, the insurance adjuster comes to the SPC Haus to inspect damage from the flood rains seeping through the basement walls, causing me to tear out all carpet and foam, and soon go to work on the drywall (hey, it could've been much worse, so I'm lucky I got away with that). The adjuster's phone number is a Massachusetts area code - I'll be wearing my Bruins shirt to break the ice. Wish me luck!

Cheers.

Thank You Preds: An End To A Better Season Than Last And A Look To The Future

2010-04-27T00:36:00.005-05:00

Readership,

And so it goes.

A blistering 1st period in a must-win game had the Preds down by 1, 5-3. An excruciating 2nd period in a must-win game had the Preds killing power plays for 10 minutes. A nail-biting 3rd period in a must-win game had the Preds with the man advantage for nearly 10 minutes, but in the end...they could not muster the must-win. Thus, the Predators took a bow, shook the hands and exited off the ice for the last time in the 2009-2010 season.

Thank you, Preds.

You've shown us that even under that gritty facade, you are in fact a 100 point earning team. You've shown us that you can climb that Top 8 ladder without the use of "loser" points [see: Detroit Red Wings]. You've shown us that there can be a balance that is stronger than any marquee name or marquee line. You've shown us that the future of the Preds is strong in the youth that ended up outshining the vets tenfold. You've shown us all of these things that make me proud to be a Predators fan and believe in you when you step out on the ice.

The only thing that I'm a bit curious and a bit anxious about, is how we find ourselves out in the 1st Round once again. The coaching staff and the team worked their tails off to get to the middle of the playoff pack, but once again, when the playoffs finally rolled around, things got bumpy. The PP was a hindrance instead of a relief. The vets disappeared after Game 1, never to truly be seen again. The whole mind-game hullabaloo with Hornqvist's injury just added insult to it rather than doing much good. And Game 5...enough said there.

What can you do to redeem those weaknesses and to regain the trust and love of Predator fans that might just be calling for "a cleansing" of the organization over the summer. It's similar to what Jacques Lemaire said regarding his Devils' Playoff team: [paraphrasing] "Sometimes you look at players [in our case, the coaching staff or perhaps just the system] when you are trying to get something through to them and you see in their eyes that they understand it but this time I look in their eyes and I saw they did not get it." Something didn't click as well as it should've and it's about time it's taken into serious consideration what that is and how to fix it over the next few months. I feel this will be the brunt of off-season conversation as well as the diamonds in the rough that Poile found in the regular season (Goc, Grebeshkov) and those that are very much going to make a difference in what kind of team the Preds can be (Hornqvist, Wilson, Boyd, etc).

A toast to our AHL brethren in Milwaukee, sadly also being taken out of contention by...Chicago.

To the Blackhawks' fans' trio of idiots in 304, lead by a fella that looked a bit like this and kinda like this for his asinine behavior throughout the evening...a well-deserved, mostly full souvenir cup of soda, chucked from twenty feet away. Kudos to the "anonymous" Preds fan for having precision aim and retaliating against folks that rivaled the idiocy of Blues fans [and for those of you who had to put up with these fools in 303 and 304, you can send your thanks and emoticon wishes in the comments section, and I'll tell her about them in a few minutes ;D ].

I'll update SPC from time to time over the summer, but I'm still coming up with new ideas on where to take it. You can follow me on Twitter - SeePuckCity, natch. Congrats to Boston on heading to Round 2. Sympathy for the Devils - I'll be very curious how the off-season will treat them and what kind of team will come back in October. I'm going to teach myself how to skate in the next few weeks, so wish me luck on that - I may do a few special posts regarding my embarrassing ice-capades for your enjoyment. And that's it for this post.

Thank you Predators. Thank you readers (except for you Asian spammers that keep leaving comments to spam voyeur sites - you're barely any better than Blues fans). And lastly, thank you bloggers for creating more venues for information, entertainment and opinion based around hockey in the South - it helps get the word out to the world that it is here and it's here to stay.

Predators Hockey: It Stays With You...indeed.

See you in September.

Cheers.

Preds Blow Game 5 In Regulation By Going To OT: 5-4

2010-04-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

Readership,

Jack Daniels would be making so much money if they were a Preds sponsor, especially after games like this afternoon's Game 5.

They battled back and overtook the lead late in the 3rd period...and while on the power play...instead of playing 4 corners for 1 minute and 3 seconds...they allow the Blackhawks into the zone to tie it up. The game may as well have ended there. With 2 and a half minutes of PP left in the OT, it seemed as if the Preds were just waiting to hand the puck over to Hossa...which they did...and got out of the way.

What a waste.

A waste of time, of talent, of emotion, of energy - all for naught because we have the sorriest PP in the Playoffs - one that actually hinders us from doing anything positive whatsoever.

Yeh, I'm pissed. And Monday, the Preds have some making up to the fans to do by doing what Chicago did today: tie it (the series) up. Then they will win in Chicago, as they should have done today.

Easier said than done, but it's not improbable.

Kudos to Grebs for playing so well after not having been with the team since early March.

Cheers.

Give And Take A Whoopin' Part 4: Preds Take A Whoopin' 3-0

2010-04-23T00:07:00.000-05:00

Readership,

I could've sworn the ice said "Stanley Cup Finals" on it last Tuesday. And I think I also saw a Bridgestone logo down there too. So...why did the Preds' game play look like they rewound the clock back to October?

I can't really find the words, partly cos of tired and partly cos that game was way to frustrating to even think about. Sloppy play plagued the Predators and they didn't seem to mind - that's why the 7th Man quit giving a damn and began heading to the parking lot in the final 4 minutes. Rinne can't bail out the whole team...only half of it. And Hornqvist's handlers better let the kid play. I don't know if this is some bizarre mind game the coaching staff is playing, waiting to the last minute to unleash the beast or saving the Swede's energy for Round 2, but if the rest of the team plays like they did tonight, there won't BE a Round 2.

Was that Hamhuis and Klein I saw for a majority of the game, or at least during the 2nd goal against? I thought so.

Put Grebs out there, separate #2 and #8, let Horny do the damn thing, drill the idea into JP's noggin that he can be worth a damn and bring the A game to Chicago this weekend, cos this C game...well...the "C" stands for "Crock of ----".

The team knows what it can do and it needs to stop this trend of following what the other Western match-ups are doing and show them they're better. No more "Win, Lose, Win, Lose" - take the reigns and reign down upon the Windy City with revenge.

Cheers.

Preds Take Game 3 Against 'Hawks With A Familiar Score: 4-1

2010-04-20T23:43:00.002-05:00

Readership,

4-1. Seems like the Preds like that score. They did it the first time around, tried something a lil different and decided that 0-2 wasn't all that it's cracked up to be, so they went back to 4-1. That being said, the series stands at 2-1. I feel our boys would very much like that to be 4-1 in the end of it all, and I feel that Pred Nation does too.

A crowd of 16,075 rallied in Nashville, making it look and sound more than "sold out" cos Preds fans are just that hardcore (it's a fact that 1 Preds fan is equal to that of 1.59 fans of other NHL teams - think British pounds to dollars and you've about got it). The crowd didn't disappoint and neither did the boys in blue. A 60 minute hockey game is what we've wanted out of the team during the regular season so many times, and finally a 60 minute game is what they gave us. Everyone fought with vigor, but not carelessly so as seen in Game 2. Power and patience was the name of the game, whether it was choosing between going in the zone alone or waiting for a full change to waiting for the referees to finally call one of the many tackles on Martin Erat in the 3rd (the third hit hooked him and resulted in a successful penalty shot - something we rarely get to see, especially in the playoffs).

SPC kudos go to Pred "vets" Legwand, Erat and Sullivan for stepping up to that level the organization dreams of becoming consistent because these fellas are capable of being just that. More kudos go to...well...I was going to name names, but the whole Defensive corps was damn fine (with the exception of the brief moments in the 2nd where Hamhuis and Klein were out together - the fact that they both did quite well defensively when NOT pair together...is further proof that that is what works). And of course, the most consistent kudos of them all goes to Pekka Rinne for once again being brilliant.

4-1. Again(la) and again(la)! Man, I'm hoarse.

Go Preds!!!

Cheers.

PS. It has been brought to my attention that Otter's Chicken Tenders is adding a little something extra to their Preds Fan Appreciation deal thanks to the 2010 Playoffs! If you didn't know already, if you wore a Preds jersey or Preds gear to Otter's (Demonbreun location) on game day, you'd get a free appetizer. Now, add the option of 2-for-1 beer to that! Sweet! Perhaps I'll see you there Thursday?

Preds Follow Suit With The Other Upsetters, Lose Game 2 To Blackhawks: 2-0

2010-04-18T22:13:00.000-05:00

Readership,

Everyone else is gonna say it: the first two periods looked like a mirror image of Game 1. The 3rd was supposed to continue with more force from the Preds, perhaps another fluke bounce to get the game back on track. Well...that didn't happen. Lots of penalties happened though. And the Preds didn't convert on the few that weren't on them.

How I miss Patric Hornqvist in games like this. How I hate Patrick Kane in games like...well...any game, really.

I gotta do more than just post-game blogs here and I'm working on ideas. Only doing post-game blogs burns ya out...especially when there are at least ten other sources online saying essentially the same thing. Meh.

More fire...that's what I need on this site...and that's what the Preds need on Tuesday.

Cheers.

Nashville Predators Win 1st Playoff Road Game VS. Chicago Blackhawks: 4-1

2010-04-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

Readership,

It's been a lil while - I seem to have fallen into the hole of blogging only after games - something I will have to change soon...perhaps in June ;D.

The Predators have done it: they've won their first playoff game on the road...and win they did. A scoreless 1st, a swarm of a 2nd by the Blackhawks gave Taxi Kane the first goal of the game. Then J.P. Dumont happened in the 3rd...twice. The Predator went into overdrive in the 3rd, creating turnovers in their favor as the Blackhawks did in the 2nd. Niemi was pulled not once, but twice in the final minute and a half of play...resulting in not one, but two goals for the Preds (Smithson; Erat). Let's let'em play 5-on-6 as much as they want with those odds!

This has been the season of the OT point making a difference and the post-season of statistical upsets thus far. As a fan of the dark horse team, I'll just say this: let's keep pissing on everyone's hushpuppies!

Go Predators!

Cheers.

If Those Were My Fans, I'd Have The Blues Too: Preds Win 2-1 In SO

2010-04-11T02:19:00.000-05:00

Readership,

As I'm sure you've already guessed since I began this blog, if there's one thing I dislike more than Red Wings fan, it's a Blues fan - especially when they're in our house. Yes, that's "butts in seats", but there's something that just goes with having to hear something that sounds kinda like "BOOZE" over and over again from some jackass that thinks their hometown BBQ is better than that of the South and that their hometown king beer is worth the dimes worth of paint it takes to put a Bud Light logo on the ice. Thank you, Blues fans, for deciding to use your fiscal tidings in our lovely city instead of your own festering swill-hole - it goes to making our home that much more delightful for the next time you wish for an escape.

Apologies for the venom, but when you're a part of 303 and you turn to find 301 is a bit less Navy blue and gold and a bit more Royal (pain in the ass) blue and (Bud) yellow...AND when you read an article earlier in the week how Branson is calling itself "The OTHER Music City"...nothing from Missouri will escape my blog-wrath! MUAHAHAHA!

And there was much to laugh about as Erat put one over Conklin to win the game in a shoot-out. OK...that's not much to laugh about at all, but Capt'n Arny's shot returned with his brand new helmet to boot. Our PP disappeared again, but that's what happens when your best goal scorer is out (expected back for Round 1 of the playoffs or so I've read). Ward was injured to some degree, sadly, and still no word on Grebeshkov. One of these days, we'll have a healthy team going into the playoffs - alright...you can laugh at that one.

Until then, the boys currently sit in 6th place as LA and Detroit both play tomorrow (rather, later today as it's 2AM right now) to change the outcome of the lower half of the Western Playoff teams. If Detroit and LA lose, we're set for 5th. If Detroit loses and LA wins, we're set for 6th. If Detroit wins and LA loses, we're set for 6th. If the both win, we're set for 7th. If Chicago wins tomorrow and we end up in 7th, we play San Jose. If they lose, we play Chicago. If we set up in 6th, it's Vancouver and if somehow we end in 5th, it's Phoenix. I've been hoping for a Vancouver match-up cos Luongo's been off as of late, but tonight's game with Daniel Sedin's hat-trick and his brother notching 4 assists...makes me think...no team is going to be easy. At the same time, this season (based on NCAA's basketball and hockey tourneys) has been quite generous to the dark horse teams...so...BRING IT!

Congrats Blake Geoffrion on the Hobey Baker award! Tennessee represent! Yes, you Northerners, we DO care about hockey here - on EVERY level. Some more than others, but the passion is here nonetheless. Take me, for example: I've barely set foot on the ice, let alone in ANY kind of skates, but this year, I have made it my goal to play in goal by learning from the ground up (namely cos I feel I will be spending a lot of time on the ground as I learn to skate fluidly)! I'm already older than your average pro-hockey player, but I'm going to do it anyhow because I feel a connection to the sport that I cannot shake, and in fact, would fight if I were forced to shake it. I can't wait to get on the ice...for only the 2nd time in my life, so I can learn to physically live hockey.

It will soon be playoff time for Nashville and for a Predators team that seems best suited to march through these upcoming playoffs more than any other I've seen.

Let's do this! PREDATORS!!!

Cheers.

Preds Dry Up In The Desert: Lose 5-2

2010-04-07T23:17:00.000-05:00

Readership,

With Detroit and Chicago winning tonight and LA being a crap shoot (but rather strong in that last win against the Ducks), all I'm going to say tonight is:

Please Not San Jose
Please Not San Jose
Please Not San Jose

Kudos, Desert Dogs - you're like us, only on a hotter hot streak. To be honest, perhaps Vancouver would be the better team to play - Luongo's been so off since the Olympics, why not?

Cheers.

Preds Clinch A Playoff Spot and Top Detroit In OT: 4-3

2010-04-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

Readership,

Playoff hockey at it's finest...only a couple of weeks before they actually begin! The Preds come back again in the 2nd, take the lead, then (in what has become distinctly Red Wingean this season) Detroit ties the game in the last minute of regulation to take the game to OT. Though that automatically gave Nashville the point needed to clinch a playoff spot, it gave the Red Wings their 14th OT point. You know what - Ryan Suter didn't take kindly to that, so he ended OT as quick as possible by putting one past Jimmy Howard to win the game and get that extra point.

The Nashville Predators are in the 2009-2010 playoffs.

Re-read that if you will. Doesn't it feel nice?

Weber, Hornqvist, Dumont and Suter on the goals for the afternoon. Spaling and Boyd (#13 and #14 respectively) had near misses on Howard, so kudos to their performance as well. Rinne, another strong performance, especially considering being at the Joe Louis Arena where calls do NOT go the Preds' way.

Here, here, Predators! Enjoy that happy flight back home. You've got one more round trip to pick off in the desert and one more game to show the fans that you appreciate them. Then...playoff time - not that these last few weeks have been any different from those types of games.

When you compare last year's team to this year's team...who's feeling good about the playoffs this year?

This guy.

Cheers.

Preds Bounce Back On The Blues: Win 3-2

2010-04-01T21:43:00.000-05:00

Readership,

Learning from mistakes, the Preds did not let off steam in the 3rd period. Nope - that wasn't an April Fool's joke - they battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie it at the end of the 2nd (thank you Boyd and Wilson, respectively). They took that 2nd period momentum to the 3rd when Sully popped one in from Hornqvist and Goc (gotta LOVE that line!) to make it 3-2 around halfway through. Even after the lead, the Preds didn't just play "keep away", but the Blues began pushing and pushing to the final minute, giving them the best chances in the 3rd...to no avail. Pekka "Iron Man" Rinne stood firm. The refs gave the Blues nearly 3 seconds to add to the clock in the Preds' zone because that's what refs do to the home-team here in Nashville, but the home-team stood firm - no flukes were to be allowed.

The Nashville Predators came back from a weak 1st to tie in the 2nd and win in the 3rd. Sounds kinda like the season in a nutshell, doesn't it?

Let's keep tonight's 3rd period atmosphere for the next handful of games, shall we? That's Preds hockey.

Cheers.

PS. Whomever Tweeted with that Belak report for April Fool's - you got me. I mean, c'mon - we re-signed Klein after all. I forgot that "holiday" until I was Rick-rolled early on. Kudos.

The Kings Played A Game: Won 2-0

2010-03-30T22:26:00.001-05:00

Readership,

I promise you that I'm going to put as much effort into tonight's blog as the Preds did in tonight's game.

Cheers.

Preds Mauled By Panthers But Survive To Tell The Tale In OT: Win 3-2

2010-03-29T21:30:00.001-05:00

Readership,

I did tell you that the Preds have got a patent pending on the "3rd Period Breakdown", right? Never the ones to disappoint, that's exactly what happened near the beginning of the 3rd. Prior to that...Legwand scored the only goal in the game - so you KNEW something was up!

The piss and vinegar dried up soon after that as the legs got tired. Two deflect past Ellis and the game quickly changed its tune. Thankfully, the line that many fans are loving to watch (Horny, Sully and Goc) didn't like that tune and changed it with less than 4 minutes left in the game to tie it up.

1 point for each team, but since its Florida in the East, no big deal (though it would have been...if the Preds were in the division it SHOULD be in - it only makes sense, Bettman! Make it so!) - but it soon was time to take off the little kid gloves and put on the very mad gloves. Once again, that lovely line that tied up the game had Goc drop pass one to Francis Bouillon and he took full advantage, putting it past Clemmensen at exactly one minute into OT - winning the game and bringing the team up to 94 points in the Race of the West.

Tomorrow, Quick and the Kings. Will an injured player finally be back tomorrow? Who knows? As long as the team plays all three periods, it shouldn't matter. And if Pekka keeps up what he's been keeping up, no fan or casual viewer should have doubts. We're goin' to the playoffs and I fear once the team knows how to keep it up for the whole 60 minutes...the other teams won't know what to do with them!

Cheers.

Red Wings Outlast Predators In Shoot-Out: 1-0

2010-03-27T23:06:00.000-05:00

Readership,

That was a battle to be sure, but a battle that leaves me asking questions about the following:

Mascot Madness: Why was the Thrashers mascot in town? Was there a furry convention or something? Eerily enough...those exist.

The D: What gives? Klein actually looked better than Suter for most of the game. Yes...I don't feel bad if you have to re-read that sentence again.

Mitch Korn: What? No tape on Howard? C'mon! I'll admit - he is very good.

Arnott's Return and Injuries In General: When and how much does it matter? I recall twice this season where the team won more games while the Capt'n was out. Sadly, the lack of Arnie and Wardo has actually hindered progress. Bring Denny back soon!

Red Wings Fans: Are they still "the worst"? Once they stop chanting, they've got great things to say about Nashville as a city and how it's taken to the sport of hockey - the ones I overheard tonight, anyway. Blues fans (my friend Edwin aside)...can wither away and DUI.

Rinne / Howard: Who played better? I'm going with Rinne cos the team left him out to dry on a few occasions - something Detroit doesn't do that often.

Urgency: Where in god's name did it go? Too many times, too often, did a Pred get the puck and either toss it away to a Red Wing, pass it away to someone who wasn't there, or stop it completely and move it back instead of forward. Even my favorite of the year, Marcel Goc, was guilty of sitting with it for a few seconds while the period wound down instead of moving it forward while the Red Wings were on a change.

Next Saturday: Revenge by playing it like you meant it twice.

Cheers.

Legwand Anvil Company Drops One On The Coyotes: Preds Win 4-3 In Shoot-Out

2010-03-25T22:03:00.001-05:00

Readership,

It should've ended 4-3 in regulation, but alas, Hornqvist was questionably called for off-sides as Goc scored on Bryzgalov - something that apparently hasn't been happening often. That, and Goc's assists and set-ups of the evening have me wondering how much Poile is going to re-sign him for - he fits in the system, nice and snug. Again, #9 & #27 - sign them now for a number of years.

It didn't end though. That's not how the Coyotes play hockey. They play overtime hockey and they won't let other teams forget it. They play shoot-out hockey and they won't let other teams forget it.

Thankfully, David Legwand forgot it for them.

32 games since Leggy had scored a goal and he couldn't have picked a better time to shatter that burdensome record. Congrats, Leggy! Now...let's work on keeping droughts like that from happening in the future.

Once again, it wasn't a full 60 minutes of gameplay - more like 47, but our boys are getting closer. A more balanced and consistent effort will have the Predators plowing through the rest of the season and whatever team happens to be standing in their way come playoff season. Anything less would be uncivilized (not to mention a damn shame).

I was unable to attend tonight's game in order to get work off for the last Red Wings home game of the season, though honestly, every game is playoff hockey at this point - it's hard to miss any of it - even if it's not Preds hockey! How's about how Columbus handed Chicago their buttocks, piece by piece earlier tonight? That's somethin'! It's been getting more and more exciting as the finish line is in the distance, and it's always interesting to watch how teams that have nothing to lose (or win in this case) play against teams that are in contention with a handful of others.

The hot rumor is that next year our 3rds will become our 1sts and our 2nd will be lighter versions of our 3rds and we'll have no 3rds cos of the new 1sts and 2nds. Fine by me. If you're not going to go "mustard" at all, take it out completely. I like the navy, black and blue-steel color scheme - and for those that think it's too similar to Toronto - I highly doubt anyone will mistake the Preds for Toronto...we win games.

Here's what I feel really contributed to Rinne standing taller than Bryz and how Leggy really won in the shootout:

"So where were the Coy-otes - while the puck tried to break past Bryz,
Just the red light to guide us,
So he ripped it past the pads and we crushed their sweet plans!"

'Til Saturday!

Cheers.

NHL Stars Of The Week Can't Handle The Ones From Dallas: Preds Lose 3-1

2010-03-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

Readership,

Ya know what? I'm glad that the next games are against some of the top teams in the West. Phoenix, LA and the hearty Red Wings are a welcome change to tonight's opponents. And you already know why - cos the teams the Preds are ABOUT to play...are good teams - and we play very well against the GOOD teams. Tonight's play against Dallas - our boys (excluding one or two of them; Wilson and Hornqvist...lookin' in your direction) couldn't have cared less.

There was no hustle - no fire. It's as if they read that they really have to botch it up to not make the playoffs and figured they could sit this one out. Pekka Rinne skated around like he had cement shoes on, being way out of position on many counts - making me realize either how well the D was working earlier on or most likely just pointing out how lousy Dallas really can be. As many shots as we had on goal (namely thanks to Weber, who got the lone goal of the game), you'd think we would be outplaying them, but alas...nope. The Preds had it tied at the end of the 2nd merely in order to walk into their 3rd period breakdown (patent pending; and, most of you may not know this, you can only keep a winning streak alive if you either have a Top 5 marquee player or are owned by the NHL - it's one of those lockout rules in fine print that generally doesn't come up).

