Music City in full swing for the second round
Growing hockey fan base in Nashville embraced the Preds while learning hockey
They congregated in bars and rooftop patios along Broadway on a sunny afternoon for hours and took turns smashing an airplane with a Winnipeg Jets logo on it before the teams took to the ice.
Yeah, you might say the people of Nashville are into playoff hockey and their Stanley Cup favourite Predators.
All across the city there’s evidence people are invested in the fortunes of the hockey team. Bartenders, Uber drivers, people on the streets miles away from Bridgestone Arena are keenly aware of what’s going on with the Predators.
As for their knowledge of the opponent for their West Conference semifinal series — well, that’s not quite so good.
“I don’t think the average person knows where Winnipeg is,” said Whit Shofner, a corporate development manager and lifelong resident of Nashville. “They couldn’t point it out on a map.” They might not know much about the city or its geography but they do know the Jets, a divisional rival that finished just behind the first-overall Predators in the standings.
“Oh yes, you’re in our way to the Stanley Cup, so we know exactly who you are,” said Uber driver Terryl Wood. Nashville is one of the friendliest cities you’ll visit and people bend over backward to make visitors feel welcome. It’s also one of the best party towns on the continent and when they combine that festive, musical atmosphere with hockey, it goes off.
“We shut down,” Wood said. “It’s almost like when you see those stories about when a football team goes to the state championship and the whole town shuts down. There’s that kind of feel here. It’s everywhere.”
I think it’s fair to say she was referring to the way things were last spring when the Preds made it to the Stanley Cup final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It’s not quite at that level in Music City yet this year, though an outdoor watch party was scheduled for a park near the arena and the honky-tonks on Broadway are regularly filled with patrons watching the game. They have their playoff traditions, too. They throw catfish on the ice, paying homage to octopus-tossing Detroit Red Wings fans of years gone by, and allow fans to use sledge hammers to smash a vehicle painted with the opposing team’s logo and colours, all for charity of course. Normally they use a car, but since the Jets are in town they are using a plane. It even has an Atlanta Thrashers logo on it in honour of an old nearby rival. One thing you can say for sure is the fans truly seem to care. “It’s everybody,” said Shofner. “The average person is keenly