The 2nd goal against is one Pekka would like back because it ramped up his pad and up off his glove like Evil Knievel. The 3rd goal had every Predator on the ice with their back turned away from the play, only to turn around after the puck was in the net. The team was playing a second behind Dallas the whole 3rd period...'cept for Wilson and Hornqvist, but the blonde boys couldn't do it all and it was too late by then.

So yes - it stings, but it's not like it wasn't expected. The Stars are the last "Meh" team that we play for the rest of the season (sans the Blues), so that's something we should all be happy about. Playoff hockey is sure to return in 2 days against the Expos...er...Coyotes!

'Til then.

Cheers.

Preds Shut Down "Little Brothers" In OT: 1-0

2010-03-20T21:41:00.003-05:00

Readership,

Before I get to the rather stat-less recap, I gotta ask - what's YOUR reception like on your phone in Bridgestone Arena? My AT&T iPhone was as useful as a scratched player on a hockey team (or in our case, we can just say "Belak"). Couldn't text, call during intermission - nothing - despite seeing full bars and a 3G showing up. If I can barely get reception in parts of my home, at all in my 2nd home (ie. The Bridge), or at work...what the hell is the point? AT&T...YOU SUCK!!!

I never thought I'd actually miss Cingular.

So...in response to the Red Wings grabbing a point with 0.2 seconds in regulation only to lose in a shoot-out against the Oilers, our boys in black & blue went into OT against our divisional "little brothers" as some like to think of the Blue Jackets. Lots of great chances and lots of great saves. The way Sullivan and Goc played together, you'd think there would be a few more notches up there, Erat - the same, but alas...Mason seemed to have returned to his rookie season form.

Come into OT: Erat's a quick lil Czech to be certain, and his quickness got it to Cody Franson who ends up being a near capacity crowd's knight in shining armor.

3 stars (via radio broadcast):

3 - Cody Franson (Really? Not #2?)
2 - Steve Mason (One goal in OT against...fine.)
1 - Pekka Rinne (13th shut out! 3 of them in the past 4 games. Thank you, Rinne!)

This was a close one against a lesser team that played a game last night. Why was it close? That's the question that needs to be asked and overcome tomorrow night against the Blues. There should be 100+ folks in Navy and/or Mustard to root the boys on, so travelers...be loud - make noise! Lord only knows how loud and obnoxious they get in our barn! Man, I hate Blues fans.

Cheers.

Preds Shut Down Wild With Zanon Goals: 5-0

2010-03-19T00:09:00.002-05:00

Readership,

That's right - I wore my Zanon jersey tonight, and that's what the Preds left us with at the end of the 3rd - Zanon goals (Preds Zanon...not Wild Zanon, though that would've been nice as well) and a frosty richer!

Coming off of a day where the Tennessean actually prints a positive article about the Preds being the most point-producing team with the 2nd amount of 30+ point players just behind the Washington Capitols, our boys in blue top off the night with five goals (Wilson, Dumont, Arnott in the 1st; Goc in the 2nd; Hornqvist in the 3rd) and a shut-out thanks to last week's NHL 3rd Star of the Week, Pekka Rinne, who has been quite calm and cool with each and every one of his recent string of wins. Yes, that was one massively uncalled for compound sentence.

I'll say it to the fans and more importantly to those SEC folks that looked a bit lost while crossing the street from the honkytonks in the general direction of hockey: this is a playoff bound team - pay attention.

To the doubters, with tonight's attendance of 16,615, if we keep on with the numbers we've been having over the past few months, we will easily have over 14k average. As of tonight, we topped that magic number the doubters like to use as a de-marketing tool. With numbers like this, hockey won't just stay "until" 2012, it will very much surpass 2012. My heavens - I wonder what the Sports "Authority" thinks of the possibility of the World Cup being held in their team's precious stadium:

"These Nolensville Road types keep cawlin' it futbol! Hey - learn how to speak American! This ain't football! Too many foreigners - not an American sport - denied! I'll use this authority I so wrongly have been given to deny you, World Cup! You think you're bigger than me?"

Yes...yes it does. And so does hockey.

Opponents of sports that are on a sports council are half-wits and cowards and should be stripped of their title and power - simple as that. Yes, we are lucky to have even been given a chance to have a professional hockey team, though we are luckier still to have the youth that are already die-hard fans and players to keep it alive in our great city. Hockey might've been late to our party, but it's still the guest of honor for the rest of the night(s). Hockey is a way of life, no matter what backwoods Southern town or incorporated village a doubter may have hailed from prior to their personal knowledge of the sport. Once a doubter finally realizes that, they no longer have any ground to argue. And once our team hits that playoff ice, perhaps they finally won't want to.

My apologies for the rant, but it's painful to see how little respect is shown not only to Our Team, but to the sport in general - especially by what are supposed to be objective media outlets and government-paid councils.

----------

Lastly, if you could spare your thoughts and/or prayers with Mark Hollingsworth (founder of Cellblock303) and family - his father recently passed on. I don't know him on a personal level, but as a member of 303, a fan of hockey in general, and the fact that he's that guy that's usually always smiling, it just feels right. From everyone at the SPC Haus, our thoughts are with you, Mark.

Cheers.

Preds Send Flyers Back To The City Of Brotherly Refs...er...Love With A Shoot-Out Loss: 4-3

2010-03-17T01:31:00.003-05:00

Readership,

I'll begin with a quick note, I was at work the whole time Sunday's early game against the Kings was going on so I only had our lovely Preds Tweeting Choir to go by. If I had been witness to it, I would've written a blog with a title something along the lines of "Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick, and If He Is Quick Then He Don't Know Jack" or something that nearly resembles a half-ass'd attempt at being clever. But again...I wasn't a witness, so that's my excuse for missing that one.

Tonight, however, I was so there. How fun it was to be back in my 2nd home that I call The Bridge. Quite convenient considered now that we can all park in Lot R for the next while that we actually have to cross a bridge to get to The Bridge. I smell marketing genius at work...though it could just be these tacos I just finished making for a very late dinner. I did not see any green beer in celebration for St. Patty's Day, but those jerseys were killer (making me wonder why the minor leagues get to have all of the fun of themed jerseys more than we do)! How much did you Williamson County fans outbid me on this one?

Once again, the first two periods showed a cool and confident team. Sure, we had to climb the hill at first (Anyone else think "Get Carter" after that first goal?), but after 2 solid periods of play, Sullivan and Erat scored on Leighton and Smithson made it 3-1 after scoring from the first face-off of Bouchard's game (Leighton fell back and injured his ankle on what looked like bad ice throughout the whole game thanks to the SEC-ness from last weekend). So...a similar song and dance - we enter the 3rd up with a two-goal lead, Pekka is on his game like flies on a Philadelphian, Capt'n Arnott gets tripped and falls while the refs don't catch it or don't call it, the crowd reacts, the Flyers score in a swarm at the goal. Momentum swiftly decreases. Another flurry in the Preds' zone, and although Rinne's got it under wraps, Hamhuis decides to handle the goal post like a handicapped bathroom rail in order to dismantle it. The refs didn't like that very much and the crowd didn't like that they didn't call the Flyers on anything, but called Hammer on that...which lead to a Flyers PP goal.

Look at that...it's a tie game.

And look at that...nothing else is called for the rest of the game, and sadly, the Flyers picked up on that waaaay before the Preds did. They're not just dirty cos they're from Philly - they're dirty cos they're the Flyers. Tootoo got a stick to the face. I forgot who looked like he was nearly boarded. This went on through the OT period. Intensity was flowing throughout a near sell-out crowd, complete with various high school hockey teams throughout the state, newbies sitting behind me wondering what Tootoo's first name was and what happened if "no body won the shoot-out" and old favorites like the lady with the voice that sounds like she's choking on a dying cat that thinks it can survive if it scratches a chalkboard repeatedly (and with vigor; always a blast).

Hopes were met when Erat was able to make it past the Flyers' 2nd back-up goalie while none of the skating pumpkins could put one past our 6'5" Finnotype.

It was a good game, then a stressful game, then an exciting game, then a damn fine game. The officiating was awful, but in the end, that's just another bump the team has to overcome, especially on this final stretch to get to the latter half of April. To that, I say this:

Keep winning in front of the tried and the true,
Keep winning in front of the young or the new,
Keep winning them at home where you know we are loud,
Keep winning on the road and you'll shut up their crowd,
Keep winning any way and every way that you can,
Keep winning with dirty goals as long as you win,
Keep winning and you will win over the doubters,
Keep winning and force local media to focus,
Keep winning cos the playoffs are just up ahead,
And whatever happens will happen, you are Ours - you're the Preds.

(yes, I just wrote that - first poem I've written since the 10th grade - who says hockey doesn't bring out the sensitive side?)

Hockeytown South, folks - you SEC kats need to re-visit Nashville for a hockey game and we'll soon know your faces and names. See ya Thursday.

Cheers.

Birthday Present In Anaheim: Preds Outfloat Ducks 1-0

2010-03-13T01:36:00.000-06:00

Readership,

If I let myself continue typing without editing the first word would have come out as "Readquiot>". Yep - my birthday celebration is over, though the liquor is still flowing. That being said...it's going to be a short post tonight.

Weber...thanks for my present. I liked it very much (see MST3K for full reference of phrasing).

SPC Steph, SPC Stache and I went out to Whiskey Kitchen for a late lunch/early dinner - ran into my sister in from NYC by complete accident - headed out to see Alice in IMAX 3D (it's good - but not $15 IMAX good) - then bowled while the server turned the game on for us. Came back home to the company of friends, had another drink or so, played Mass Effect until I began to cuss (cos there are so many spots where you wonder if you played the game wrong and should've leveled up somewhere else - geek sheik - piss off) and that's where I am at the moment.

Tomorrow will include a full hair coat of the dog with more friends for post-birthday celebrations then lazing about the haus all day. A gift unto itself, I believe.

Preds...Sunday you'll meet back up with the Kings. Do to them what you did last time and I shall be content with a 3-1 road showing. 50-50 is NOT playoff showing...just so you know.

Cheers (seriously...CHEERS! Last call, etc)!

Preds Forget That Games Are 60 Minutes - Allow 6 Goals In The 3rd: 8-5 Sharks

2010-03-12T00:14:00.004-06:00

Readership,

It seemed that the Preds would let me open up an early birthday present, leading in the beginning of the 3rd 4-2. Oh what a period I and any Predators fan would be in store for.

I don't have all of the stats in front of me at the moment, and to be honest, I'll admit, I'm going to be lazy cos everyone else (NHL, TSN, OnTheForecheck, PredsOnTheGlass, etc.) will have the same stats tomorrow, if not tonight. The gist of it is this: our boys dropped trou, gave San Jose a Sharpie and fell into a coma. It was tied up easy. Actually, they got one-up on us easy. Then it became a game again...for a moment. The Preds realized, "Oh - I might have a falic symbol on my face, I might need to wake up!" to tie it up at 5...then got cozy again while the Sharks tagged their face 3 more times with random vulgarities. It seemed like the team was going to wake up when it rolled over and replaced Mr. "3rd Period Swiss Cheese" himself, Dan Ellis, for Mr. "I Know I Am A Lil Bit Taller, Perhaps I Am A Baller, Or Perhaps I've Just Got A Sweet Contract Irregardless", Pekka Rinne...who let one goal by him...then an empty netter. Pictures taken...sent out in a mass e-mail...complete failure and embarrassment complete.

I'm 28 now, just as the game came to its disappointing end. Don't fail us, the ones that forgive you for falling asleep in a room of frat boys with Sharpies, in Anaheim...home of the 13th in the West. We are better then them. Hopefully you'll play the full game knowing that we're better than that.

Happy birthday to me.

Cheers.

Preds Squeeze By Thrashers 2-1

2010-03-09T23:39:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I'll believe it after this road trip.

The latest plague of later-season injuries makes me wince just typing this sentence out (possibly due to the fact that anything resulting in testicular surgery is enough to make any man wince when doing...well...anything).

Our boys beat the Thrashers by one goal. So...they beat the 10th in the East by one goal...which is like beating the 13th in the West by one goal...which is good, cos we're playing them (the Ducks) on my birthday and I require a birthday win as a gift despite the fact none of them know me. I'd rather them beat the Sharks as an early birthday win, and though I could come off as a spoiled no-good-nik, I'd very much like to ask for them to win the whole dang road trip...just for my birthday (and all of yours as well). The question is...will they?

Suter and Wilson showed up big in tonight's game, as did Erat. Dan Ellis did the rest to make sure the team kept the lead. "It's like playoff hockey," stated Wilson, and Ellis knows how to handle this team in these types of games (I admit, he didn't look himself against the Red Wings at all, but the Preds didn't look like themselves against the Red Wings at all). What will they do against tougher foes without key D? Sulzer and Franson must step up and prove that they're Predators. Hamhuis has been looking better as of late, Suter has been using that post-Olympic play to the best of his ability, Bouillon has been making his presence known to the other teams and Klein...got one of only two penalties against...and that's...that's something.

If they can keep tightening the D's chemistry, allowing each player to work their game while staying true to the system (it doesn't have to be an oxymoron) and keep working on making the once dismal PP better and better with each game (and it seems to have been making its way towards that as of late), this road trip will happily show us where the team will be come playoff time and that would be one helluva birthday gift.

I won't open the presents yet though. Well...perhaps I'll open one Thursday.

Cheers.

Canucks Cause Preds To See Big Green Men - Lose 4-2

2010-03-07T17:40:00.001-06:00

Readership,

As far as the Detroit game went, we played like we didn't care. As far as Ellis is concerned, he didn't get the 2 year contract - I feel like he played like he didn't get the 2 year contract. The Red Wings are bouncing back from their bad Canucks loss like a game of jacks by a hyper-active child with OCD. Chicago had their 2nd period against them. We had our 3rd period with Vancouver. Game-changers, game-deflaters, game-losers.

It didn't start out that way. Edler had the first goal, but Arnott (rather, Luongo) struck back, ending the 1st 1-1 with 10 shots each. Wilson set up Tootoo for what seemed to be like the game-changer, knocking his own rebound over the shoulder of Roberto Luongo (that's right you Northern Tootoo haters...#22 beat #1 - regardless of the loss, suck on that for a moment - tastes like ipecac, doesn't it?). The 3rd started with confidence, but a few bad bounces or awful strokes of bad luck shot it all to hell. Hansen got his rebound on Pekka who thought he had it covered...he was wrong. Samuelsson notched one in and one of the Bobbsey...er...Sedin twins (forgot if it was Daniel "Diving Bell" Sedin or Henrik "Butterfly" Sedin) scored the empty-netter.

Detroit inches ever so closer as they're 1 point away in 8th while the Preds begin to lose grasp of the 7th. Thankfully the next week sees plenty of pavement, as the Preds have fared well on the road.

Thanks to those of you that have already taken part in SPC Steph's Otter's Chicken Tenders special - At the Demonbreun Otter's store only, if you bring your Preds ticket or if you wear a Preds jersey before the game, you get a free appetizer. Tell your friends and help make Otter's the pre-game hang out!

See you on the 16th vs the Flyers and possibly around town for the away games. Friday, March 12th against the Ducks, I will be at Dave & Busters for my birthday - smashing pins with a 14 pounder while pounding them back 'til I'm smashed! Perhaps I'll see you there or you'll see me on the news destroying anything with a duck on it in Opry Mills mall (I'm looking at you, Bass Pro Shop).

Cheers!

Not Quick Enough: Preds Overthrow Kings 4-2

2010-03-04T21:53:00.002-06:00

Readership,

Tonight's game was brought to me by my Sportacular iPhone app and 104.5 The Zone during the 3rd, as I ended up having to work. At work, however, I did noticed a fella in a NJ Devils shirt and we talked shortly about my recent trip to The Prudential Center and I noticed another fella with a Panthers jacket so we talked a bit about Vokoun - mentioned college night, etc. It's great to see college-aged hockey transplants in Nashville that can naturally just talk hockey.

The top line gave us reason to believe they're at the top with Dumont and Arnott each notching a goal despite Frolov's early upstaging in the 1st. Goc reminded the folks that were quick to dismiss Team Germany in the Olympics that regardless of whatever team he's on and whatever better team he might be playing against, he is going to score, and Smithson chimed in at the end for the empty-netter, despite LA's attempts at tying it up in the 3rd.

This is the fight we need to continue to see to get to the top of that ever-changing List-O-Eight. Thus far, Poile has done us a solid in not giving up Hamhuis for just picks, picking up a defenseman who is just as good, if not better than Hammer, and we'll see what Boyd can do on the 3rd or 4th tomorrow night.

Boys and girls, I believe we've got ourselves a contender.

Cheers.

PS. Via SPC Steph (who works with the company) if you bring in your Preds game ticket or wear your Preds jersey before the game to the Otter's Chicken Tenders on Demonbreun (only this location at the moment), you get a free appetizer! Did someone say chicken for lunch on Sunday? I think they might have!

Grebeshkov Drills Oilers @ The Bridge - Preds Win 4-3

2010-03-02T22:36:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Welcome back to Nashville Predators hockey!!! Yesterday, we learned we had a new player flying in with the rest of the opposing Edmonton Oilers, Denis Grebeshkov (greh-bezh-kahv - c'mon people). Today, our newest Predator scored himself a Gordie Howe hat-trick - an assist (on Colin Wilson's goal), a goal, and immediately after that goal...a penalty. Welcome to the club, Denis!

Who played well against the worst team in the league? Grebby, obviously, proving that a Russian's loyalty lies with the front of the jersey, despite what they just left behind. Colin Wilson had a great game in nearly every department - goal, good passing, great puck movement, etc. Francis Bouillon looked sharp as a tack being paired with Grebeshkov. Smithson had a rather sharp 3rd period to say the least. Arnott with a goal, nearly two, building walls like he was Amish. Hornqvist with a number of shots on net. Weber with a goal...

Who played meek against the worst team in the league? Oddly enough, Weber was way off play when Suter had to deal with a 3-on-1 that lead to Edmonton's 1st goal. Ward was invisible, and when he had the chance, the energy just wasn't there. Dumont did little to help his case back on the top line. Pekka, re-signed as the Preds starter for the next two years, let a couple softies by (though again, that 3-on-1...couldn't have been handled either way) - lord only knows if Trotz keeps that blasted rotation going or not now. Lastly, Erat, Mr. Spinderella himself, didn't know exactly what to do with the puck whenever he had it, so for that, I call him out. ERAT! EEEERAAAAT!

In the end, however, we won against the worst team in the league, so bully for us, right? Next up - a much better team - the LA Kings on Thursday. I'll try to make it - but will most likely be working. If I don't see any of you kind readers then, I'll see you Sunday at 2PM at The Bridge!

[Below: 1st star of the game, Denis Grebeshkov]

Cheers.

OMG - DEADLINE CIRCUS ROTFLMAO

2010-03-02T01:48:00.003-06:00

Readership,

Sources [the science experiment gone wrong's genius lab mice whom reside in the right side of my brain] have told me what Poile is about to pull: Hamhuis & Grebeshkov to Florida for Vokoun while Dan Ellis takes a Joel Ward-sized pay-cut in order to fill in as a forward since no team in the league currently wants a non-Finnish goalie. Eh? Any takers on this "rumor"? [Below: Rizzo, the anonymous SPC Rumor Specialist]

No?

Dammit.

In all seriousness though - Grebeshkov...okay, I'll bite - he could work. What else ya got, Poile? Hamhuis for Ovechkin? Anymore of those Eklund-sized schtick rumors / ideas that stemmed from a dare on poker night while sopping up Alberta Premium? No? Then what are we getting excited about again (as usual at this time of year)!??!

C'mon folks - just because there is a trade deadline and rumors are flying around, doesn't mean anything will take place...unless...the time spent around Brian Burke knocked some sense into the old bean. I mean...there are more folks saying that our organization will be making moves soon - so does that mean we actually will this time? Hmm...

Time will tell, and then another blog will be posted. Perhaps with more merit than this one. ;D

Cheers.

Sidnerella's Golden Necklace / Team USA Gets Silver; Comes Up Short in OT 3-2

2010-02-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Congrats to Team Canada winning the Gold in the hockey tournaments on their home soil and in front of the world.

Congrats to Team USA for being the underdogs in the beginning and becoming the king of the hill by the end of these 2010 Olympics - I do believe these past handful of games will do more for the game of hockey in the US than this whole 2009-2010 NHL season, and that is precisely why Gary Bettman should shut his yap when it comes to complaining about the 2014 games. It's times like these past few weeks that breed new fans, Gare-Bear - stop fooling yourself.

The only thing that I am unhappy about in today's game of games, isn't exactly about the outcome, but about who fired the shot. I would've been fine with Niedermayer, Iginla, Weber (especially Weber - go Preds!), hell - even if Luogno scored, I would've been fine. But no. It had to be the game's most recent "Golden Child" - Sidney Crosby. I find it a bit convenient and rather cliche, in one of those "early 90's Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan is the end all and be all" moments - the marque name in the NHL scores in OT for Team Canada for the Gold. Recall the first Winter Classic? The OT shootout against...well what do ya know...Ryan Miller and the Sabres. And the fact that the first game back from the break is the Penguins vs. the Sabres. But what happened has happened. Crosby will most likely get a few streets named after him in Nova Scotia or something after this. We in the US will be hearing all about Crosby for another four years easy, and lord only knows how this will boost the arrogance of the typical Canadian hockey fan/blogger/reporter/Don Cherry. To that, I'll just nod, smile and say, "See you in Russia...now give me a Tim Horton's doughnut."

I was unable to join Section 303's blast at Bleachers, but SPC Steph and SPC Stache were able to make the trip, and took the all-too familiar 303 sign that we made in NYC with them. Apparently 100+ RSVP'd and judging by a few pictures and stories from Steph, that seemed about right. Fan-made events like this one are what successful hockey markets are made of, so you know damn well we're doing something right! Myself - I was at work - preparing for dinner on campus - but I was able to take my break in the middle of the 3rd. With two minutes left in the 3rd, I noticed a handful of students began flocking around the TV. Girls talking with one another, "You like hockey?" "Um - yeah - I love hockey!" and "OhmiGawd, I wish I knew how to play hockey," among many other similar quotes had me grinning. The college kids that grew up with the Preds are obviously coming around. There were at least 20-odd students around the TV in the last thirty seconds when Parise scored the goal that took it to OT - an Asian-Canadian sitting next to me cursed loudly and chuckled. It's as if he knew how OT was going to unfold all along. Curse'd goose-faced Sid the Skid.

Now that the gold, silver and bronze railroad-run-over coins have been given out, it's time to get back to the game. Trade-deadline is coming up. Fantasy teams will be up and running in two days. I can't wait! Pekka got his 2 year extension - hopefully he'll live up to it for the rest of the season and then some. I wonder what will become of our Danny Ellis. I'd like to keep him, cos the kids in Milwaukee aren't ready to step up yet - Deks is finally coming into his own in the AHL and Pickard needs another year or so there as well before being considered as an NHL back-up. These Olympic games have certainly had me missing the hell out of Vokoun. You too? Thought as much.

Perhaps a goalie with a significant mustache?

Cheers.

Hockey Is No Joke - It's A Packed-Out Comedy Show

2010-02-23T23:01:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Did you have an extra $15 lying around a week or so ago when word got out of some strange VH1 Storytellers type of night at Zanies was featuring our very own Terry Crisp? Did you have an extra $5 on you yesterday when they announced it was then only $5 to get in on the action to see Crispy, Jim McKenzie, Stu Grimson, Wade Belak and Ralphie May? Well...plenty of us did, and honestly, I'd say it was a good $20 worth if not more for a hockey game length's amount of hilarious hockey stories and jokes.

Knowing how Zanies works, we (myself, SPC Steph and SPC Stache) got there fifteen minutes before the doors opened - and there was already a small line. By 6:30, 30+ people snagged the best seats in the house. By 7:00, 75+ people had been seated.

By the time the guests came out, Team Canada had scored twice (Weber firing one through the net) and Team Germany once (Goc'ya! Go Preds!). Jim McKenzie, Stu Grimson and Wade Belak - all Predator players at one point in their careers, all enforcers in their own rite, sat on stools right in front of us and shared stories with Terry and newly appointed Preds hockey fan / Southern comic cruise ship Ralphie May while watching various clips from their wildest times on the ice and answering questions that came from the audience.

Near the 3rd period, er...latter portion of the evening, the group was joined by none other than Pete Weber to bring even more fun to the event [best moment: Pete using his announcer voice after Ralphie May mentioned being quite high at the game and noticing himself on the megatron - "And Ralphie May is here, stoned as balls." Ralphie responded by hoping they didn't let out the flying tiger and mimicked what a "balls-stoned" Ralphie would do...if being attacked by a giant flying smilodon]. Also, at the end of the night, Pete mentioned that if we enjoyed the evening, let Zanies know through their website and they'll be able to host more events like tonight. With the money going to the Nashville Predators Foundation, there is nothing to lose in shooting the folks at Zanies an email!

The place ended up being packed-out! If anything has impressed me during this Olympic break, it's the events the Preds organization has been a part of putting together for the fans and the fans for even going so far as organizing a few of their own (see the Gold Medal game NHL Tweet-Up at Bleachers as a prime example). Great job everyone - it's almost as if we're not even on a break!

Cheers!

Road To The Stanley Cup Is Less Bumpy With Bridgestone Tires

2010-02-23T17:01:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Music City Center is totally messing with the chances of parking anywhere downtown, but thankfully I had enough crumb and soda-covered change in my car to snag a metered space right next to 501 Broadway for this morning's press conference.

I'm sure all of you were glued to your phones and computers when I tweeted "As of Mar 3rd 501 Broadway will become the Bridgestone Arena", not more than 30 seconds after Pete Weber announced it to the people of the press. And shortly after, they corrected themselves with it being March 2nd, in time for the Edmonton Oilers game.

What? You weren't?? You didn't see my awful twitpic of a picture I took with my iPhone of a picture I took with my camera of a picture on a tv screen? You waited twenty minutes for the official statement and clear graphics? C'mon! And I did my best to act "press-like"! Actually...

I don't consider myself "press" (cos I'm not), and I somehow ended up there in my normal attire (black coat w/ Preds gear underneath - Goc shirt to be more specific, black pants, and crazy tall black boots - which apparently earned me the nickname "Boots" in the ProShop - though this "Boots" actually has some money in his bank account [wicked burn on Del Baggio]) while everyone else was a suit of some sort ('cept JR Lind in his trademarked bow-tie and jeans). I doubt this was for the public, but hey - public was allowed in. One lady decked in Preds gear (obviously un-Press) even had the courage to ask a question that had already been answered. Psh - blew her cover (not that my spiky hair and giant boots did me any justice)!

My effort to hide in the back row was diminished when a fella sat next to me before the conference began. This guy ended up pelting the speakers with negative nancy questions regarding the deal and how the Preds organization hopes to have signage up by March 2nd, despite not having a scheduled meeting with the Metro Sports Authority until the following week. I smell Titanssean, but hey, I could be wrong. Other than the "gotcha" questions (not "Goc'ya!", as I hope to see tonight against Team Canada), the conference went over rather well. The Bridgestone speakers were all very positive and enthusiastic about the deal. The graphics quickly ended up on the Nashville Post, making my 4th generation twitpic obsolete within the hour and I believe I saw free muffins as I walked across to Wild Bill's (delicious chicory coffee). Talked with Derek Perez for a moment about my Prudential Center experience (see previous posts drenched in nothing but compliments) and he mentioned they're planning on representing the GNASH league high schools next season. I stressed that presenting the proof of the growing hockey community to the public is the best way to A.) show appreciation for the growth and B.) show people coming into the arena for the first time that it exists and is here to stay. Also, that Otter's on Demonbreun should be the unofficial hangout for Preds fans before games (as some of you at PredFans' Twitter have wondered).

You going to Zanies tonight? Terry Crisp and friends will be there to tell stories that I'm sure he began to tell on telecasts before Pete Weber elbowed him into blurting out "bubba" instead. Terry Crisp will be accompanied by none other than Ralphie May, which is the "best" pairing I've seen since I saw this year's Bonnaroo announcement of Jay-Z and GWAR. I'll be there...so will SPC Steph...and SPC Stache. The whole SeePuckCity crowd will be at Zanies tonight - so be sure to come out and support the Nashville Predators Foundation, Zanies (the only damn comedy club we've got!) and say "Hi!" to the SPC crowd (note: I'm the one with spiky hair, sideburns and tall boots if you haven't noticed by now).

Bloggers: what's better? Blogger/Blogspot or Wordpress? I'm at a loss. Trying to type the picture-heavy blogs out is a pain in the butt here at Blogger. I originally attempted SPC at Wordpress years ago, but with no knowledge of any code of any sort, I quickly gave up. Last year, however, I noticed how Section303 , AJ and PsychoPuckBunnyDestroyer have skillfully used Wordpress to their favor. It's a possibility I'm leaning towards, though, again, no code know-how no way, no how.

Team Germany is totally going to beat Team Canada tonight (buy me a round if I'm right, tonight, kay?). And we're gonna sign both Rinne AND Ellis next season, only Ellis will be a forward and we'll trade Hamhuis to Florida for Vokie and a 1st-round cos we just love our goalies. Honestly, I wouldn't mind that if it were true. But it isn't.

Cheers!

USA! USA! USA (& Shea)!

2010-02-21T23:29:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Above was the chant that Gnash had the whole room at O'Charley's in Franklin yelling out prior to the beginning of the 2nd period of the epic match up between Team USA and Team Canada, not a medal game, but still one of great importance. It was a chance for America to wake up out of their Ice Dancing-induced comas and see hockey for what it is, and that their own countrymen were the best when playing against the best. With the World Juniors peering in from a few months ago, if Team USA gets the gold...this will be the year America can stand side-by-side with Canada in calling themselves a hockey nation. Well...that case would be made better if games like tonight's were actually on NBC and not one of its sister cable stations, but nonetheless - it's a step in the direction all American hockey fans, especially we die-hards in the small markets, are hoping to see.

Rafalski x2, Langenbrunner, Drury and Kesler made the offensive case for USA. Heatley, Staal and Crosby for Canada. Though I love Brodeur, this was not an "on" night for him. The exact opposite could be said for Ryan Miller, who stole the show, rewrote it, and turned it into an epic trilogy full of dazzling special effects - stopping 42 (the answer to the universe) of 45 shots. Insert "Yo momma" joke here at the Team Canada's expense.

[Below: The Viewing Room]

Steph, our roommate Jamie and myself started the day off by checking out The Athletic Club. We read a few tweets in regards to a small group of folks being there to watch the Russia/Czech game and figured that might be the place to be. Great television set-up aside, we were wrong. One lone woman was there when we arrived at the end of the 2nd period. The scent of chlorine from the Embassy Suites pool and the lobby carpet that stretched into the whole bar just made the atmosphere a bit off-putting. We quickly made our way to where we'd settle down for the rest of the evening: O'Charley's, home to many Predators viewing parties. We just so happened to get there and hour and a half before festivities began.

Half of the employees didn't know about the event, or the game for that matter, and the bar had most of its TVs on a NASCAR race (1 muted TV on the Olympics, 1 on women's basketball). Thankfully, the staff was nice enough to change the loudest TV to the hockey game, which resulted in a handful of younger heads turning (servers and their friends on break) to enjoy the game with us. It's a shame that Russia won (so hoping the Czech team to do well), especially after the collapse against Slovakia, but as they say in Nashville when things take a turn for the worse: "Radulov happens".

At 5:07, we noticed a few folks snagging the first booth in the reserved room, so I raced in to get the next best booth in the house. The gates were open, the people began to make their way in. A giant 107.5 the River truck pulled up (cos when I think of hockey, I think of 107.5 the River) and began setting up a PA system, GNASH and two EquipLinq ("Wit a Que!") dancers showed up, and two mouths with 107.5 customized 3rd jerseys began making sounds with themselves.

[Above: GNASH checks to see if something is wrong with this woman.]

By the time the puck dropped at 6:40, most everyone in the Twitter verse had beached themselves for the next few hours to watch what would end up being a glorious game - including AJ from Pull My (Fang) Finger [Right: J.K.& A.J.].

As usual, Preds trivia took place (Steph and A.J. won gift cards! I should've won a grab bag of Weber-signed goodies, but I didn't raise my hand ;D), Channel 2 popped in with a camera (I tried to make a 3-0-3 sign when the lens was in my direction, but who knows if they'll use any of that), great drink specials were had, and amazing hockey took place for millions of viewers. A good night, indeed!

A few other notes:

Your thoughts on the rumors? Damn Hamhuis to the Bruins? Our old pal Vokie to the dreaded Blackhawks? I think it'd be better for both of them professionally, and I'd love to see Vokoun more often...just not in that sweater...and not against us. Maybe as the new spokesperson for Vanderbilt Medical?

Lastly, I was searching all over the web for a Team Germany jersey - IceJerseys.com sold out, the Team Germany site only has some strange sponsor-covered version of the jersey available for a lot more, so I turned to my online heroine, eBay. Found an auction late one night for an "Official 2010 Winter Olympics Team Germany" jersey for a bit cheaper than IceJerseys ($99 + shipping with MakeAnOffer) from the seller "thejerseyhq". I did end up getting the jersey advertised, but something was wrong - the sleeves were different and nothing like what I remembered seeing on IceJerseys. It was an official Nike Team Germany jersey...only from 2008! I emailed them to tell them of their folly of advertising it as 2010 and they replied of the 60+ sold, I was the only one to make such an accusation and that the other ones I had seen were mere replicas and what I held in my hand was "an authentic hockey jersey for 2010"...regardless of the fact the Nike tag said "RepJer" and was dated 2008 and was a Large, not a Size 52. I sent them those tidbits of info, a link to Amazon.com (which I should've gone to first)'s actual Official 2010 jersey for sale, aaaaaand they still wouldn't acknowledge facts. They said it was a "special edition jersey from 2010" and I'll have to pay a restock fee in order to get a refund. Long story short - DO NOT buy anything "thejerseyhq" on eBay and always look at every picture closely before you buy something online...and don't do it late at night...after a few drinks.

My work schedule has shifted again due to drastic employee changes, so I might not get to join everyone next Sunday for the Gold Medal game at Bleachers. Hopefully I can make it out, but only time will tell. At the moment, I doubt it. Perhaps Steph and Jamie can make it instead. Viewing parties like tonight are what being a hockey fan is all about!

Cheers!

[Below: SPC Steph & GNASH]

303 NYC

2010-02-15T20:50:00.002-06:00

Readership,

What a SO win the other day, eh? Sadly, my sister didn't have Center Ice at her apartment while Steph and I packed out bags to head back to Nashville...and The Blind Pig (the great bar I tweeted about during the Islanders game) had a Rangers game on half of the TVs and the Olympics on the others...so...no dice getting it changed over to the game. All I could do was refresh my Twitter app (EchoFon currently) and marvel at how well Cal O'Reilly is playing his game these past four games.

At the airport, I ran into a handful of Nashvillians that flew up to be a part of this New England trip and almost felt like I was in a club box...until I realized Sommet Center doesn't have the delicious smell of Auntie Anne's Pretzels...which is something they should look into: real food.

The City of New York can be a great place, depending on where you are. I don't feel at all unsafe in Manhattan - it's been vastly cleaned up since the 90's and, though I haven't been past the 100+blocks, the first 99 are fine by me. Brooklyn...they're working on it. Time, money and only having a day or so to hang out with my sister (who lives there), kept us from hitting up the Islanders game in the historic Nassau Coliseum, an arena that "Pred Ed" likens to Municipal Auditorium. No wonder they're going through hell trying to build a new one (I was invited to an event at Municipal a few years ago - not having been since 1996, and man - they need to do something to that place).

[Photo on right: Steph with "303NYC" in MSG].

Madison Square Gardens, or MSG for short, is a classic arena to be sure, but it is incredibly over-rated with a lay-out that would make Jackson Pollock's eyes cross. After traveling up 4 sets of escalators and up one elevator and walking through a few corridors since our tower (C of A,B,C,D) was blocked off, we ended up being at the equivalent of the 200 level back home. If that didn't knock our understanding of physics for a loop, the railing you see in the picture there blocks the view of anyone sitting who isn't taller than 6'3" (basing this on the fact that I'm 5'11" and had to peak my head up a handful of inches to see the ice entirely). This was my 2nd time to MSG, Steph's 1st, and we both agreed: No sir, we don't like it.

Note that the "303NYC" sign could only work if we were in NYC. We knew we'd have to crop it a bit once we got to the Garden State (such an overrated movie) - if we didn't get tossed out for wearing Preds gear to a Devils game, we'd definitely get tossed out for associating Newark with NYC! With that in mind, we walked around for a bit and took a few pictures. We were already in the lower half of what's considered "Midtown", so we figured we'd start from the bottom and work our way to the top. [Pictured left: J.K. holding "303NYC" in front of the famed Hook&Ladder firehouse used in the movie Ghostbusters].

Making our way back up town, we hit up the NHL Store (Powered by Reebok [which is why no Olympic jerseys where to be found]). The last time I had been to the NHL store was in 2007. At that time, they had one home Preds jersey and nothing more. Thankfully, this time they made up for it. Original Six teams aside, the Preds merch was nearly equal to any of the other 23 teams. Preds merch adorned the mannequins in the window, along with one mannequin featuring a Devils shirt (since we were playing them the next day) - more Preds featured in NY than Devils - the enemy of my enemy is a friend indeed! [Right: J.K. with "303NYC" at the NHL Store]

[Left: Steph with newly cropped "303" sign in front of The Prudential Center; Below: Steph holding "303" with Joel Ward...kinda.]

The next day had us shifting all around NY and NJ on the PATH train, a much cleaner, but less obvious subway/train to use vs. the MTA (color coded maps, but no train is color coded - they use Track numbers and Abbreviations not made clear on said color coded maps; strange to a newcomer). Once we had that down, we made our way through the busy Newark-Penn Station and saw The Prudential Center a few blocks in the distance. As stated in the last post, this arena is nothing short of beautiful inside and out. This is exactly what Sommet should strive to be: more local displays (high school hockey teams along the lobby hallways), more locally designed merch, special to the pro-shop, unavailable anywhere else, and most of all...better food.

[Left: The Lil Goalie That Could've...But That's Not Part Of Rotation. Note to Trotz: this man provided us with the WINS.]

Thanks to Twitter, we got word that the "303" sign was featured on TV during the 1st intermission, so for the whole 3rd period, we held up the sign in the face of the Devils' onslaught against us. If you have screenshots of the "303" (one section to the right of our bench on TV), lemme know at seepuckcity(at)gmail(dot)com.

Though the game ended up falling apart, that didn't deter us from having fun. NYC is full of unique stores, amazing restaurants (best falafel: Mamoun's; their hot sauce will kill the weak with flavor!), one helluva park and a never-ending cast of colorful characters. It's a place we both could see ourselves moving to in the next year or so if the circumstances are right. My one gripe...Manhattan isn't really a hockeytown. Preds fans top them easy - too fair weather for my taste. And MSG? It really is bad for you. I'm sure they'd rather watch Ice Dancing on NBC too!

'Til then!

Cheers.

Devils Solid As The Rock; Preds Implode In The 3rd - Lose 5-2.

2010-02-13T00:20:00.003-06:00

Readership,

Just got back off of the PATH train to Manhattan, sent my iPhone pics to my comp for the blog (the better camera pics from the whole trip will be uploaded Sunday night or Monday afternoon - including a handful of 303 pics from around NYC as well as tonight's game at The Rock), and settling down with a tiny bag of Utz.

The Prudential Center is a rather amazing arena to say the least. It's two blocks from the Newark-Penn Station, making it oh-so-accessible, and bright and spacious and rather inviting inside. Every NJ high school hockey team seemed to be represented by their jerseys on the wall of the main lobby, Thomas Edison is currently represented along the walls as Jersey's "first celebrity", so there's good ol' local history being celebrated in the main lobby as well, and lastly...the food!!! Premium Nathan's hot dogs, fries, name-brand burgers, giant super-pretzels (where did those go?? I miss them so!), etc., adorn the eateries. I got a large soda in a souvenir cup for $5.75 and of everything I just mentioned, that was the only thing over $5. That's what I'd like to see in Sommet - more catering to the local community that supports it: the local breweries (Yazoo, Blackstone), local or even regional snack brands (Brim's, Bartlett, TN or Golden Flake, Birmingham, AL) in the eateries, high school jerseys from the GNASH league and hockey jerseys from MTSU and UT and whatever other colleges are attempting to finally include the sport into their program, have more information available regarding local city-league ice and in-line hockey teams, and perhaps even get local artists who happen to be hockey fans to help marketing create new fan-made campaigns. Just sayin' - Prudential gives even award-winning arenas like our barn stiff competition (and blows Madison Sqaure Gardens to bits out-right) - we got free Devils hats to boot. Funny thing is, the crowd was just as empty as MSG on a Wednesday night - looked 2/3rds full at best.

Thanks to StubHub, I was able to score seats that were maybe $20 more than what I had to pay for nosebleeds at MSG through TicketExchange...and ended up on the 2nd row from the ice. Thank you, StubHub (an eBay company - no, they don't pay me to say that, I've just been an eBayer for ten years and they're great)! The game began and continued not unlike the one in Manhattan: our first two goals came from Cal O'Reilly and Jordan Tootoo while our goals against came from defensive breakdowns. The first, strangely enough, came from our two North American Olympians, Weber and Suter. Suter didn't stay with his man and Pekka came out just a bit too far. The 2nd, I can't remember completely - I was too busy answering texts about folks catching SPC's very own Stephanie holding up the 303 sign we made for the trip on TV at the 1st intermission. Once again, we see our boys tied with the opposition with the same score at the top of the 3rd - this time with the opposition with more SOG. Then Kovalchuk shot one from the high slow to begin the "3rd Period Implosion" with his first goal as a New Jersey Devil (which resulted in many of those free hats being tossed onto the ice). Bad and/or questionable penalties taken (Stephane Auger was on the ice, so that's a given these days), and the usual... the D hanging Pekka out to dry.

With Dan Ellis posting cryptic humor on Twitter regarding what could happen before today's pseudo-trade-deadline roster freeze that happened earlier today, and the way the team seems to play better in front of one goalie and not the other, it's difficult to pin-point what went wrong and where to actually point blame. New Jersey is a defensive-minded team, much like the Preds, but it's a team that comes to give its all with each and every game, and to make sure they protect the brother in goal, whoever that may be, but when you have a stand-up class act such as this in net [see picture to the left]...it would make your mother curse your existence if you left him down. How can we resolve our goalie situation once and for all - or at least give our Protectors of the Twine 60 minutes of confidence instead of...well...anything less? This is something I hope Poile and his Shadow Cabinet will discuss during the Olympics break, perhaps talking some of those Canadian olympians to try out some sweet tea and gravy one weekend off, to realize that Nashville is a great place to raise kids or hook-up with country-pop starlets: something for every type of NHL player!

Lastly, the Devils fans were quite loyal, but once again, Preds fans proved to be some of the most die-hard. I ran into Pred Ed, a few locals (Shaun/Shawn/Sean - whose father confessed that he was the only Predator fan from New Jersey, though two others passed by when he was telling us this...and we all got a picture together - which will be up next week), and a few other familiar faces from 501 Broadway whose names I don't personally know, but whose faces I could pick out in a line-up. Even though we had a loss, we all had a great time at The Rock and we held up our 303 sign in the face of adversity. If anyone got screen caps of the game and caught us holding up the sign around our goal area, send us a screenshot to seepuckcity(at)gmail(dot)com to be included in our SPC New York Takeover post.

The main Devil's Den (their pro-shop that they have a handful of around the arena) had some rather amazing items to purchase, and what with my odd feeling of familiarity and even a bit of comradery due to the system we play and the whole possibility that they were close to becoming the Nashville Devils way back when, I picked up a shirt that I'm sure isn't available outside of the arena, a shirt that puts Rangers' fans in their place, a shirt with a style of humor likened to that of those in Section 303...enjoy the following:

Let's hope these leaks are stopped up come Pittsburgh. I'll most likely be watching the game once again at The Blind Pig before heading back home, to Hockeytown South, to Nashville.

Cheers!

A Tale Of Two Islands: Preds 1-0-1 in New York

2010-02-10T22:49:00.002-06:00

Readership,

So ends Day 3 of the SeePuckCity Manhattan Getaway 2010 - perhaps this might begin an annual trip? I guess it depends on the Preds schedule.

We seemed to have brought the snow with us though - it began in Nashville the day we left and began here in the Big Apple in the wee hours of this morning, but this isn't about snow days. It's about the Nashville Predators and how they act and react against easy and/or Eastern conference teams, and with two games after two nights, the team has shown me its Jekyll & Hyde in a span of 24 hours.

The Islanders game wasn't viewed live - I knew we'd be able to make 2 of these 3 games this week and when it came to Islanders or Devils, what with their new star forward, I had to pick the Devils. Also, it's the Islanders, an easy win, right? [insert eye-rolling here]

The Islanders, losing more than their share in a row (7), came out strong, making it an even game before notching one first. The Preds responded as they normally do, scoring 2 within a minute and a half, and as they normally do, they quit playing with fire once ahead. Mirroring the San Jose game, the Islanders caught back up, we'd score a goal to stay ahead...then make the worst move possible in the last minute or so...to allow the opposing team to tie the game aaaaand win. Note, we did take it to OT unlike against San Jose...but again, this is the Islanders!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again: we play crap against crap teams, which is funny because fans of the top teams think we're a crap team, yet we tend to play very well against them. Perhaps the coaches should print out bogus standings to hand out to the team? Regardless, Erat must have felt like a tool after that game (and by tool, I mean Hamhuis) - boarding once again in the last few moments to allow a 6-on-4. *le sigh* You all know how it happened...on to better things.

Tonight was a different story. They went from Long Island to Manhattan, from dry to covered in snow and slush - perhaps the snow brought the game with them? MSG had little to offer, sparse crowd (2/3rds full at best), drunk crowd ("Wettttt's goooo Raaanggguuuurzz!" Repeat x 30), and a crowd that loved to boo their own team if they didn't get the puck out of the zone. The Preds came out and didn't really let up. The goals came from Tootoo (though we, and many others, swore it was Klein) and Colin Wilson (always great to see a Bostonian give it to these New Yorkies) and the only gripe I had with this game, Capt'n Arnott seemed slow as all get out and once again, the discipline seemed to disappear when NYR had a 5-on-3 that earned their only goal of the night. As the least penalized team in the league, I've been having a difficult time believing it as of late. After Wilson's goal, however, we played that disciplined game and had very good chances of our own - the Rangers were hanging Lundqvist out to dry tonight and it obviously showed (especially based on what I heard from Rangers' "fans"). If they take what they did tonight and add just a bit more discipline (I know, I'm overusing the word like a hockey coach would), we have a good chance against New Jersey. The Flyers did beat them tonight, however, so they will be pissed off and looking for an easy win (and that's where our boys step in and show them that the team from Nashville should never be considered a crap team). As for Nashville fans, there were a handful of Preds jerseys in the crowd (at least 2 white aways, one personalized for our top player #27; 3 new thirds; 2 homes and me wearing the old "musthird" jersey) - ran into a pair that sit in 302 and they informed me there were plenty of others that came up to catch these games to boot. I also ran into the friendliest New Yorker / Ranger fan ever - gave us directions to MSG while we were trying to figure it out under Penn Station. Apparently she loves country music, loves hockey, loves when we play the Rangers and wants to move to Nashville cos it feels like home to her, and she's from Brooklyn! It was a breath of fresh air in this cold, stale and often impolite New York climate.

Two more games left on this New England tour: New Jersey and Pittsburgh. Not the easiest teams to beat, but they've been showing weaknesses of their own as of late. Let's try to exploit them before they can exploit ours!

Go Preds!

These photos were from my phone - left my camera cord back in Nashville. There will be some sight-seeing 303 pics up next week!!! Just you wait!!! Here's a hint: Who you gonna call?

Cheers.

Needed A Bigger Boat: Preds Thrown To The Sharks 4-3

2010-02-06T22:52:00.001-06:00

Readership,

What a see-saw doozy of a game. The Sharks and the Preds were neck and neck through the first two periods, beginning the 3rd with the same number of shots on goal and same number of goals.

What brought us to that point? 2 goals notched in by none other than Mr. "Publicly Reported In Trotz's Doghouse" Himself, J.P. Dumont and a lovely break-out performance by Joel Ward. Toss in a handful of fights between Belak and Shelley, thankfully no goals by ex-Predators and some bad PK let downs and you've got yourself a 3-3 in the 3rd hockey game.

What happened to keep us from winning? PK failures? A bit. The waiving off of a few goal chances? Possibly so. Nabokov making dangerous saves when called for? You betcha. The last two minutes tossing around the puck like a hot potato, making our top D look like...Hamhuis and Klein on a bad night? Well...that did happen, but there was tons of miscommunication on the ice when Pekka skated off for the extra attacker. We generally matched up very well against the 2nd best team in the league, but the few mishaps that took place cost us the game.

It was one of those games that shows the strong points as well as the weak points which is a good thing to have before for back out on the road against some of the best in the East. Sadly, the weaknesses were pointed out the clearest.

If you watch carefully during the Rangers game, you might catch a glimpse of two Preds logos in the upper corner deck. If you watch the Devils game, you might catch a glimpse of two Preds logos very near the ice. That's right - SPC is making a trip to NYC this week! There will be plenty of pictures and links to go around this coming weekend! 303 represent!!!

Cheers.

The Snow Melted - So Did the Avalanche: Preds Win 5-3

2010-02-04T22:06:00.002-06:00

Readership,

Now THAT is the game we've been wanting to see! The top line coming alive multiple times and sending a sold-out audience home with Frostys in their pockets (figuratively speaking; that would rather suck if you had a Frosty in your pocket - unless you were wearing your Cooler-pants).

Ward brings his luck to the game as well, making it 19-0 when he tallies a point in a game this season.

As for the Capt'n...a handful of folks gave him a bit too much credit in the form of hats, as two goals ended up being tipped in my Mr. Fantastic himself, Patric Hornqvist.

I didn't get to see it first-hand, as I was at work this evening (though that will soon change next week as I will have my days shifts back soon and I will be at every game from there on out!), but I did hear that Goc had a great defensive-minded game and that even Hamhuis and Klein were, dare I say, clicking? And apparently Jones had some smooth moves that were sadly blocked. He's getting better each week, I think.

This was an important game indeed - hell, any remaining game is an important game indeed at this rate! It's not "panic time" yet, but these games leading up to this last little break in the season will be watched closely to say the least. The Preds will head up New England way next week aaaand Steph and I will be following them! We'll be representing 303 in Madison Square Gardens and now that Kovy has made his way up to New Jersey, I feel if I had to pick between an Islander game and a Devils game, the Devils game has won out! We'll do our damnedest to make it there - and there will be pics...unless one of those Yankee bastards mugs us on the way out for wearing our Preds gear (truth be told, I don't think they'd even understand we were rooting for the other team anyway - I wore my Preds jersey to a Rangers/Ducks game and I overheard a guy asking his friend if I was wearing a Kings jersey...yeh).

See ya Saturday! We might need a bigger boat, but Weber can nail the oxygen tank from the blue line.

Cheers.

[Editor's note: I nearly forgot. While I was driving home, listening to the 1st star of the game (Hornqvist) interview...Patric said something that made me smile and hope the other guys were listening. He said, to paraphrase, "I know I've got to be in front of the net every night." This is the guy who knows where to be, how to be, who won't quit, who will do anything for the emblem on his chest and this is why we will need to pay him Ward-money if not more...especially if he passes that 30 goal mark.]

Coyotes Bring The Snooze To Sommet: Win After 7 OT SO Rounds 1-0

2010-02-02T22:17:00.002-06:00

Readership,

If this is what Phoenix fans get from their home team, no wonder porn-star enhanced game promotions have popped up on craigslist this past week. If I move up to the NYC area, is this kind of game what I should expect from being a Devils fan (cos there's no way in hell I can justify being an Islanders fan and being a Rangers fan requires you to hate your team while wearing their colors)?

This game was a snoozer to say the rest. Hell...the shoot-out is supposed to make the game exciting, but after 10 rounds, I was getting impatient instead of getting into it. Though...really...Weber? Why not Smithson? Or if you really wanted to play a defenseman, Bouillon?

Regardless, the Preds got a point and that's fine by me. What isn't fine is that the Phoenix is still rising in the standings while we linger around 7th. I really hope this isn't the 1st matchup come playoff time. I'm not afraid of losing against them, cos we proved tonight that we can be just as stubborn - I'm afraid of having to pay again to watch more games like tonight's.

Cheers.

Preds Ice Thrashers 4-3

2010-01-30T23:01:00.002-06:00

Readership,

For those of you who braved the weather to get to Sommet tonight, you earned yourself a helluva game!

The pre-game included a corner of Atlanta Kovalchuk, I mean, Thrashers fans, making more noise than the PA down by the ice as Preds fans slowly (and carefully) made their way to the arena. Once the game began, the Bluelanders made their way to the opposite side of the arena, two levels underneath our sacred 303, and continued to challenge the crowd. The crowd didn't disappoint, however, with NHL.com showing the attendance ended up at 16,646 (though there were prolly 3000 or so that didn't make it through the snow). Preds fans are die hard, what else can I say? I'll give credit to the ATL fans and their 4 giant tour buses and marching band mentality - you trudged through the snow too...but it was all for naught.

The Preds jumped to an early lead with Ward notching one 4 minutes into the 1st. Smithson wristshot one from his knees at the midway point of the 1st to make it 2-0. Then Bryan Little decided to step up and be the thorn in the Preds' side for the remainder of the game, scoring on the powerplay. The 2nd saw Martin Erat answer back, but that was all she wrote for the Preds in the 2nd. Turnover after turnover, a minute and a half long 5-on-3 wasted, then Chris Thorburn gets the shorthanded goal. That momentum was kept alive by Little again just a few minutes later to make the 2nd a 3-3 tie. Poor defense and turnovers cost us the 2nd period and nearly the game...so thank Pekka for making the 2nd not as bad as it could've been.

Something happened during that intermission. I wonder if Trotz informed Jason Arnott that he'd chose the new captain next week with a Ouija board, because the first 7 seconds of the 3rd saw Capt'n Arny breakaway and score, marking his 13th of this season. I hope to see THAT captain from here on out, and if I don't, I might bring Trotz a Ouija board, or at least a dart board with all of the players names on it to try out. After that, it was a game of keep away, while trying to take chances every now and again.

"Dogboy" Jones will shoot the puck when he's near the net - that is awesome - give him more minutes. If Klein doesn't turn it over, he will shoot on net because he knows he's not good with the puck thus he gets rid of it as soon as possible. Franson will shoot the puck or try to make a smart pass (though half the time, his target isn't paying attention). I don't even need to explain what Hornqvist does cos you already know he does what is called of him. Sullivan needs to learn to shoot. Cal O'Reilly needs to learn how to shoot. Both had chances to bury it and both hesitated or threw it away in attempts to pass it for someone else to shoot.

But hey - the boys played another hard game well (the 2nd of a back-to-back) and this time came out on top. This game wasn't plagued with penalties (unlike Detroit), though the few called on Arny in the 3rd were rather bogus - the PK finally woke up in the 3rd, so hopefully they'll stay awake - and Pekka made amazing saves when the D broke down. Whatever - keep on keeping on and keep yourselves in that Top 8!

As far as those Thrashers fans go...Preds goals might be dirty, but at least our city is cleaner!

Cheers.

When It Snows, It Fails: Red Wings Defeat Preds 4-2

2010-01-29T21:12:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Haven't posted in two games. The last game would've been the same ol', same ol' from this end: play a full game, blah blah blah. This game against Detroit, however...we could've won. We just didn't.

Detroit, coming off a recent losing streak and playing against the only divisional rival in the way of their playoff spot, came to play. Jimmy Howard has been hot and our boys just didn't know what to do. With all 48 shots on this fella, I nicknamed him (in anger, mind you) "Howard the #uck".

Where was "Snow Storm" tonight? Well, the snow storm was going on at home instead of on the road, and the rest of the blame could possibly be due to CONTINUING TO PAIR "HAMLOOSE" AND "DE-KLEIN" TOGETHER!!! Trotz...stop. Really. You're changing up rules you used to follow, so for the love of the hockey gods, quit trusting ANY of your instincts and separate those two now. No, really, NOW.

I'm on a nickname streak tonight, don'tcha think? How's about "Cody FransomebodyhelpmeIcan'tdoitalone"? Or "Patric HornsomebodyhelpmeIcan'tdoitalone"? Or even "Francis BouillatthisrateyoumightaswellcallMEcaptain"?

5 games lost, gone; points ka-put. What do you think is going to happen tomorrow against Atlanta? That is, if you go. It's snowing. People here can't breathe properly if stuff falls from the sky.

Cheers.

Preds Receive A Jobbing(.com) From The Coyotes: Lose 4-2

2010-01-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I was at work during the 1st and the Nil-Nil score made me think we were playing at the same pace...until I found out we outshot them 14-4 (or something similar) once I got to the car stereo. I got home to listen (cos the video feed on justin.tv kept glitching) to the 2nd and the usual suspects (Horny and Erat) took us up to 2-1 by the end of the 2nd. As we've done in the past, once we get ahead, we lose steam...and ex-Pred Scottie Upshall used his magic (hair) to earn himself a hat-trick, keeping us down 4-2 for the rest of the game.

Shit.

I normally don't curse here at SPC, but to lose so much steam in the most important part of the game...that's infuriating. Tomorrow, however, we face Colorado - yet another foe in the playoff race. We can't let up. We can't only partly show up. This is a team game and the whole team should show up and play until they can play no more. Yes, this was our first of our series against Phoenix, but that's no excuse. We should not have let this 3rd period play take place - especially when I deleted Upshall from my fantasy team once he was day-to-day not too long ago. That bastard!

Go Preds!

Cheers.

Phil Of The Future Past: Kessel Finally Helps Maple Leafs Out Over Preds 4-3

2010-01-18T22:36:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Well would ya look at that? Maybe it was Kessel's dream to boot-scoot at the Wild Horse once Poile made the move to bring him to Nashville...and he didn't pull that trigger...and tonight was payback. Or maybe we didn't play a full 60-minute game against one of the worst teams in the league and we lost fair and square. The "hot" Canadian teams, piece of cake [editor's note: due to hosting a multi-birthday party last Friday, I didn't get to fully pay attention or blog about the Calgary game - I'll I'm saying is...give Ellis the respect he deserves for shutting them out and keep on saving up for your customized Hornqvist jersey] - we'll bring it, but the Toronto "Make Beliefs" (as my co-worker called them today when a fella walked by in that distinct blue jersey)? It's like "Casey At Bat" with our boys sometimes, and tonight was one of those times.

I know it's only fair to hang Pekka out to dry like our D did to Ellis last year, but now's not the time or the place (save it for the off-season, Klein, Hammer - those "-3"s don't look too good on your daily report cards, fellas). Franson, on the other hand, had a goal and an assist, so once again the newbies are handling their own rather well. Dogboy (Jones) notched another one and Goc earned his double-digit in goals for the year - players that are "doing it right" and do as much as they can with the minutes they get.

Not that you can really fault him, but isn't it strange that whenever Capt'n Arny comes back from an injury, we generally lose that first game back? Thursday is an important road game against a team who wasn't even easy to beat when they were awful, the Phoenix Coyotes - let's hope we can at least keep getting those road wins instead of doing our best Blues impersonation at our own barn.

Cheers.

Road Rage Part II: Burning Oil(ers) - Winning 5-3

2010-01-12T22:39:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Weber then Goc in less than 30 seconds? Yes please! Can we have some more?

JP Dumont waking up and realizing he's not only good for assists, but for scoring, notched one on the board - nearly two if it weren't for the fact he hit it in a bit too high.

Hornqvist continuing on his mission to make us forget about the typical "top line" and love him instead scored a goal (another tip of the hat to Goc for an assist on that goal and vice versa).

"Dogboy", Ryan Jones, tipping another feed from Dumont to complete that night of scoring - yes please! More more more!!!

The 2nd game in Canada, the 2nd of a back-to-back - this time with only one penalty late in the 3rd (as opposed to last night's debacle) and we came out strong, firing all cylinders, and scorching the Oilers - making them seem lifeless in contrast. Good. We've been doing road games well this season. Let's keep up the great work, let's keep chasing the No.1 goalies out of the net, and let's keep scoring from every angle and position.

That's Preds hockey after all.

Cheers.

Dealing With Road Rage: Preds Take It Out On Canucks 3-2

2010-01-12T00:17:00.000-06:00

Readership,

What a game, what a game!

It's raced right out from the get-go with the Preds scoring in the first few minutes shorthanded thanks tow Ward, then Burrows followed. Jones (or as we call him around here at SPC, "Dogboy" - see last year's Pedigree calendar picture...and be thoroughly freaked out) scored the second, though due to some odd calls tonight, on a PowerPlay, Burrows followed. More calls on both sides, calling everything, I'm sure the refs even called St. Paul (bad pun a brewin'), and Shea Weber scored the 3rd and final goal the Preds would need to stay ahead.

We played from the get go, 1st period - that's what we've been missing for awhile. We've got Ward back, giving us that first goal, and as the stats will show, we're now 17-0 when he tallies a point. Hornqvist had more help than usual in the down and dirty areas where he normally excels. Ellis didn't allow the rebounds he normally gets called out for allowing (though, in his defense, it's normally cos the defense isn't doing their job). And the determination to get the puck back to Weber as quick as possible regardless of how many attempts it takes...always a plus...as long as our boys stay out of the way. Good show, fellas!

Now the negatives, though I'm sure you all know what I'm about to say...if you frequent this site...which, if you do frequent this site, post a comment (they are always more than welcome!): SEPARATE HAMHUIS AND KLEIN! Hammer might as well be inflatable clown mallet when he's paired with that beady-eyed excuse for a defensemen. The first goal, Hammer's fault. And most bad passes and turnovers can just be pointed in #8's direction, cos if he wasn't actually at fault, he will be in the next game - trust me.

Other than that, I can't say much else. I went back to work today, but thankfully these late Canadian games come on right as I get out...so...yay.

'Til tomorrow.

Cheers.

Duck...Duck...Lose!: Ducks Fly Over Preds 3-2

2010-01-09T23:43:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Another Saturday sell-out at the Sommet! 17,113 in attendance, braving a chilly 18 degree climate and even colder wind chill. The folks came out in droves despite the temperature, and sadly, we were the only ones that seemed to have the "get-up and go" while our boys down on the ice...did not. Well...there are a few obvious exceptions.

By now, you know that I, like any coach or book of hockey cliches, stress the importance of playing a full 60-minute game. I keep saying it, the play-by-play guys keep saying, I'm damn sure the coaching staff keeps saying it, but apparently it's easier said than done. Neither team did much in the 1st period with those lovely single-digit shot counts on both sides. The Ducks came alive in the 2nd, leaving us down 3-0. As what is becoming the usual in our games, especially our losses, the only boy who came to play was Patric Hornqvist, putting us on the board 3-1. Then the fella that also had a point/goal streak until he was injured, returned to the game - yes, Erat was back to his old tricks making the game within reach with 3 minutes left. With 6-on-5 and a minute and a half left, we sadly couldn't tie it up, thus the Ducks got revenge on the Predators for last Saturday's game.

What went wrong, aside from the general "not playing a full 60"? Well...there was immense trouble trying to get the puck past the neutral zone, too much time spent lollygagging in front of Rinne with little to no help, and too much time spent looking for a pass instead of looking for a shot when we did make it into the Ducks' zone. Hamhuis and Klein NEED TO BE SPLIT UP. They began sucking as a team since the beginning of the season and when Trotz initially split them up, it was good. Was it Hamhuis and Franson, Klein and Bouillon for awhile there? That worked...then Trotz put them back together. No...no...no.

No.

No, really. No.

On top of that, there were a handful of turn-overs (natch) and with more and more Admirals testing the Nashville waters out (during a time when most of the water is currently frozen in pipes), the lack of chemistry - that whole "getting to know you" period - is showing.

Road trips seem to smooth these things out, so hopefully Ward will recover quick, Arnott recovers from whatever injury he's sustaining (perhaps a bruised ego? a swollen pride gland?), Toots and Smithers tandem back in before the Father/Son trip to give the team their "random goals from all places" spark they do oh-so kind of well.

Congrats again to the fans and complete strangers who came to some of their first hockey games tonight. We hope you enjoyed it, and also realize there are 82 games a season and if you witness a loss, that doesn't mean the team sucks (unlike in football). It means you should come out and witness a win, feel the energy in the building, and keep coming back for more.

Cheers.

Blizzard Beats Hurricane: Preds Freeze Carolina 4-2

2010-01-07T23:59:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Are you curled up in your warmest blanket yet? Sipping hot cocoa or warm milk to get to sleep in this tundra-esque weather that reminds you that it finally is winter? Me too - only with a nightcap to warm my soul...and take care of the coffee I drank earlier this afternoon. Well, one thing is for sure, whatever you're doing in the cold, you can sleep soundly knowing our boys in blue gave us a win tonight - and that's enough to warm any Preds fan up in any weather.

My favorite boy this season, Patric Hornqvist, is the perfect example of what a Predator player should be: gritty, determined and a team player. The guy scores two goals tonight and gives us an assist, sticks up for players hit, takes the guff from the other team after trying to plow the puck through the goalie and keeps playing through the whole game. There are others that do most of this, but alas, they're injured at the moment (sans Goc, but you already know these two are my favored pair this season...for all of these reasons and their accompanying results).

As for the "big guns", JP put the first goal on the board to tie up the game and had a perfect chance for another goal, but he's had a habit this season, at least in the past month or two, of blowing his chances by trying to do what he knows he does better...assisting. He needs to get that shooting confidence back. Sully picked up a beautiful goal while kneeling before being boarded into the glass, falling to the ice in pain with little movement. One Twitter post tonight mentioned it was a shoulder injury and after being X-ray'd, he seemed in better spirits - I hope that information is correct and that Sully recovers with ease. Arnott needs to step his game up and take back that scoring position we all know he's capable of...though I am curious...once his contract is up in 2011 (or is it 2012?), do we re-sign him if he keeps going down this inconsistent path of little production (say, if by the end of the season he only has 20 goals and next season looks similar)? If not, who could captain the team or fill in that Center spot on the 1st? We'll see how he comes out of the Olympic break. I think we all never thought, especially at the beginning of this season, we'd all be desperate to see Erat back on the ice. Myself, I don't know how Miroslav Satan stayed a free agent so long this season - good on the Bruins for picking up some possible offense since they are also a team in need of goals this season. Half a season for $700k - not bad at all.

What do you think bothered Pekka so much this evening? The boy seemed way off his game, allowing rebounds not unlike the ones Dan Ellis-haters like to over-exaggerate about. There were too many close calls tonight where Rinne would seemingly be reacting with a 1-to-2 second delay against the rest of reality, and, as one fella in Section 303 put it, if it weren't for the fact that we were playing Carolina, the game would have been a lot worse. Tuesday night during warm-ups, Pekka was gloving down shots with speed and grace, while Ellis was kicking the pucks away. We need our goalie to stop the puck and play it with finesse - Pekka gloves them better when he's "on", but tonight was not that night. Tonight, seems like Nittymaki called him right before the game and gave him a raspberry over the phone. That's not the goalie we need in net (though neither is a goalie that doesn't stop the play with heavy traffic around) - but again, we were playing Carolina.

We won...though based on some of tonight's performances, it could've gone either way. That's not the team Nashville truly is. We've seen that strength, we know it is there. It's just up to the whole team to put in everything they've got for the whole game. Hornqvist did it tonight. Sully did it tonight. I'm not saying they need to put their lives on the line (though the argument can be made since they play such a dangerous sport, it already is), but I am saying they don't need to be second-guessing chances they're being given (whether that be a puck on the end of your stick with a great shot on net oooooor another chance to prove you can be the starting goaltender) or not giving 100% just because it feels like an "off" night. You're in the NHL - you don't get "fat days".

14,910 in attendance on this icy Thursday evening (we had the pleasure of giving away our extra tickets to bring four friends along with us), even with the final (finally) college bowl game going on on television. Let's keep proving why we're the best damn fans in the league, making up the majority of ticket sales vs. every other market where the corporations make up the majority of ticket sales. We are the tried and true, especially those that came out tonight in the 20-odd degree weather (dealing with, not only the dangers of ice on the road, but the reactions of the typical Southern drivers in said conditions - that takes balls) .

The Ducks are flying back South for revenge this Saturday. Let's take care of the fowl.

Cheers.

Burnt / Gold

2010-01-05T22:00:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I don't need to say it again, but I will. 60 minutes.

The important story, however, is...

CANADA DID NOT WIN THE WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

TEAM USA DID!!!

This is going to be an interesting Olympics to be certain, and I don't have much more else to say tonight - there will be many who will. I know, a slow night for these bloggin' fingers.

Now...where can I get one of those championship hats?

Cheers.

Lame Ducks Fall To Preds 3-1; Not Really Hiller's Fault

2010-01-02T23:22:00.000-06:00

Readership,

That's the kind of result we Preds fans like for the new year, 2010: wins.

AJ, from Pull My Fang Finger, wrote a 3-part opus regarding what the team has become (quite good, actually) and what it needs to do to continue their march in turning Nashville into a "hockey town" in the eyes of everyone outside of the southeast - and that's winning. And win we did, though not easily.

Hiller, as a member of Section 303, I didn't really mean that it was your fault. If it weren't for you doing your job (you bastard!), the first two periods would've shown a different score on the board (I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 4-1). We came at you with everything (including a few kitchen sinks), and we just couldn't get it past you. Kudos, Hiller! You saved your team from further embarrassment for 2 periods of play. The last period was ours, however, in the "Benny Hill Dept. of Production" - we wasted an opportune powerplay, didn't even dump and chase (more like "drop and skate from"), and acted as if we were up 4-1 in the last few minutes in terms of energy (I'm looking at you, Belak, and your dinky-ass "checking". Listen to something heavier than Metallica and it will do you wonders - try Absu for a change...or if that's too fast for you, earlier Isis...perhaps old Ministry...or, from Vancouver, Front Line Assembly).

But even with a 6-on-4 in favor of the Ducks with 8 seconds left, it was too late for a comeback. Legwand cemented the 3-1 win with no time left on the board (awarded at 20:00 in the 3rd) and the first (hopefully of many) win of the year was won - thanks to Weber's many attempts from the blue-line and Arnott's multitude of set-ups and Leggy's keen sense of timing. That's not to say that the young'uns haven't been kicking ass and chewing bubblegum - it's their fire in the first half of this season (and in Legwand's case, I'm including his newborn son in the group) that warmed up the vets, melting off their shackles of ancient apathy, reminding them why they play the game in the first place - the fire...and the win.

Speaking of fire, we've got the Flames coming up next (then Carolina...which we can't assume we will win...cos we've done THAT too many times, then Anaheim looking for revenge for tonight). We've got the injuries filled with that youthful fire doing a good job finding the team chemistry - we just need to.......dammit......it's turning into a coaching cliche here at SPC - I was about to say what I've said countless times...play a full 60-minute game. Tonight we played 40...perhaps 45. Our PK was successful tonight, which is saying something, but the 3rd period was sloppier than an interview with Sean Avery. Let's hope Trotz has forced a New Year's resolution on the boys to never "assume" they've got the win in the bag. Let's.

Cheers.

Welcome to 2010 / Beautiful Beantown

2010-01-01T16:25:00.001-06:00

Readership,

I know I said I'd have a New Year's Eve post up before the Preds game, but cooking got the best of me and I found myself doing that from 3-7, making various salsas and a huge spread of what ended up being Soul/Mexican. Last night was also the last time an East Nashville culinary staple, Dee's Q, would be open to the public. As of last night, Dee's Q is no more (so I picked up a few pounds for the freezer and then some).

While cooking, I was able to tune in to the Preds/Blue Jackets game, but couldn't hear very well over the stove fan or the food processor, but I did hear the end result and that's exactly how I wanted my 2009 to end - with 2 points (thank you, Thuresson and thank you, Legwand [and thank you, Ward for creating the chances])!!!

That being said...it's now 2010.

And what a game!!! The 3rd Annual Winter Classic turned out the way I (and I expect most Bruins fans) wanted: a close game filled with close calls, acrobatics, fights, and in one goalie's case, redemption (Thomas seemed to let his temper get the best of him when the puck found him out of position...but that last couple of minutes in the 3rd showed why he is on Team USA - with our one and only, Ryan Suter)...and of course, a hometown win. ;D I lived in Boston for six months while entering college, but realized I missed too much Nashville-way and moved back down. The city is beautiful, the people were actually rather nice (to "that Southern boy", despite my lack of any accent), great history and architecture, great public transportation, great pubs - it's a city I'd like to check into again sometime. And why would I root for a team that lured a handful of our former boys away? Oh...and I visited Philly before moving to Boston, and Philly is an incredibly dirty city, especially in comparison to Beantown. Call is bias if you want. Go Bruins.

More fun photos will be had of Steph and myself in our new hockey gear we got one another for Xmas, and of course more of Falkous the Hockey Dog (who really should win that Pedigree contest, don't you think?).
I've got off work until the 11th, so I'll be in Section 303 for all of the upcoming home games and I might even make it up to Cincinnati to catch a Cyclones game - been wanting to do that for awhile!

Oh, to the ladies that want Women's Style 3rds - they're apparently on their way. Steph had mentioned the topic to a certain person near the top of the marketing ladder and he informed her that they should have come in when the regular ones came in last month, but something happened at RBK that delayed the shipping. Me thinks it was "creative marketing": everyone buys the regular 3rds for gifts and once everyone has the regular version...the Women's version is finally released upon the unsuspecting wallets.

Cheers - now gimme my hoverboard!

Preds Hang On Against the St. (Black and) Blues 4-3

2009-12-29T22:06:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Another 3rd period cliff-hanger and more injuries! The Blues decided to re-enact their favorite scenes from Slap-Shot throughout the game tonight, being more physical than usual: taking Kevin Klein out in the first 30 seconds of his shift with an upper-body injury, taking Erat out with a lower-body injury (looked like knee-on-knee), while slashing open JP Dumont's nose with a stick, crossing-checking Hornqvist in the back of the head to the ground and hitting Jones with another knee-on-knee - thankfully the latter 3 weren't serious.

11 forwards, 5 defensemen - I'm thinking Sulzer will be back up soon. Pack light from now on, Sulz, and earn those flyer miles! The boys were tired by the 3rd and it showed - up 4-1 in the first five minutes of the 3rd to hanging on 4-3 with five minutes to go. Tired from the injuries, tired from having to balance the lines what with 4 players injured total by the end of the 1st period. Thanks to Rinne's gameplay and some great D, we came out of St. Louis with a win.

Goc and Hornqvist continue to be this season's break-out goal-scoring forwards (a la Ward last season - also scoring a goal tonight) while Dumont bounced back, the stick to the face bringing out revenge in the form of fancy handy work to get the game-winning goal.

It seems once the Preds began to win and climb that ladder, our competition has taken notice that when we play as a team, we are dangerous. We don't have just one person they can take out...so they're looking to take all of our players out of commission, one by one, and that's frightening.

The next game is Columbus, New Year's Eve, so don't wait up for a post. The New Year's post will be up before the game. I'll be cooking up a storm and having folks over for the evening festivities and lots of booze will be had. How about you?

Thus far - no hockey gear was received for Xmas, or you don't wanna brag to your friends via SPC. That's fine....let's boast about beating Chris Mason tonight instead!

MAAAASSSSSOOOOOOON!
MAAAASSSSSOOOOOOON!
MAAAASSSSSOOOOOOON!

YOU SUCK!!!
(It's all your fault! x 4)

Cheers!

Chica-go-puck-yourself: Preds Lose 4-5

2009-12-27T20:33:00.003-06:00

Readership,

Don't know what to say about this one. 2-1 into the 3rd thanks to one of the pleasant surprises this season, Marcel Goc, and another from Erat. The 3rd period brought too many penalties, too many times - though once again, many of them questionable...well...the ones against us seem to be. Is this another season where the hot Original Six team is favored, even subconsciously, by the officials? Based on last night's lack of off-side calls against and a hand-full of calls tonight, I wouldn't doubt it.

Chicago is the new Detroit.

Madden strikes lightning twice, then Hamuis and Franson (where was HE last night? Oh...scratched!) tie it back up, only to see the damn-namic duo, Toews and Kane light it up with less than a minute left, ending the season series.

I mean, I know that refs are people too, but with the silliness we've seen this weekend, with Smithson's 5-minute misconduct earlier this season that they later apologized for after the game was said and done, and hell, even with that Red Wings goal snafu (they're not even safe nowadays; they're..."old hat")...these folks better get their act together, wake the hell up and review every angle if something is questionable, or we might as well just accept the league is becoming the new NBA (ie. bought and paid for - hook[er'd], line [sman] and s[t]inker).

Sent in pics of your hockey-oriented gifts yet? seepuckcity@gmail.com and it'll be posted here at SeePuckCity for our New Year's Eve post!

'Til Tuesday!

Cheers.

"Predator Down" Doesn't Have Same Ring As "Blackhawk Down", But Chicago Still Wins 4-1

2009-12-26T22:40:00.002-06:00

Readership,

The good news: tonight was the first sell-out w/ 17,113 in attendance. We need more nights like tonight, nights with the lobby being a pain in the butt to walk through due to numerous "excuses me"s and "get outta my way, ya friggin' 'Hawks fan"s. Perhaps the fact that San Diego put the final nail in the Titans' coffin might sway some folks Sommet's way.

The bad news: the Preds team we saw tonight was the same team we saw in Vancouver, despite a handful of line-up changes due to Smithson's injury, as well as Toots'. Thuresson is the latest addition to the line-up, Spaling prior to that, and the chemistry has yet to be made. Turn-over after turn-over, and if it weren't for the folks in the Toronto War Room deciding to be nice to us for Boxing Day, the game would've ended in a shut-out, what with the refs not calling at least 5 off-sides against Chicago and a handful of questionable-at-best calls against us.

Like Vancouver, we seemed to match their play by the end of the 1st aaaaaaand SCENE! That's a wrap! Pack up and mail the rest in. Where #71 went, I've got no idea. I recall seeing Erat actually stealing the puck away from Klein at the blue line, and with reason (#8's shots were either picked away or were way off net or playing the puck in front of Rinne) - though it's a bad sign when your team can only forecheck against themselves. I'm morbidly curious to see how much time was spent in our zone.

I thought we tend to play superb against the best Western Conference teams. We seem to play well in their barn, so let's take it to them in front of their sold out arena, eh? Split the season series in half. Please? A belated Xmas present? A "Sorry, didn't know what Boxing Day Was" belated Boxing Day present?

FOCUS - and cram for that Chem test. You've got 40+ of them coming up, so you better get your learn on. Get Smithson to tutor you for the PK quiz, and get Tootoo to let you copy his crib notes.

Off to sleep. A wave of tired hit me like a sack of Hossa's pride.

Cheers.

Happy Christmas From SeePuckCity

2009-12-25T16:33:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Whatever you choose to celebrate or choose not to celebrate - we at SeePuckCity (myself, Steph and Falkous the Hockey Dog) hope you have the merriest time doing it!

Myself? I'm having a very Kraftwerk Kristmas.

Steph spent the past two days in Atlanta with her folks and received a Preds 3rd jersey, an Ads Away jersey and an authentic Cincinnati Cyclones jersey for Christmas (Who loves their gal? I loves my gal). I bought myself an old Nashville Knights puck. Pictures of hockey gifts will come soon.

Have you sent yours in yet? Send your hockey gift pics to seepuckcity@gmail.com to be included in an upcoming pre-New Year's post!

Falkous spent the day at his Grandmother's house while a creepy old man-doll with bad posture watched over him. He apparently hit the Egg Nog a bit too hard and passed out in the bedroom. Time to get back to the next set of relatives visiting the house!

As posted before, have happy holidays and more importantly, safe holiday travels. Tis the season for crazy drivers and bad weather conditions, and we all know those two things don't go together...especially in the South!

See you at our 2nd home tomorrow night against the Blackhawks.

Cheery Cheers.

Preds Hand Over Win To Vancouver; Allow Canadian Media To Keep Pride

2009-12-23T00:09:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Though I've begun this blog with ten minutes left in the game, I feel I can begin my opinion on the evening.

Aside from eating dinner and still having to wait an hour and a half for the game to begin (friggin' Vancouver games), the initial 1st period looked like it was going to be a fun game. Both teams came out with their A game, a high-energy back and forth race to get the puck in first, resulting with a 0-0 scoreboard. Smithson was the casualty, blocking a shot with his hand.

2nd period began the end, really. The Preds rarely got a chance out of their own zone, getting a handful of shots versus Vancouver doubling theirs up from the 1st. Bouillon was cut and left for the locker room. Our "lunch pail gang" had no thermos of Liquid Ice to come back. The lackluster 2nd period-play ended 0-2 Vancouver.

3rd brought Bouillon back to the game, as well as a last gasp of energy...before a blast from the blue-line and, as a few moments ago as of typing this blog, the Sedins scoring this game out (instead of diving and whining all over the ice like they did at 501 Broadway) - the game became 0-4. Hornqvist, one of the only players (see also Erat, Sullivan, hell...even Jones for the few minutes he was out there) that seemed to be "on" and energized, scored late to kill Betty Lu's hopes for an easy shut-out (and yeh, I called him Betty Lu). I've got that fella's name on my back at the moment - thinking perhaps picking up a Goc shirt. Giving any Preds X-Mas gifts this year? Getting any that you know of? Send your pics to seepuckcity@gmail.com and I'll post'em on Boxing Day (26th) though the end of the year. Back to the game - Preds lost it in the 2nd for the rest of the way ending 1-4.

With the couple of days off the Preds had on this Canadian trip to travel out west, it seems either they got a little lazy, Christmas might've been on their minds with all the friends and family-visiting one would assume they all tried to squeeze in, or it could just be Vancouver really just wanted to give their fans something to rub in the faces of anyone who gives two piddles about any other Canadian team...cos as any small-market team fan knows, Canadian egos are equivalent to that of a bull in a china shop. Vancouver fans are going to bed smiling tonight, or at least to the messageboards to talk smack, not about how their team beat the Predators, but that the other Canadian teams did not.

60 minutes, boys. 20 won't cut it. Not in Canada, and certainly not at home when we face the best in the West. We seem to do rather well, however, when we face "the best" - let's continue that streak...and break Chicago's.

Happy Christmas to those of you who celebrate it. Merry Whatever-Else to those of you who celebrate other things. Enjoy the gift of breathing for those of you who don't really celebrate anything at this time of year (cos based on the people I've seen in the malls and on the roads this past week, it really should be a privilege...so...inhale with glee). I'll see you in 303 on Saturday.

Safe travels and send me those Preds gift pics for the 26th!

Cheers.

PS. It's Always Sunny In...Vancouver?

Preds Extinguish Flames 5-3 In Calgary

2009-12-19T23:24:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I was at work for the last scheduled day of 2009 (students go out of town for break, I get a bit of a vacation myself) with a terrible hangover (Vodka's a cruel mistress) while our boys continued their own version of Sherman's March (through Canada), so I didn't have a chance to catch the matinee game on the tv nor the radio. Another 5+ goal game makes me wonder if Trotz rewards the fellas with Tim Hortons if they score 5, the way we get our frosties. Whatever he's doing, it's working quite nicely, eh?

Steph, however, was lucky enough to catch a majority of the game on the radio dial, so without further ado...SPC Special Guest Blogger Stephanie:

Well today being my birthday it was kind of special already, but a 4th straight win never hurts. I like what I've been seeing/listening to lately. We're starting off strong right from the start & if the opponent ties it up or even if we get behind a goal or two, the boys are brushing it off & coming back strong. I like that, the consistency of play is much better in comparison to earlier this season. Our boys are playing a full 60 minutes no matter what the score is, and that's always a good thing. We're scoring goals on every line, also a good thing. We've got 20 players (sans goalies) & maybe it's just me, but I feel like all 20 players should contribute at least something to the game. Now, I'm not saying that I expect Weber & Suter to have 20 goals a piece this season, but you just can't rely on your top line to be the only ones out their scoring goals. You've got to spread the threat around or those special few become the main targets for the opposition. That's what we've been doing lately & just look at the results. We scored 5 goals tonight & everyone of them was scored by a different player. 6 goals on Thursdays night & the only one of five guys to score more than one goal was Patric Hornqvist. I think I'm starting to see a pattern here. After being hit or miss for so long we're finally playing as a unified team & if we continue this calibre of play the playoffs are ours for the taking.

Sorry I didn't really talk much about tonight's game. If for some reason this is the only hockey blog you read & you missed the game here's a quick recap. We were up 2-1 at the end of the 1st with a goal each from Erat & Legwand. The flames took a short-lived one-point lead in the 2nd with a pair of goals coming from Iginla, but Goc tied it up for us just after the 17-minute marker. The Flames tried to rally back in the 3rd, but with solid goaltending by Dan Ellis & a goal by Cody Franson & then empty netter by Scatchard, the Preds took the much needed revenge for our last home loss to the Flames.

------------------------------------------

Thanks, Steph! Happy birthday!

This was an exciting game to say the least, and thankfully, I'll have all the time until mid-Jan. to catch the upcoming games and bring you the SPC take on things.

'Til next time!

Cheers.

There Will Be Blood: Preds Strike Oil(ers) 6-3

2009-12-17T23:07:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Hey everyone! Remember when our boys went on their Canadian road-trip a few years back and came back with wins against all those Northern naysayers? It might just happen again!

I'm not particularly in a blogging mood, but the 6-3 win over the Oilers I'm sure has us all grinning. What Rinne's problem was - no clue - but thankfully Hornqvist took care of it and erased those mistakes from the board and Smithson, Ward, Goc and Jones (another Jones goal, indeed) helped take care of the rest.

Can we say "hO, hO, hO"? Our O seems to have taken its time getting here this season, but as of late, it's been here in spades. I love this lil holiday gift to the fans. Makes for great games (and frosties)! Keep it up, fellas and have a nice time visiting your own family and friends!

Cheers.

Frosties, Fights and Tuesday Nights: Preds Strike Lightning 7-4

2009-12-15T23:31:00.000-06:00

Readership,

You eating your Frosty? I sure am. You eating it with fries? I ate those already, so I can't say that I'm doing that at the moment. What I am doing at the moment is relishing in tonight's electrifying score against the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, 7-4. Smithson, Legwand, Jones, Hornqvist, Dumont, Hamhuis and Erat - thank you for that lovely evening!

Jones has 3 goals in 4 games, looking great since his recall, though Hockeybuzz Felder thinks it's a show and that he's trade bait. With all the Ellis rumors being reported, I wouldn't be surprised if both were shopped as a package, but where, oh where, would that be? Erat continues his domination in each game, making me wonder if I should pick him up for my fantasy team - I never thought I'd ever consider that.

Weber, Klein and Smithson dropped gloves this evening, though by the energy throughout the game, there were plenty other times the fisticuffs could've flown. By the end of the 2nd, the refs seemed to quit calling...well...anything against the Lightning unless it was blatant, and even some of those calls were over-looked.

A great way to end the last game prior to Christmas break for all of us, and before our boys' 3-game western Canada road-trip. Let's keep the fire burning (lord knows we'd all like that after that 40 degree temp. drop last night) and get some revenge in Calgary - put that flame out once and for all).

I've got a few ideas in store for the SPC - in the words of Yogurt, "Moichandising!" - SeePuckCity stickers are in the works, and maybe...maybe...wearables. And did somebody say...awesomely hilarious micro-podcasts! All of that and more in 2010!

Mmm...my Frosty is now gone, and as I wash it down with an Abita Christmas Ale (Yazoo's Wassail that you can get from their taproom is much better - I'm saving the rest of that growler for a special occassion, like...when I get home from dealing with relatives after Christmas Day) and I can only hope for more surprise Christmas gifts in the form of wins on the road.

For those of you who will soon be traveling, safe travels - watch the roads, don't drink and drive or drive when you are tired (just as dangerous, folks - really), and watch for cops cos they'll soon be everywhere (and in Hendersonville, they may pull you over for driving 3 mph over - so anal, the HPD).

I'll keep blogging after the Away games, but there are folks already going out of town now, students taking their final finals and being whisked away into the land of gaudy decorations and Round 2 of Holiday Dinners That Earn You Ten Pounds. Happy holidays from SPC - at least until Dec.31st, when I'll announce something else, possibly while being incredibly sloshed.

Cheers!

My Calling As A Prophet Is Moot: Redwings Best Preds in OT 3-2

2009-12-12T23:10:00.000-06:00

Readership,

As I mentioned in the previous post, due to my band's first gig in a year and a half, I was unable to make it to the OT win over Columbus, let alone hear it on the radio, so I did not blog about it.

I did, however, have a dream last night that I twittered about earlier this morning: I was walking to my friend's place (though it was a 2-story townhouse instead of a normal apt) and I looked down at my phone to check the game score - it read 3-2 Preds. I woke up feeling assured that tonight would be a W.

Tonight, I had to work, but I was able to keep up with stats until the middle of the 2nd, and I listened to the rest on the radio. When I first saw 2-0 in favor of the Wings, I felt defeated, but as I began listening, it seemed that my dream prophecy could come true - our boys in blue came back to tie the game 2-2 (thank you, Leggy and Sullivan/Jones) despite faulty calls that give Detroit goals that shouldn't count (seems that our calls at these games always waive ours off). As I sat outside of the Nashville Arena, awaiting Steph's return (she makes it to all the games I cannot make it to due to work and takes notes - that's love!), we made it to OT - a point for each team - fine. Then Todd Bertuzzi decided to be my very own lil Freddy Krueger and destroy my dreamage, though not intentionally - we lost another game due to TURN OVERS (the ultimate Pred fan nightmare during games we should win).

The Preds battled back sharply in order to tie it up and then coasted into OT wondering how to maneuver while the Wings were firing all pistons and paying full attention to not only themselves but us as well. In the end, that's what lost the game - the extra attention paid (in full, this time at our expense).

We've got another game or two at home against these fellas - next time we must make all 60 minutes count instead of 30, in order to make sure these 3 point games don't occur in our division. We were only 3 points out last year - let's make sure as many other Central Division teams know that feeling this time around. Play completely.

Cheers.

"SeePuckCity Is The Best Ho(c)key Blog Nashville's Got," says SeePuckCity.

2009-12-09T22:33:00.007-06:00

Readership,

It came to my attention two days ago that yours truly was nominated in a contest of strength, wit and/or value. Sadly, that came to my attention after the fact that yours truly did not make it past the first round of said contest. Today, my attention was turned towards one blogger in the contest mentioning that smear tactics were being used to undermine this contest of will, honor and/or knowledge, and I have only this to say to the whole situation:

SeePuckCity is the ONLY Nashville Predators hockey blog you need.

That being said, I will tell you why I'm right in my rather ballsy comment: cos after you read my take on a game and/or reason I posted something hockey-related, you can click a link to get all that boring statistical bugga-boo. You can go get your stats or your interviews or your podcasts with guests who make more money than you doing awesome things you'd like to do (see Mike Birbiglia) or your opinionated feminine view of things, you can even click on a link to get your extrovertedly anonymous view of things, or even your Canadian view of things (*shudder*), but as long as you're doing it with a smile (a smirk works just as well - see AJ for your smirk-worthiness) on your face, you've got it done right (you do know that when you click the highlighted text, it will take you to a related or ironically humorous link, right? If not, you've been doing it wrong.).

SeePuckCity: It's it. (What is it? SeePuckCity.)

;D

Cheers.

((In all honesty, congrats to all of you guys - if it weren't for you all, especially after the messageboard went to hell, I wouldn't have been inspired to do what I do here. A sincere shout out to all Nashville Preds bloggers, Admirals bloggers and Cyclones bloggers - thank you and keep it up.))

Erat Earns The Season's 1st Hat-trick: Preds Defeat Canucks At Home 4-2

2009-12-08T23:16:00.005-06:00

Readership,

Betta Czech yo self befo you wreck yo self - Erat scores a hat-trick, the 1st of this season for the Preds, after being moved up to the 1st line for tonight's game. Has he played 3rd line yet? I believe he might be the only player to have played all 4 lines this season, and with scoring points in 4 consecutive games, it looks like he might be staying there for a lil while. This is great news! This will make JP pick up his lackluster pace while Erat hopefully continues his consecutive point-streak.

I was at work until the 3rd - keeping score on the iPhone with Sportacular, as usual, but I arrived while it was still 1-2 Preds. Steph took notes and I heard the stories and saw the proof - apparently...Vancouver is practicing for the Olympic Diving Team - Daniel Sedin's favorite movie: Dive Another Day. He'd shoot a puck and fall to the ground. Or...skate behind the goal post and fall to the ground. Or get the puck at face-off and fall to the ground. I'd go so far as to say if he were called on a penalty, he'd re-create a dramatization in the penalty box and do an interpretive dance of a leaf falling to the ground. Oh, and Burrows, you're a twat.

Hornqvist had a pleasant return to the positive stats with a goal in the 3rd (with an assist by none other than Erat himself) as well as a target on his head - he seems to be the fella the other team wants to push and shove just cos he's always stationed at the net (hey Trotz...does Belak do this? Nope. Doesn't do anything else either). A toast to Horny as well! It's vodka tonight, and while it's vodka, a toast to Pekka as well (Finlandia, perhaps?) - what with a montage that bests any intro of the past two seasons. Seriously...I don't want Schindler's List music with my black&white hockey highlights to get me in the mood. I want Rob Zombie back!!!

I will be missing the Columbus game on Thursday due to the fact that my punk band, Clist, is playing our first show in two Mays - 8pm at the Little Hamilton Collective. It's up to all of the other quality bloggers to take care of the news and notes for you!

'Til Detroit!

Cheers.

Preds Lost In The Wilderness: 5-3

2009-12-05T23:56:00.001-06:00

Readership,

That coach we had for the first part of the season is back, scratching a fella that will stay in front of the net and get those garbage goals we need to survive with our lack of O in favor of a scrapper who doesn't scrap at all, let alone do anything else. "Coach's choice," indeed.

And playing Ellis back-to-back? He didn't shutout Chicago - I'm not saying he wasn't great against them, but still...he's become the back-up goalie and when we play back-to-backs, that's when we change back up. Is it because Rinne didn't win against the Wild last time? Well, by that logic we now have reason to never let Ellis play against the Wild again.

Jones is back and I'm OK with that. We've got his name on the back of t-shirts for a reason, right? Though I did see the new Wilson shirts moved to a different section in the pro-shop. Hmm.

Erat continues with the goal scoring and I'm perfectly sound with him now...as long as he keeps this up. He's getting paid more than so many other better players, I'd think that might bruise his ego if he didn't finally step up and compete with his hockey millionaire's club.

Oh, Zanon, I miss ya, buddy...but your new team can piss off. Is it going to take a bad team to get amazing for us to beat them? We do great against great teams and piss-poor against "meh" teams and there is absolutely no reason! With Detroit playing as they have, I'm actually more afraid of them now then ever before...cos they're more mediocre than ever!

All these moves with the Ads and Cyclones and whatnot might be paving a way to produce some sort of trade deal for some sound offense. I'm crossing my fingers for that.

Cheers.

Hot Diggity Dog!: Preds Consume Blackhawks 4-1

2009-12-04T22:26:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I sit tonight with a table of friends, having just finished making homemade salsa while Steph finishes Christmas cards, I got off of work as the 2nd began, as Erat scored the 2nd goal to bring it to 2-1. What? Really? Erat? A few off games and his personal streak is back. Thank you, Erat.

The Blackhawks brought the thunder to go along with their newest long-term contracts, but thankfully, as history has it, when the all-stars sign giant contracts, they don't perform for a handful of games. Thanks for joining those ranks; Kane and Toews, respectfully. So many powerplays against the Preds and now I'm wondering where we are in the NHL's PK list. Anyone got the stats yet? The 3rd saw a last minute burst of energy, one of which has been appearing in the last string of games, just not with pinpoint precision, Tootoo finally made the back of the net, quickly followed by Wardo to end the game 4-1.

We play very well against the best teams and we don't show up during the mediocre teams. Another thing I notice, we're good in either getting revenge or getting our just desserts: Blues lose to us, we streak 7 games, they get revenge; San Jose somehow defeats us, so they come here and we get those points back; it's the Wild's time - even with my boy, Zanon, it's time to take you down (seems to be the pattern, anyhow, so let's not ).

The Dec. 12th game against the Red Wings will give attendees 3rd jersey beer koozies, so buy more tix and get fun gifts for your friends.

A less-than-positive-article in the Nashville Scene regarding the first appearance of the 3rd jersey (see my post regarding hocus-pocus on appearing on a friday instead of the proposed Saturdays) also mentions that it may just follow the lead of the Wild's 3rd...the 3rd may become our 1st in the future so they say. What do you have to say to that?

Cheers.

Preds Get Their Point Across, Then Get Rebuked: Lose To Wild In OT 4-5

2009-12-02T21:42:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I'm sick at the moment - trying to overcome it with meds, thus I'm sleepy and forgot about the game tonight until the beginning of the 3rd. Thanks to tonight's game being shown on GameCenter (finally! A Preds game on a service I'm paying too much for), I caught up with the highlights and saw in the 1st, a team playing only a wee better than the last time (OK, nothing is as bad as the Calgary gameplay is concerned). The 2nd saw the team gather their bearings and play like they meant it...tie game. The 3rd saw two really hungry teams, with two sharp-shooting captains (Arnott, Koivu) keeping the game afloat into OT. And the OT saw a cluster in front of the net, everyone on the ground like they were being held up...and they were, for the second point at least.

At least we got 1? I know that's not the way to think, especially against the team that kept us from inching our way into the playoffs last season, but it is what it is. Let's surprise the Blackhawks by being sharp a full 60 minutes, eh?

On a side note, my gal Steph was happily surprised at her workplace by a group from the Preds Org. Pictures will be up soon, but let's just say there was an ecstatic girl with a handful of t-shirts today off Demonbruen and an afternoon she won't soon forget. Thanks, Mr. Perez, for making her day!

Off to guzzle some NyQuil.

Cheers.

Preds Play Without Fire, Get Burned 0-5

2009-12-01T12:24:00.000-06:00

Readership,

It's all my fault, it's all my fault, and I'll tell you why.

My first FST-holder year in 2007 had me buying tickets for as many friends as I could to go to games with me. One of these friends was a quirky, lil Canadian fella by the name of Rohan (Hi, Rohan). He wanted to go to as many games as possible, but if he had to pick one, it was the next game against the Flames, as he was from Calgary. Little did I know that by inviting a fella from Calgary into my home that they would continue to beat the tar out of us most of the times they visit. Sorry, everyone. My bad.

That being said, playing the hottest road team in the NHL at the moment by not playing at all isn't the way to win the game. When our expected top-O isn't even registering shots on net throughout the whole game, you know you're pretty much done. That being said, thankfully not too many people witnessed it (and I say "thankfully" in a bittersweet way cos we need folks in seats - even the scalpers went home broke tonight).

Time to forget. The Wild are up next and it's time for us to get back on track for this 2-game tour. The Blackhawks will be the real challenge, but if last night was any indication...one game at a time - cant afford to get too ahead of ourselves.

Cheers.

Preds Declaw Panthers 4-1 at the Nashville Arena; SPC Eats Hot Chicken In Space.

2009-11-28T22:35:00.003-06:00

Readership,

I sent out a "tweet" tonight stating I was representing Section: Prince's Hot Chicken Shack. Having not had the time to hang out with my gal in weeks - our work schedules never allowing more than an hour to see one another before sleep - and tonight being the last day off I have in awhile, I made the choice to forfeit my ticket for this evening's game...which ended up being rather amazing in the 3rd as I looked down at my Sportacular iPhone app a few moments ago.

The night consisted of Prince's Hot Chicken and watching 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time and on Blu-Ray to boot. Needless to say, in retrospect I would have liked to have seen that 3rd period over 2001, but nothing in the arena can beat out a good piece of hot chicken and seasoned fries. What? I'm from the South.

I can't wait to read what PredsOnTheGlass or OnTheForecheck has to say about tonight's game, I just wish I could tell you as well. Ah well - next time I'll sneak a piece of Prince's in with me and it'll be a match made in heaven: hot chicken and ice hockey.

Cheers.

Blues Break Streak: Preds Fall 1-3

2009-11-27T22:42:00.009-06:00

Readership,

It's nights like these I don't like hearing about streaks. Nights when the loudest, booze-ladened fans of the Central Division come to our house and leave gratified (though they for some reason feel gratified when the game begins, mainly due to their incredibly high blood-alcohol level). Nights when new superstitions can be created when you unveil a new 3rd jersey to the fans (that is supposed to be saved for Saturday games only, so already you're creating unlucky hocus-pocus). Nights when the team goes back to the ol' Dump&Chase routine and the ol' Powder Play (not a typo, they might as well be playing in the snow).

I wonder was Coach Horachek is thinking right now. Perhaps:

"Dammit, Erat, I said 'No more fancy dancing'! What do you call all those missed chances, bad passes and turnovers?"

"Fancy dancing? I thought you say, 'No more lancing dancers'!"

"What does that even mean?"

"I thought it was Young Buck song. My badness."

The Preds lost to the Blues, 1-3, and there was no real reason why other than laziness. Did the streak go to their heads? Did the Thanksgiving leftovers settle heavy in their tummies? Did the air pressure (or high-grade dank) from Denver zone them out the past two days? Did they want to give Mason a chance to look half-way decent again out of a feeling of lost brotherhood? Did they not want to ruin their new jerseys cos they're just too damn pretty (seriously, buy one - you'll love it)? I don't know, but any of those could be valid with the game we saw at the Sommet Center Nashville Arena this evening.

The refs were also in the lethargic "mailing it in" mood this evening, waiving off a goal that went in at about the time the whistle blew despite the puck not being covered. Another goal nearly went in, popping off the side of Mason's glove, hitting the post and bouncing back out (many fans say this should've been a goal, though this is the one I'll disagree on - it didn't pass the line). And later on in the 3rd, another goal waived due to an assisting "hand pass". It's never a fun game when the refs are in Kariya's pocket not doing a fair and balanced job.

Wings fans might suck, but at least they've got a talented history to back up their yucks with. Blues fans are the definition of "suck", plain and simple. I have yet to meet a Blues fan in Nashville (this is excluding you, Edwin) that doesn't act like a drunken, obnoxious waste of sperm & eggs, and to top it off, it's a Friday night, so you know they've been topping it off since 3 o'clock this afternoon, waiting to trip up the stairs and stumble down the streets of our fair city (yours is apparently rather dangerous, I might add, St. Louis Boozers). Here's to you, Blues fans (I'd say "Alpha Blues Fans", but you all consider yourselves "alpha" despite how very wrong most of you are), a giant Mad middle finger.

Preds face yet another former goalie tomorrow, Vokie and the Panthers at 7PM once again. Perhaps we'll have better luck against Mr. Baptist Sports Medicine.

In unrelated news, my Kovi to Nashville rumor has been picking up steam as of today. Good ol' Ek at Hockeybuzz.com has been "talking to a source" regarding the "ownership group in Nashville showing interest" in Kovalchuk. As I stated before, it'd be a great move and one that would bring positive media attention to the Predators (regardless of the fact that there has been very little stated up until us winning the 7th game in a row - found a few tidbit articles here and there saying "Hey...they're doing better than we thought (ie. better than any team in the league this month)", but as I said, tonight's not a night for hearing about streaks. Since Ek has taken notice as well, my Kovi to Nashville rumor is now at a Level SPC-Delta!!! Let's make it happen. Either that, or Bobby Ryan. Either one works. Get those leftovers away from Poile - it's like he's been snacking on them since last year's Thanksgiving Dinner.

'Til then.

Cheers.

Ski Pred-trol: Preds Win Over Avalanche In OT 4-3

2009-11-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

Readership,

I haven't moved very far since the fun name post a few hours ago, and alas, no cable, so I streamed 104.5 The Zone and caught back up on local news and worked on my fantasy team a bit (sorry Havlat, you kinda suck).

The Preds came out, swarming all over Colorado in the 1st, 2-0. The 2nd had Colorado handing it back to us, making it 2-3, and then Weber came back near the end to tie it up at 3. The 3rd was a stale-mate until the last few minutes when Legwand began chipping away like it was one of those lumberjack contests to no avail - went to overtime.

Legwand found a chip-away friend in Arnott and scored the OT goal to win the game. Legrat and Ewand (nicknames I use thanks to an on-air radio tongue twist that I will always grin at, regardless of the fact that these two players have finally found their place this season) are working it game-per-game now. Keep it coming, you two!!! Erat, you got a new house to decorate! Leggy, you got a new kid to start a Vanderbilt college fund for! Keep it coming!!!

I'm a lil superstitious, so I won't talk of records other than this one comment I'm typing right now. You'll hear about that kind of thing from other less mystical hockey-god fearing folk. Still excited though...but getting hopes up is never healthy for TN sports fans (see last year's Titans and Vandy fans) ;D

See ya Friday!

Cheers.

The Nashville Predators Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union 429 Arena? It's not out of the question.

2009-11-25T19:44:00.000-06:00

Readership,

While we're waiting an extra hour to get the puck sliding when our Preds take on the Mile-High City Snowfall, we've been given news of yet another unexpected financial snafu: The Sommet Group hasn't been paying up for the arena naming rights and a suit is being filed. The Sommet Group will continue to have rights until they are tried and lose. What does this mean for the fans? A guessing game, of course! What will our 2nd home be called next? Click here is a list of the present-day businesses that support the team.

What else can we do with our spare time whilst we wait for the game and this list of possibilities? Come up with slogans for our team just in case these "What If" scenarios become a reality!

Bradshaw Collision Center: Get Smashed.
JD's British Cars Arena: Where Central Division Rivals Can Sod Off.
CINTAS Center: Cleaning Soiled Hockey Gear Since 1998.
Geriatrix Consulting Center: Where Chelios Was Consulted Ages Ago.
Capitol Wholesale Fence Co. Arena: Keeps Out Goals Against.
Smith, Seckman, Reid, Inc. Arena: Arnott, Dumont, Sullivan, Wow!
Team Construction Center: We Do It Well.
Premier Door Arena: Where Wings Fans' Asses Are Hit On The Way Out.
Dirt Factory Arena (I just wanted to type this one out, really.)
Home Team Arena: It Just Makes Sense. (or Home Team Arena: Really.)
Terminix Center: Keeping the Pests Out
RazorGator Interactive Arena: ExtremeAwesome Hockiness, Brah!(!!)
SESAC Center: What? You Already Called It "Gaylord".
Peoples State Bank Of Commerce Center: Home of the Peoples Team Of Hockey - the Nashville Predators
Pinnacle Center: If We Buy The Naming Rights, Will You Forgive The Signs We Just Put On Our Tower?
Pillsbury Center: Western Conference Rivals...YOU SUCK! Heeheeheeeee!
Pepsi Cola Arena (just so when we're finally put in the Eastern Conference, and Coke buys the Thrashers' naming rights...we can have an all-out...though it'd rock more as Royal Crown Arena)
Allied Waste Arena: Garbage Goals All Night
Dixie Medical Center: No Yanks Allowed
Southern Louisiana Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Center: We Fixed Legwand, We Can Fix You
Moo-TV Arena: Opponent Tipping - We're Professionals
Southern Ice Arena Arena: The Second Arena Is Yours

The list can go on and on, but you get the picture. Why don't you join in the fun and comment some more? These were all off the top of my head, so I'm sure you can do much better. I just got home from driving from Atlanta in Thanksgiving traffic...took me 6 hours instead of 3 and a half...I'm braindead, I hate cars at the moment and I just ate some pizza I brought home from a delicious place in Little 5 called Savage Pizza (I recommend it).

More details will surely come out soon regarding this silliness, but until then, let's create some of our own.

And, just so the businesses know, thank you so much for supporting the team in ways we private individuals can't afford. This post is in jest, and is meant to be taken lightly. If you can't take puns or farcical nature without a grain of salt, you most likely aren't reading this blog anyway, but just in case...

'Til then!

Cheers.

"You've Got Red On You" - Preds Defeat Red Wings 3-1

2009-11-23T21:47:00.001-06:00

Readership,

My apologies for no post in regards to the exhilarating over-time win against the Blue Jackets Saturday night. As mentioned, Steph and I had planned a house party months in advance and couldn't make it out. Instead, I had the game streaming on GameCenter and playing through a loud PA system while guests began to arrive. In the shootout, none of than Marvin Elias Ecos joined me to bring forth his good Preds luck to the DJ booth.

Anyway - you know that story already. Tonight is about the Predators solidifying their winning run through the leagues heaviest hitters, continuing tonight with the defeat of the Detroit Red Wings. The team continues to look as complete as they have since Montreal. Tootoo playing hungry, Pekka standing on his head or fifteen feet in front of the goal to stop mostly everything, Erat continuing his redemption by not just earning assists as in the last few games, but multiple goals as well, the PP unit coming together multiple times too, D playing strong in front of their goaltender, the top line growing [as one Twitter fan called it] "face pets" for cancer benefits...and to scare the living bejesus out of the goalie when they crash the net, the team is working as a team and is winning as a team.

Yes, folks, this team is real.

Yes, media, this team is real.

I love it when a team comes together.

The crowd was amazing tonight for the only nationally televised game on Versus. Twitter fans mentioned being able to hear 303 loud and clear, with a possible conspiracy as to why "That's The Way I Like It" was played after Erat's first goal (the reason: VS didn't like hearing the "You Suck" chant...cos they could...loud and clear...that the Red Wings suck...and we were going to beatt the hell out of them...[Nogood, loser]), but that's just speculation (unless you've got the proof, then it'll be called "Versusgate" from here on out).

What else new? The 3rd jerseys of course! They're quite lovely, but I will let you in on this...I've got a 2007-2008 replica home jersey, Size L, so I pre-ordered a 2009 3rd size L. The new 3rd jerseys are BIGGER than the current replica jerseys. My 3rd jersey Size M is pretty much equal to my home Size L (I tried on the L and I could tandem skydive in that thing). Steph wore an old XL Preds promotional long-sleeve shirt and her Size Small 3rd fit over it with maybe a half an inch of the bottom of her shirt showing. Rumor has it they'll be available in the pro-shop on for the Nov. 27th game - Black Friday strikes the Sommet Center?? Nooooo!!!

'Til Colorado.

Cheers.

Devils Not Welcome In The Bible Belt: Preds Win In Shoot-Out 3-2

2009-11-19T22:52:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Today was a good day.

The last day of work for a week and a half before Thanksgiving weekend...I was working closing shift and took my break for lunch around 2:30. Out of nowhere, Stephanie appears at my workplace, having not yet visited my new workplace before, telling me of "good news": Preds Marketing folk came into her workplace and noticed her Rinne shirt - conversations took place - free lower bowl tickets were given - score. I told one of my superiors, a fan of hockey himself, if he wanted to buy my tix in 303, he could. He then told me he was closing and we were overstaffed so he'd try to get me out early, and he did.

The seats in 101 were quite nice, though I will say this for the rest of the folks in that section...worthless. No crowd participation, no chanting, no clapping, constant talking about un-hockey related topics and staff members by the name of "Ben" and "Allison" that hopped from seat to seat (including our seats...twice) to talk to their friends they most likely gave free tickets to. The last time we were given free tix in 107, the folks at least clapped the team on. 101...puck bunnies and Ben and Allison's buddies - psh. They don't deserve those seats. Enough of the negative...

On to the positive!

Our boys just defeated the best in the West AND the East! Arnott scoring twice against his former team, as well as the best goalie in the league (one of the best ever), Tootoo gets underneath the Devil's skin without dropping the gloves, while Rinne stones Parise and Langenbrunner, Santorelli notches the first shoot-out goal and Erat redeems himself by winning the shoot-out and the game! What a game, indeed!!!

Nashville: Where On-Fire Teams Go To Die. Let's keep it going, fellas!!!

Have you voted for the Nashville/Ottawa game to be re-played?

Have you seen who just has to be Pedigree's Next Most Awesome Preda-dog In All Existence?

I won't be at the Columbus game this Saturday - a party has been in the works at Casa De SPC for months now, but I'll definitely be picking up that 3rd jersey - might even make it my party attire later that evening. 'Til then!

Cheers.

Shark Meat Tastes Like Chicken: Preds Win 4-3

2009-11-18T01:15:00.001-06:00

Readership,

I was able to get out of work at 8:50 this evening, to catch the last 6 and a half minutes of regulation live at Sommet Center. Stephanie took notes and I witnessed some rather awful off-ice officials essentially allow 3 minutes of timeouts to San Jose while they kept wading through the rough and tumble sea of shot-clock time.

4-2 soon became 4-3 as I sat in my seat in 303, cursing my bosses for using me as a replacement for some girl who got canned, some girl whose schedule involved closing every single evening, when I asked for as many day shifts as possible. Psh...unions - seniority rules who gets day-shifts.

Seniority ruled tonight as well as Sullivan, Legwand, Smithson and (the exception) Ward tallied ho - Legwand finally stepping up to the doubt that similarly has been cast on his ole buddy Erat due to lack of production. Whatever was said to these boys has finally made a difference. I believe it was Asst. Coach Horachuck mentioning during 2-0 practice drills some thing to the effect of "no more fancy dancing".

The team we saw against Montreal showed up again to get revenge on San Jose and those points that should've been ours last week. This is the team we've wanted from the get-go. This is the team that will show the nay-sayers and northern doubters what we can do. This is THE team - our team.

Lets hone in on this identity, realize the potential, and take out the competition.

Wilson to the Ads for conditioning? If the team is playing as well as it is without Wilson, who has sadly missed the amazing transition we've got going on at the moment, then I hate to say it, but fine. Let him destroy Chelios and the Wolves, the Rivermen and the rest of the AHL. I'm sure he won't have an issue with that assignment.

I don't think I'll be able to make the New Jersey game as much as I'd like to (if tonight was any indication). I'm putting my ticket up on Ticket Exchange - 303, H4 if you'd like to buy it and comment on how amazing my seat actually is. Those silly folks on the glass don't know the half of what it is to be in 303. Foolish folks indeed!

Cheers.

Hey, Kovalchuk...it's safer to park your car outside in Nashville!

2009-11-16T00:55:00.002-06:00

Readership,

SPC Rumor Chart:

SPC-Alpha - I have on strict authority that this is totally happening.
SPC-Beta - I have on half-assed authority that this is "totally" happening.
SPC-Gamma - I've got a friend of a credible friend saying this is going to happen.
SPC-Delta - I've got a few folks with sources (ie. other bloggers) speculating moves in the works to make this happen.
SPC-Digamma - I've got a feeling based on tea leaves, standing up too fast, it coming to me in a dream or something similar to this that this is going to happen.

Kovalchuk to Nashville: SPC-Digamma

I know, I know - the talks with the KHL are still possibly going on and talks about being shopped around prolly won't even begin for a few weeks, but the possibility...the feeling that we might just be able to land Kovalchuk if the right buttons were pushed...

What do you think? Poile bring Kovalchuk to Nashville? That wouldn't be the first thing we've learned from the "Big Apple of the South", one of the most dangerous metropolitan cities in the country, Atlanta - no, no...we've learned how to make rap music and how to perfect cola and how to steal architects with illusions of grandeur. Now we just gotta learn how to make hockey players realize Nashville is on the up and up while Atlanta is MARTA a rotting pile of garbage. Sure, we don't have a rotting pile of garbage subway system, but we are the friendliest city in America! Howdy, Ilya - I'll buy ya a round down at Jack's and then we can go electric slide at the Wildhorse! See? Friendly!

In all fairness to my girlfriend Stephanie (who made the wise decision to move from ATL to BNA Nashville) and our many friends back down Georgia way...at least Decatur is nice.

Cheers.

Preds Drive 55 - Shut Out Habs 2-0

2009-11-14T23:18:00.003-06:00

Readership,

I can't get Sammy Hagar out of my head at the moment thanks to my prideful attempts at being clever.

Preds drive a whopping 55 shots at Carey Price and bring home a 2-0 win after nearly two weeks out on the road, a much needed victory to provide the hometown crowd with proof that they are finally getting comfortable with themselves and with the way they need to play to return to the playoff run.

Note: I was able to get out of work a little early and made it just in time for the last minute of the 1st period, so I missed Sully's first goal, but to look at the shot clock after a period and see 24 shots to some single digit (was it 6 or 8, I forgot) put a smile on my face. Hell, to see 1- 0 after the 1st is enough to put a smile on any face.

The 2nd period saw some great passing and more territorial domination. It was only at some point in the at the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd where we were really even semi-challenged (even by the refs with a questionable goalie interference goal waive-off). Sully bagged one more and that cemented the win.

Some of the movement and puck acrobatics used to keep the puck in control was a welcome addition to what I see as an "evolution" of the team during the regular season. The little things helped us keep the puck in this evening, helping the team dominate in the offensive zone. Sure, we might've made Carey Price look amazing tonight, but it's better that we're the ones shooting in the end (it's that pesky scoring bit that we're still working on, but it's getting better!).

I won't be able to witness most of the next few home games due to the workplace's closing shifts getting me to the Sommet by 9ish, so we shall see - I may sell my tix, or try to make the 3rd and get an update via Stephanie.

Coming off tonight's dominance, I think we just may now have the trick to keep the Sharks at bay, and win back what we sorely deserved. What say you?

Cheers.

Not Just In Terms Of BBQ: Nashville Tops St. Louis 3-1

2009-11-12T21:44:00.001-06:00

Readership,

I know the idea has been dancing around in your collective heads for the past few weeks, but I do believe some of those new 3rd jerseys will soon see "Hornqvist" on the back of them!

Patric Hornqvist ended up as 1st star of the game [edit: radio used the term "first star", though that could've meant the "first star" given to a player...whatever...I'll use an excuse like that Dallas blogger fella...he was "first star" to the Preds fans], tying it up in the 2nd and providing a bit of chippyness and energy throughout.

A surprise Tootoo goal and an almost as much of a surprise at this point goal (empty-netter, but so what) from Legwand helped win the game 3-1 against a few former teammates and the rest of the St. Louis Blues, who seemed to just lose a clear plan of attack at the beginning of the 2nd.

A home game against Montreal on Saturday, the first home game in what seems like forever, should bring a stronger, more "together" team in front of our eyes. Should. We shall see soon! And we'll also soon be giving thanks, not only for the holidays, but for the Third Jerseys on the 27th and 28th. I, for one, can't wait! Gotta purchase another one in December and send it out to Ice Jerseys...get that #27 z-stitched (never heat-glued) on.

But seriously...Tennessee BBQ is boss.

Cheers.

Almost Only Counts In...: Preds Lose to Sharks 3-4

2009-11-11T00:03:00.000-06:00

Readership,

Can't say much without being able to watch games these days - knocked cable off to save $40 a month and instead picked up GameCenter...big mistake. And ATDHE.net doesn't work half of the time. And with late games like these, I don't feel like driving home from a bar...especially after a game like this. A game like this would keep me in the bar.

We should've had this game with the last few minutes left, but we didn't buckle down and play the stubborn defense that we can play. We pretty much kept up with, and even bested the Sharks' game just a lil bit, but in the end, we did what we've grown accustomed to - blowing it late. There was great energy at the end, mucking and grinding, but not enough to get it done.

1 out of 3 in California: a complete break-down, an unbelievable victory, and then an "Almost Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand-grenades".

Good thing I've got a well-stocked bar here at home.

Cheers.

Hail To The Preds, Baby: Guest Blogger

2009-11-08T07:20:00.001-06:00

Readership,

Alas, I was at work and missed the entire game. My roommate texted me the score, but even he didn't hear much of it. Stephanie, my girlfriend of whom can be seen with lovely Admirals fans in one of the earlier posts, caught most of it as she will explain shortly. Drum roll, please!

Introducing...from the depths of the internet, at the corner of 5th & Broad, straight from Puck City itself: Hockey Steph!!!

--------------------

Hello there all. I’m Stephanie, the occasionally referenced “girlfriend” of your normal See Puck City blogger J.K. & I’ll be writing today’s blog. The reason for my stunning guest blogger debut is, quite simply, that I was the only one in my house hold the catch most, if any at all, of today’s radio broadcast only game. Yes, yes I understand that The Staple Center is a busy place with basketball & all that, but it just drives me crazy that there just wasn’t any video feed at all. But enough time for that later, moving on.

Hail to the Kings No More: Preds Beat LA 3-1

      10 minutes: nada.
      20 minutes: zilch.
      1^st period intermission.
      30 minutes: 0-0.
      35 minutes: on air recap.
      36 minutes & 38 seconds: Power play goal?!?!?!

      And that’s about where I came in, at about 35 minutes or so in. Fresh out of work I hopped in my car ready to drive home & listen to the game. So I get settled in for my 30 minute drive, I adjust my sun visor and listen to Pete & Terry talk about numerous missed chances on both sides, bouncy pucks possibly due to soft ice, and what’s this??? A goal scored by Frances Bouillon!? And on the power play as well!? I was still in my parking space so I had at least 10 or 20 people within hearing distance as I started yelling celebratory chants inside my car, which just happened to have the windows down. I may have gotten some strange looks, but the taste of victory is never quite as sweet as right after a very bad loss, and I was ready to move on after the fiasco in Anaheim. The second intermission kicked in & I headed off toward home with no inkling of what kind of game was about to unfold.

      I want to take a minute to talk about Frances Bouillon. He has I’ll admit, become a personal favorite of mine out of the new players that have joined the club this season. But that aside, I really do think we’ll see great things from him as we progress through the season. Maybe not so much in the goal scoring area per-se, he only scored 21goals in his almost 10 year career with the Canadians, but if Bouillon’s not the guy out there taking the shots it certainly looks like he’s the guy behind the scenes setting them up. While he may have only scored 21 goals, he assisted on a whopping 81 goals while with the Canadians, not too shabby if you ask me. And since joining us in late September he’s shown that he can play a good solid two way game & get a goal every once in a while too. Like his first goal of the season that he scored tonight, and during the power play at that. I feel that his timely goal had a positive effect on the team the rest of the game. It was just that boost of “Yes we can” that they needed right at that moment. And that’s how it’s seemed a lot of the time lately, Bouillon may not be in the spot light, but during games I keep hearing his name pop up more and more, and that is a trend that I think is on the rise.

      I commence my drive home; I listen to the stats and commentaries during the intermission, and then, game on! LA came at us like it was the last 60 seconds of the game. 5 shots counted on goal and a flurry of others that just didn’t get close enough, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Kings were on the attack. Ellis took 3 and a half minutes of abuse before we were able to dig it out, but then Bam! We’re on the attack, Erat’s feeding Franson the puck and we’ve got ourselves a 2-0 lead with 15:08 to go. I wonder what the other commuters on I-65 North though I was screaming about as I passed? Erat getting 2 assists that’s what. I can honestly say I’m shocked and pleased at the same time. Erat got 2 assists in one game, great, keep it up, I like it when you can actually see a player earning his salary.

      4 minutes pass, we trade penalties with the Kings and play 2 minutes of 4 on 4 hockey. Then as we go back to full strength we get a penalty on Hammus and within 7 seconds the Kings score, at 11:35 in the third, the Kings finally get on the board. But not to fear, less that a minute and a half later we’re back up by 2 thanks to a sneak attack by Joel Ward with the help of David Legwand. In the last 10 we held our own & defended our 2 point lead to end the game at 3-1.

      Am I happy we won the game? Oh yes, but what I’m even happier about is some of our new and lesser known players getting out there and showing what they’ve got. Big name players are great and all, but the Preds aren’t a team that can relay on just one or two guys to get them through. It’s got to be the entire team, all game, every game, and I’m glad to see these guys stepping up to the challenge of making game winning moves with or with out the big names. I’m looking for big things from the likes of Mike Santorelli, Colin Wilson, Patrick Hornqvist, Frances Bouillon, Joel Ward, and all the rest of the young guns Nashville has this year. We’ve got a team of players who are looking to prove something. Now they just need to get out on the ice and prove it.

------------------------

Thanks again, Steph!

Cheers.

Flat Out Ducked: Preds Duck It Up In Anaheim 0-4

2009-11-06T10:15:00.000-06:00

Readership,

It feels like it's been so long since Halloween, and in fact, a lot can happen in six days:

- Jordan Tootoo can finally come back to play his first game.

- Capt'n. Arnott also returned from his injury to provide the offense we had actually been doing fairly well with over the last 3 games.

- Colin Wilson was hit with the injury-relapse bug.

- Shea Weber trades places with Arnott and is now out for 1-2 weeks (reeking havoc on my fantasy team, I tell you).

- Erat is still out, but that could be good news still.

- Dumont, the man seemingly making it all happen in the past 3 games, is injured during practice.

What resulted last night was what resulted weeks ago: a team that had a few bright moments among certain players (Hornqvist was robbed by the refs, in my opinion) saw major changes within key players and that just threw off the strategical radar.

The Ducks' all-star guys were comfortable, they seemed to know how to push our buttons, or at least make the ref's seem like our buttons were pushed, bringing forth many penalties against the "least penalized team in the NHL". And though we had 5 chances with the "man advantage", we still couldn't capitalize to save our skin.

If the team of three weeks ago is back and the team of two weeks ago was a fluke, I can only shudder to think what will happen with San Jose, and dare I say, even tomorrow with the Kings. We shall gather around the radio like the did in olden days, and with the Christmas holiday looming around the corner, we'll be asking Santa for a gift we should've given thanks for last year, but sadly didn't.

Cheers.

Smashing Pumpki---Stars: Preds Defeat Dallas 4-2

2009-11-01T01:37:00.002-05:00

Readership,

Warranted I wasn't actually in Sommet tonight because I was at The Pond in Franklin to see my old friends, The Protomen, take the stage for Halloween...

I did watch the first 1 and a half periods of play and caught the lovely final score right before the band took stage. I just arrived home to reply with the following:

Trotz...don't know what you're doing, but keep doing it cos it's causing the focus to leave your general direction. Admirals, I wish you were staying up here...I don't care to see Erat's WNBA Coach-esque face on the ice again after the wins you've helped us produce. Arnott, Smithson is catching up to you! Keep firing that laser, Shea! I'm beginning to think Weber shot first (see Star Wars for reference).

My head aches due to the large amounts of "rawk" (see Booze). We go on the road for a few weeks to kick ass and chew bubblegum - and I hope we lose the gum.

Cheers.

Pekka Slams The Door Shut On The Blackhawks: Preds Win 2 - 0.

2009-10-29T23:27:00.001-05:00

Who would guessed Jerred Smithson would've scored in back-to-back games at the beginning of the year? And short-handed at that?

Who, indeed! As long as any of our boys are scoring, who cares?!

It's nice to be able to type this: The Nashville Predators shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in regulation, serving them their first regulation loss this season, 2 - 0. A loss is best served...to any team that's not ours, but even better when it's a division rival.

What to type about! The 17 blocked shots - throwing the body in front of the puck to actually help our goalie? The actual forechecking? Another power play goal...in the same week? The return of the "sharp as a tack" Ward as a producing entity or perhaps the "seemingly always lurking around to lend a helping hand on any and every shift" Bouillon? The subtle spark of energy that Legwand showed the crowd or the possibility that it was merely caused by the fact that Erat was scratched cos it's become obvious he's a worthless poof? The fact that the team is producing more without Arnott as well? The chances that Hornqvist is creating all over the place? Or perhaps just the "head-standing" antics of one Pekka Rinne? I'm sure we'll all be talking about all this and more tomorrow morning!

A very strong showing by the Preds tonight. I can't wait to see this team play again. Perhaps the secret is and always has been to just cut the fat and play a tight, dedicated game.

Simplicity is great like that. Let's do this.

Cheers.

A Wild Ride: Preds Win 4-3 in St. Paul

2009-10-28T22:21:00.002-05:00

The Preds come back once again after blowing a 2-goal lead to defeat the also-struggling Minnesota Wild, 4-3 in regulation.

Trotz juggled Legwand's line and it ended up...well...kinda making sense. Scatchard, Wilson and Hornqvist worked very well together (I hope to see them together again tomorrow). Dan Ellis played a great first period and blew it in 3 minutes in the 2nd - kinda like a reenactment of his career with the Preds on fast-forward. Rinne came in this time and stood his height (see "tall"). Santorelli gets his in the 2nd to tie the game up. Goc had a nice breakaway to no avail. Smithson scored the game-winning goal...on the POWER PLAY, while the names you normally expect (Weber, Dumont) started the game off before it all became uncertain...just like in Ottawa. Thankfully it all took place in regulation!

Excuse my negative tone - I'm very much glad that we won this game...BUT...(cos there always is one of those) we essentially beat a team much like ourselves, plagued with weaknesses. I can kick the shit out of a Pekingese, but if I'm only a handicapped Platypus, is that a strength or a bit of luck? Also, I learned my work schedule changes to evenings next week so I'll be missing many games and I'll have to sell some of my tix in 303 - contact me next week if you're interested seepuckcity@gmail.com. Grr.

The losing of leads needs to stop. Since O is our weakness, you'd think once we get a bit of it, we'd buckle down and play it like New Jersey. We've finally got some chemistry going on with the lines...we'll see how they hold up - hopefully for the better so my fairly recent Trotz-dismissal will be proven wrong.

We've got the Blackhawks tomorrow night. Let's do what we did right tonight tomorrow night and see how that fares against a faster, stronger Chicago. I want to see these plans work! I want to see this team go forward with their own identity!

And I KNOW I'm not alone in wanting this.

Cheers.

PS. No humorous hotlinks tonight - tired as all get out due to the new day job and I wake earlier than normal in the AM. Off to the Land of Nod.

Blackhawks Put The Stranglehold On Our Only Offense: Our Defense

2009-10-24T23:01:00.002-05:00

Readership,

This one is going to be short.

The Blackhawks, even with Toews and Seabrook out, kept our boys from doing...well...anything. A stalemate in the 1st, 2 against in the 2nd, nada again in the 3rd, fin'. Huet got a shutout for crying out loud.

The Preds face their former owner in St. Paul on Wednesday, as well my favorite pair of Zeds.

Fire Trotz.

"Wow, that was abrupt," you might be thinking. My only argument is a system that a coach refuses to change when we have a team of players that require another system in order to produce. This is coming from a fan that photoshopped "the Juggertrotz" due to his ability to make something out of seemingly nothing. The golden eggs stopped two years ago - so something should be done about it. We need offense...we need it in spades. We need the young forwards to go forward, not to be held back. Trotz doesn't like doing that. Yeh, and I don't like losing.

I don't think that I'm alone in this.

Cheers.

-------------------------------------
UPDATE:

Thanks to Dirk from OnTheForecheck for mentioning my incensed post-Huet-shutout argument on what we should do to get things done.

"...to be honest, I think it fits better with the Minnesota front office, which is trying to implement a new system with the same tired cast of characters."

I'll admit that I'm not familiar with the inner goings-on of the Wild, nor the inner-workings of our Ads (who reportedly have one of the best PP units, but I'll get to them in a moment). The Wild are suffering through injuries to their top gun(s) and are in a similar position as the Preds, though they at least tried to make big moves in the off season to both the offense and defense to little avail.

Looking at the Ads' numbers, they're not doing spectacular (official website says 3-3-0), possibly to the revolving door we've got going with them, causing strategies to be readjusted at the drop of a hat. Sadly, the Preds can only try different pieces within Trotz's "stick to the system" puzzle so many times only to find them almost as inadequate. The Preds continue to struggle in a stagnant system, the Ads continue to do the same because we just can't get enough of spinning that door for our amusement, and we don't make the playoffs for the second year in a row.

I'd love to see Barry get his head out of the sand and try a new system and stick with it for a handful of games - the tired cast has potential to do damage (sans #10, #2... and a couple others), it just needs the right wrench to be thrown into the works. I just don't see that happening. What else can an organization do when the coaching staff is just as stubborn in their ways as Erat is when he's in control of the puck?

Otta-wha? The Power Play! Otta-who? Shea "Friggin'" Weber & Ryan "Shooter" Suter!

2009-10-22T22:40:00.003-05:00

Readership,

Done catching your breath? Your heart rate back down to a healthy level yet? I didn't think so!!!

The Preds have broken the losing streak, the Power Play came to life, the D is big once again - the Preds defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-5 in OT. What seemed certain at the end of the 1st (thanks to Picard and his immaculate positioning) was shot to hell in the 3rd when the Senators scored just as many as the Preds had and then some: 3-3 at the middle of the 3rd. It then became a battle for the final goal, and it seemed as if the Preds buried that hatchet when Suter scored the Preds' 5th goal, 5-on-3 with one minute left to go in regulation. 2 seconds to go (though NHL.com's online score counter ended with the Preds winning in regulation - had me cheering due to lag time between the counter and the radio broadcast) and the Senators tie it up short-handed.

How? HOW?!

Enter Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. They showed up earlier in the game and stepped up, showing by example what all of the Preds need to keep doing with every other game this season: play the full game, play 60 minutes and more if you have to, do whatever you need to do and do it well. My hat is off to you, #'s 20 and 6. Thank you, kindly.

A tweet I made during the game: "Ham-who?". I rather enjoy the way we've been playing since Hamhuis has been sidelined. What kind of deals are we trying to make again? Do it, #2 it! The D has got a rug to tie the room together, and that rug is Cody Franson (a bad analogy, I know, but Franson got his first point in the last close game and his first goal in tonight's nail-biter)! Perhaps I was wrong in assuming that "the depth of young D" we've heard about all these years was a crock at the beginning of the season when nothing was coming together (cos seriously, for all the years we've heard about that tasty Kool-Aid, we haven't seen it until recently). All we had to do was send down and bring up and bench. I still have a strange feeling that Laakso will become something great (similar to the feeling of great defensive loss I get when seeing our old pair of Z's in Minnesota)...but not just yet. Perhaps we'll see him later this season or at least at the beginning next pre-season.

We've got a few rumors going on for more O, and I still think we need it. Tonight was a game that HAD to be won, and the remainder of the season can't always be this great. We are still in need of O and however we can get it, I hope we do. Despite that, the team is finally stepping up and playing as a team.

*heart rate is back to normal; sighs of relief*

Finally.

Cheers.

Defensive Chutes & Ladders

2009-10-20T01:58:00.001-05:00

Readership,

It's been a few days since I've posted. Heck, it's been a few days since anything has happened Nashville-way (or depending on what side of the river you're on, anything good at all). The Preds made an admirable comeback against OV8 and his pair of goals and got that OT point, but his shoot-out moves proved once again why he's No.1 in every Fantasy League out there.

If for some reason you need an update: Arnott's injured (hurting my fantasy team to boot), Franson's coming up, rumor is Laakso's most likely down, Ellis [see Ryan] was just inked to a 3 yr. deal, Hamhuis is possibly in D-urgatory (as well he [though more so Klein] should be) and Frolov does a Sabre Dance in our heads while we sleep at night, though I doubt Poile wants to deal with another spunky Russian in his lifetime.

Didn't get a chance to hit Graceland, so what was to be the inevitable shot of a Preds jersey in front of a killer basement bowling alley with gaudy music notes and guitar-shaped decorations all over the place will just have to wait. I'll do my best to update more this week, though this might hinder progress - my first rebuild, 5 years in the making. We shall see.

Preds visit Beantown Wednesday. Colin Wilson must be one giddy goat.

Cheers.

Blackhawks Didn't Win By More Than Five

2009-10-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

Readership,

Just a quick one tonight. Tomorrow I'm off to Memphis for Steph's family reunion. There, I will take pictures of Graceland and spareribs, cos that's all that city has going for it. It's like Tennessee's version of Cleveland.

Tonight we saw a different team in the first period, a team that said, "No, we're not going to allow you to score on us!". That team came out to the ice in the 2nd and quickly we were down 2-0 as if it were earlier this week. Thankfully, the team came back and said, "No, we're not going to allow another shutout in front of our fans!". So they were scored on again and that was the end of that.

Trotz mentioned in the post-game press that we were lacking decisiveness and I completely agree. Though I think Laakso will grow into a fairly good defenseman, he hesistated on multiple occasions this evening - from his one-timer from the blue-line to his a-second-too-late-rear-check, he was thinking too much instead of just going with it. Klein got himself in position a milli-second too late and his chance to score in the third was gone (his D also appearing a bit late in the second as well). The passing game...well...it wasn't really a game cos a game is when 2 people are playing - too many turn-overs, too many missed passes; sloppy is the only word for it. What I've noticed this week is a severe lack of urgency. When lines change, no one seems to give a damn except for Wilson and possibly Bouillon - they mosey off at their own leisurely pace or slowly glide onto the ice, apparently not paying attention to what was happening before their number came up. That's inexcuseable. Wilson has a grin from ear to ear and seems to be alert, pointing his veteran teammates to where they should be, because he's now in an elite league, getting paid to do what he loves to do most and what any hockey fan would die to do. Somehow it seems that that point, that truth, is something that a handful of our fellas might be taking for granted.

How the hell do you fix a spoiled athlete? If you scratch him, he's still getting paid...to do what he already does on ice: nothing. How do you get something to work out when you're already known as the team that always works something out...and it's not working? Like I mentioned two posts ago, something drastic has to take place if the bring up / send down doesn't work. A trade must occur or some jobs might need to be shifted...in that order.

Tough nuggets - we lost again, but this time it was respectable.

Cheers.

PS. Lemme know what you think of Falkous the Hockey Dog. Any ideas for future lampoons with Rizzo and Falk are appreciated. Off to the Land of Nod...then Memphis.

Falkous the Hockey Dog

2009-10-15T14:20:00.001-05:00

For those of you looking for something nonalcoholic to drown your sorrows in, look no further! Falkous the Hockey Dog is here (and so is Cal O'Reilly off his brilliant stint with the Ads last night)!

The amazing psychic abilities that this pup has were brought to my attention by an anonymous hockey blogger that goes by the name of "Rizzo". Here is the first of what I'm sure will be a handful of "prediction videos" featuring this wonder-dog. Perhaps this is just what our team needs after these past few games.

See ya tonight.

Cheers.

Back And To The Left In Dallas

2009-10-14T21:37:00.004-05:00

Why do I have the feeling that Statler & Waldorf are creeping over the shoulder of every Predators fan since...well...last Monday evening around half past 7?

Seriously, nothing has worked for this team, rather, the team hasn't worked for themselves and not even Trotz's Pop-O-Matic Bubble containing each and every line combo has proven helpful. By the time we near double-digits in games played, if nothing has changed, the higher-ups may just need to change something. I hate to say it for the sake of tradition, but I'll go out on a limb and say, "Jeff Fisher has been the Titans' only coach since they came to town, aaaaand look at them." Jeff Fisher has been the Titans' only coach since they came to town aaaaand they're utter crap. Thing is, the first two games were rather easy on the eyes. If the inebriated-hockey goggles have indeed come off and a handful of game-play like these past two days continues: trade, bring up, send down, bench, scratch, fire. I don't wanna use that "f" word, but since this seems to be the way the NHL wants us all to believe nowadays, look at the Penguins! Dan Bylsma turned what looked like wasted talent into (black and) gold. Can we say Rumplestiltskin? We'll sacrifice Klein...or Hamhuis...or Erat...or Legwand (though he's at least half-assing it after being reprimanded). Why we kept Klein instead of Koistinen is beyond me, and who would have thought we all might be missing our Team Z, Zanon & Zidlicky? I did and still do, but I'm a bit biased.

Who would have thought that after a summer crossing our fingers for more O, we'd now be crossing our fingers for D just as well?

Perhaps those superstitious mystics CAN use the internet!

Curses.

Cheers.

PS. Yeh, I wrote this before the game was even over, but the only changes in the game...another goal against our boys. 0-5 Dallas at the time of posting.

UPDATE: 0-6 Dallas. Bring on Chicago!

Playing A Turkey Of A Game For Canadian Thanksgiving

2009-10-12T23:16:00.007-05:00

The good news is that during the month of October, signed "mystery" pink mini-sticks are being sold before each game with proceeds going to the NHL Hockey Fights Cancer charity program. Here is my "cancer stick" signed by Joel Ward. Coincidentally enough, I got a puck signed by "Wardo" in the mail for signing up for FSTs this year. Perhaps I'll stumble upon a Ward t-shirt sometime this season...only time will tell. It's questions like these that are just as exciting to the general public as the performance provided by the Nashville Predators this Canadian Thanksgiving evening against the Edmonton Oilers, ending in a dismal 6-1 finale.

What began with a bang, ended with a whimper. A minute and half into the campaign, our rabblerouser call-up from Milwaukee, Triston Grant threw down with Zack Stortini to get momentum going. The fight ended in a draw, thus ending momentum for the rest of the evening. The Oilers apparently didn't appreciate the fact they had lost the previous seven times in Nashville, and their qualms, combined with our own D's severe lack of respect for Pekka, hanging him out to dry on many occasions, ended the first period 4-0 Edmonton.

Sarcastic cries for Vince Young (as well as some rather apparent booing from all sides of the arena) to step in were answered as Dan Ellis, the immediate target for the cameras once the 3rd goal went passed Rinne, stepped in to play...and have 2on1 after 2on1 take place at his feet, 6-0 Edmonton with less than a minute in the 2nd Period. Then the unthinkable (and thankable) happened: Arnott chipped one passed the rookie goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, 6-1!!! The unthinkable (no, this time it's actually feasible) continued to unfold: verbal civil war in the Cellblock.

Sarcasm (eg. Titan comparisons [c'mon, we don't suck that bad ;D], "There's 1 minute left in the period" - "Thank GOD!") was met with negative responses from fans calling for positive energy (eg. "You call yourself fans? Get the hell out! Leave then!" - and when we scored the goal, "Sit down, you don't get to celebrate!"; the irony wasn't lost on this one as I recall some of these same folks verbalizing their disappointment over the years as well as calling out our own players, Zidlicky mostly, but hey - garbage performance brings the angry hypocrite out in us all). Sick of having a handful of the louder (see also: shrill) voices around me, on top of the lack of effort shown by our boys in navy, I decided to listen to the rest of the game on the radio in my car.

Here's the skinny folks: there is a difference between self-deprication and disrespect. If someone exclaims "Thank God!" instead of "Thanks, Paul", that's self-depricating and that style of humor is what I always thought Section 303 was about, that Daily Show-wit and clever sense of humor. Seeing an obese fella (in 302) turn to give the team the middle finger before exiting, that's disrespect. If your comments are clever and warranted, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. Did you see our boys celebrate their one goal tonight? Not so much. You know they were thinking "Thank God!" too.

Regardless what camp you might've been in tonight, you shouldn't tell any fan they can't celebrate the team scoring a goal, especially on nights like these when the celebrations are few and far between.

'Til Dallas.

Cheers.

Sommet's the home where the Buffalo roam...

2009-10-11T04:41:00.006-05:00

Readership,

First, as I mentioned via tweeting...the intro video, for those of you who think it's the cat's meow regardless of the fact that it's too long and kinda boring (I'm partial to the Rob Zombie energy they knocked out of the intro videos 2 years ago). Sounds a bit like most of the thoughts on tonight's game, actually.

You know by now what has occurred at home ice - the Buffalo Sabres, lead by Lindy Ruff, a coach that shares more than one or two similarities with our Barry Trotz, came to our home to defeat us with 3 minutes left, 1 to 0. You read that right...I don't want to surprise you in any form or fashion, a team that plays pretty much EXACTLY like we do...beat us...one...to zero...after FIFTY-SEVEN MINUTES. Didn't want that fact to pass by you in any form or fashion.

Somehow, whether it be due to the DEFENSE (Hate to say it, but Weber was on the line that was scored on) or the OFFENSE (Legrat? Ewand?), 41 shots hit Pekka Rinne and 1 (one) bounced off and back past him. 25 hit Ryan Miller, and a vulcanized "Your Mama" rarely ever hit net. That's the gist of it; that's all she wrote. That's the only story worth while here: Our D let up once, our O never really showed up once. The Tennessean pretty much wrote the story before it began: both coaches play from the same book, both teams play the same game.

Other than that, Laakso played well despite the one penalty, Grant didn't take a penalty this time, so he's still here, Bouillon was fast as fast can be (keep it up, #51!) and Santorelli was showing his senior line how to perform like we generally think they should.

I will say this though: Buffalo has fans who come out of the woodwork this side of Detroit; and (not that this has anything to do with Buffalo or their fans) regardless of the support Rippy's has shown over the years, Jack's BBQ also has it's share of hockey fans and has better BBQ hands down! Seriously, the service that myself and others have had at Rippy's, as well as the food, has been sub-par at best. Jack's quality of food is immaculate (I call their BBQ "swine angel" and #22 apparently skips practice to "nom-nom" there [or so the owner informed me when he saw my Pred-gothic shirt]). No, they're not a sports bar first, they're a BBQ establishment first...and that's what they do best. With 5+ unique sauces to choose from, the buffet-style BBQ+sides line makes this THE place to go before games. Drink various booze afterwards, eat Jack's goodness beforehand. I say this after going there for the first time last week...I've been there 3 more times since....and I take my BBQ seriously (seriously, folks. "Zanon" seriously).

The GNASH high school seniors played after the game, but sadly, I cannot tell you who won. My roommate brought a friend with him to 107 (thank you again to the Preds folks that came to the Social Media Club Nashville meeting), and waiting around Sommet for half an hour didn't seem feasible for a fairly new Pred fan (little did we know he was a full-fledged PredWing, but hey...we're not all perfect). If you stayed, how did it go? How does a "senior" game work anyhow, if they're all from different high schools? I'm curious, and will most likely stay after a game when it is one high school team versus another.

Lastly, what happened to the Lords of Apocalyptic Carnage in the city league? I don't see them on any of the league lists! That bothers me because their name alone is what brought me out to the Sportsplex on a Monday at nearly 11PM in the first place.

Cheers.

What Kind Of Voodoo Do You Do?

2009-10-09T15:20:00.004-05:00

We all know that die-hard sports fans can be superstitious. From wearing a certain color jersey for home or away games, to color-coordinating your closet for game days (or non-game days), to dying your hair the team colors or even driving to the arena taking a specific route, since blogs like these are for the die-hards as well as the curious (or inexplicably bored), I'd figure I'd share mine with you and you can comment with your own if you'd like.

It's no secret to those in Section 303 that I am a fan of Greg Zanon. When I bought a blank replica jersey, I sent it out to IceJerseys to get a #5 professionally stitched on the back right away. After a few weeks, I was eager to march right back up those stairs in honor of my favorite Puck Magnet, but the evening's events took a turn for the worse, and I marched down those stairs after we were handed a loss. No matter, I'd wear it for the next game, proud as ever...only to be slightly glum afterwards due to the fact we lost again. I didn't wear it one evening...and we won. And again. And again. Perhaps the bad juju was gone? I gave it one more shot, we lost, the jersey stayed in the closet during home games. Z was sent to the Wild (sayonara #5, hello #6), so I figure maybe, just maybe, all would be well. Wore it to the pre-season games, we won. Wore it last night, another win. I think it's safe to say...I can enjoy my investment once again! Now...for one of those X-mas colored #6s!

Stephanie and my roommate discovered a minor (and I do mean minor) phenomenon in the form of a latex wrist bracelet. Each time my roommate would don the bracelet while he watched the games on Center Ice, the Preds would win...for awhile. The bracelet seemed to have lost its power for a few games, so Stephanie built a shrine to the bracelet out of popcicle sticks, mesh and paint. There, the bracelet sleeps, gaining mystical energies from the hockey heavens, awaiting to be summoned by a hairy, red-headed hockey conduit. So far this season, 2-0 bracelet.

And then there is this man:
Marvin Elias Ecos.
I've had the pleasure of knowing this gentleman for at least 2 years now and have watched many an away game with him on Center Ice. In all of the games I've watched with him and of all the games he told me he was watching, never once have the Preds lost; not on his watch. You see the picture there? He's watching a game at a local chicken tender establishment. Guess what? We won that game.
There are too many times to recall when a phonecall was made, a request to "turn the TV on!" or to "get thee to a bar, now!".

So there you have it. Those are the SeePuckCity superstitions at this moment. Have I cursed them all by sharing them with the blogosphere? I don't think so. Superstitions may be mystical, but I highly doubt they're internet savvy.

'Til next time.

Cheers.

Hornqvist Melts Avalanche In Home Opener

2009-10-09T01:12:00.004-05:00

The Nashville Predators sent nearly 15,000 folks home happy tonight at this season's opener at the Sommet Center.

Captain Jason Arnott tied the team up in the first period, though the remainder of the night's action stemmed from Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist, who scored just as many goals in tonight's game as he did in 28 games last season, is continuing his offensive growth from the pre-season [2 goals, 5 assists].

A certain someone might begin popping up on fantasy teams soon!

And that certain someone could also very well be Dan Ellis, depending on how long this possible Goalie Pong game Trotz has going on will go for. Something tells me he's got a sack of quarters sitting next to him, but if Ellis keeps this calibre of gameplay up, it won't be ignored for long.

What also won't be ignored are the two penalties taken by recent Milwaukee call-up, Triston Grant. Two interferences in one period, one of which lead to the Colorado PP score from the point. Not the type of impression to leave on the ice. Time will tell, most likely soon.

How will Hornqvist's homecoming upset the top line once J.P. returns? Time will tell there as well, but assuredly with favorable results. If #27 keeps this roll going, who cares who's on first (Yes, Who is on first)? How will this affect Colin Wilson's return? Or Tootoo's return? I don't know (Third base!).

All's I know is, bring forth more Grand Ol Opry stars to sing the national anthem. Riders in the Sky are always a treat!

Pekka or Ellis? Go ahead and vote in this weeks poll to your right.

Cheers.

Social Media Club SMASHVILLE

2009-10-08T17:04:00.004-05:00

Last night on the ground level of the US Bank Tower (One Nashville Place), a meeting was held. A meeting of the brightest, or at least most social, social media minds in the city of Nashville, to come together to discuss the use of social media tools within the realm of Nashville Predators hockey - with a complimentary cheese plate as an added bonus.

Executive VP of Marketing of the Preds, Derek Perez was there, alongside some familiar names in the Preds blogging community: Codey Holland (section303.com/the 303:30), Paul Nicholson (ReTweetBot), Dirk Hoag (OnTheForecheck), and I did see a few faces I recognize from various blogs as well (PredsOnTheGlass and WhatThePuck were representin' as well).

We discussed the use of Twitter, FaceBook, blogging, web-forums and, as strange as this would've sounded five years ago, NOT MySpace, in terms of bringing the local hockey community together and spreading the "gospel" of the Preds, as well as bringing the most interesting stories to light, taking responsibility as a fan blogger when obtaining those heavenly items we'd all like [aka. "credentials"], and the latest and greatest in marketing hockey to average joes in a non-tradtional market.

A few comments were made regarding my Nashville Gothic t-shirt I made for a handful of musically like-minded season-ticket-holding individuals, but Derek enjoyed the fact that I created grass-roots merch and wanted to see more fans doing it themselves. More shirts, more signs, more posters, more of that familiar fang'd passion to make the non-converted sports fans to stop, collaborate and listen [Ice is back with a...wait...]. And it was in agreement that the Smashville signs we've been seeing on all the light posts around Demonbreun couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

All in all, the night was a success. The upcoming BarCamp Nashville was mentioned, as it's the biggest ongoing annual social media event in Nashville, and if this evening was anything similar to what BarCamp has to offer, it is going to be intriguing to say the least. I'm personally looking forward to seeing some of you familiar faces there!

That being said...ONWARD TO THE HOME OPENER!!!

Cheers.

You Gotta Pay The Toll Troll To Get In

2009-10-07T22:39:00.012-05:00

So last week I was offered a culinary position at a local private university and was told that the background check could take anywhere from 3-10 days to clear. My girlfriend, Stephanie, was also offered a job last week that would begin Monday, so I figured we had one more weekend to get a little traveling in and what better way to do that than a road trip to Chicago [see Rosemont] to catch the Milwaukee Admirals' first game of the AHL season against the Chicago Wolves [and yes, we already saw a precursor to this game during the first Preds pre-season game against Atlanta, but still].

Google Maps will always give you the quickest route it seems, and there were 3 choices to get to Chicago. We opted for the I-65N straight shot, which connects you through the Skyline of the Toll Troll. First, $0.50...then $1.25...then $3.00 [curious enough, it was seventy-five cents less to leave the city] - a complimentary hotdog [or Cubs ticket, whichever is worth less] is the least they could do. If you took away road construction and 5 o'clock work traffic, the ETA would've been spot on [roughly 7 hours and 45 minutes]. It took us 9 and a half hours. Thankfully, the hotel was across the Allstate Arena parking lot.

We got to the hotel just in time to unload, suit up and head immediately back out the door. The ticket booth was in a separate building, which was actually rather convenient because once inside the main entrance the inner-halls of the arena are reminiscent to those of a high school during lunch hour. We got to our seats in section 110, Row A, a mere four rows behind the Away bench, four rows behind the team we came to see, and just in time for the floor show.

Two wooden cut-outs, painted black, were wheeled out onto the ice, leaving us wondering what it could possibly be. Another portion of wooden cut-outs were wheeled to the entrance of the rink that created a 3D effect of a wolf head. "OK, kinda neat. What? Do the eyes light up?" Two small flames appear in the shadows of the first two sections of cut-outs. [CUE MUSIC]

And then...

Why do we, as NHL ticketholders, NOT get pyrotechnics?! Don't you say Great White - this arena has a wooden roof! Those fireworks blew up fifteen feet below the roof - and five feet out below the jumbotron!!! The AHL gets fire that you can feel on your face and we get dudes in khakis and polo-t's throwing XL white t-shirts that occassionally make it over the glass. This is how it's done, gentlemen!

Short Shifts was twittering away the results of the game before I could even get my phone turned on, so my attempt at "tweeting" the action [while keeping up with the Preds results on Twitter] came off a bit stifled. And as most of you know by now, the Wolves had the 1st period and the Ads pretty much controlled the rest with a 3-2 Chicago Opening-Night Spoiler ["Take that, obese frat guy sitting next to the Ads glass, insulting them the whole time! Your team lost! Go cry in your cookies!"]. Steph and I hung around to see the 3 stars of the game as well as the rest of the Admirals fans there [the Chicago fans were already leaving with two minutes to go], getting nods for our Preds gear.

Chatted about the Staples Center and told a few fans about affordable hotels near downtown since a handful of them wanted to make the trip to Nashville in the Spring. Shortly after, we were told to clear the arena, which was fine with us - there was a Target that sold whiskey next to the arena and an IHOP next to that. Talk about convenient!

And that was that - a quick to and fro trip to catch our farm team friends from the Great Brewing City in the Windy City. And of course, another four bucks and some change to get back home.

Cheers.

Catching Up - An Introduction of Sorts

2009-10-07T12:49:00.003-05:00

Readership,

Welcome to See Puck City's first post.

As many first blog posts go, this one will follow: the history behind this blog's existance and a little history about the blogger. I was skimming the sides of another hockey blogger's site and something caught my eye. She called for her readers, both Canadian and American, to send her the reasons why they love hockey. I immediately opened up my email and spilled my story - my lack of interest in most sports in general, a brief introduction as only the Super Nintendo can provide, and a brilliant excuse for a birthday present.

I do hope to bring yet another take on the sport to the blogosphere, another personality for you to loath or enjoy (or be apathetic towards), another Nashville Predators fan reaching out to the public, whether it be down Broadway or up York Blvd., to let people know that we in the South love the sport despite not being born with it, that we in the South are hockey fanatics capable of decibles just as loud (if not moreso in tune) as those up North, and that we in the South can also have fun with something we do take so seriously.

That is the mission statement. Now, as promised, where this blogger is coming from:
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A little background: 27, male, Nashville native. I didn't grow up in a sports-inclined environment; I grew up in a song-writing environment. That's not to say I never played sports growing up. I tried baseball when I was 8 and basketball when I was 11, but never got past that first year of truly caring about immersing myself in the sport. I had purchased NHL's Stanley Cup Super Nintendo game that same year [1993] and grew to recognize the logos and names that were foreign to me before then, but the gameplay got old and, as most upcoming teenagers do with videogames, I moved on. I wanted to write and play music, so that's what I did in my spare time. Went to a few high school football games on Friday nights because there was nothing else to do in the Southern suburbs of Nashville, but that was the extent of my "sporting" childhood. I knew of major sporting leagues and most team names, I knew Nashville had a minor league hockey team called the Knights, I knew we were getting an NHL team, but it was just another name for me to add to the mental roster.

The college years [2000-2005] brought my attention to the local team, the Nashville Predators, because many of my friends (and friends of friends) were in on it from the get-go; hockey was truly the one great sport to be experienced. Half of the group make-up were transplants from the North, half just loved sports in general - football nuts at first (as the South goes), but paid full attention when the Preds came to town. I would hear about how great the game was and read about how good (or in most cases, "resilient") the team play was in the City Paper. I was paying attention, but still wasn't sold.

Until one day...

A friend of mine had a pair of Preds tickets for a game in March '06. My birthday is on the 12th, so she invited me to check out a live Preds game in section 302 and called it her birthday gift to me. Little did I know how life-changing her "gift" would be. The tickets were in the nose-bleeds of the (then) Gaylord Entertainment Center. This being my first major pro-sporting event outside of AA baseball games, I felt a dizzying effect as I walked up the steps of 302, looking back down at the ice. We got drinks and sat down as the lights went dim and the opening sequence on the scoreboard began. Rob Zombie screamed through the arena as images of the 2005-2006 Nashville Predators team flashed before my eyes in a way only Oliver Stone could appreciate. Then another short animation of a sabretooth tiger destroying his Central Division foes downtown. The lights came back up and the team was introduced by the booming voice of resident announcer Paul McCann. I vaguely knew what was going on on the ice thanks to my previous video game experience, but the on-ice action, the fights, the yelling that came from the neighboring section (The "Cellblock", Section 303), all of that created an energy that made me grin from ear to ear and had me trying to decipher what the neighboring fans were saying, so I could yell it out with them. The events on ice, the teamwork on ice, created a camaraderie felt within the arena. I never understood the feeling that high school and college alumni get for their old home teams until I witnessed my first hockey game. The next day I looked into getting full season tickets and three months later, I did just that. Shortly after, the hockey fans of Nashville came together to save the team and I was more than honored to be a part of the movement to keep the team, to keep the sport in Nashville.

Since that one game, I've been a full season ticket holder in Section 303, have converted many non-hockey friends into hockey fans (thanks to Center Ice and the EA games on a 50" plasma), created fliers and graphics for fans to print out and spread the word to increase sales, began following the city league teams and high school teams (the hockey club at my old high school began a couple of years after I graduated, but the sport has caught on so well that most Middle TN schools participate in the Middle TN high school ice hockey league) and am in the process of creating a new website/blog dedicated to the Predators, the teams affiliated with the Predators and Nashville hockey fans in general.

The speed, the skill, the action, the teamwork, the solidarity...that's what hockey is to me, and that's what keeps me going.

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The Allstate Arena trip blog and pictures are in the works for later this evening.

I'll be attending a Social Media Club Nashville meeting later this evening to learn more about building a stronger online community of local hockey fans - I'll be wearing my custom-made black Nashville Gothic Pred-inspired t-shirt if you'd like to say "hi". There are a handful of season ticket holders in the local goth/punk/industrial community!

Cheers,
J.K.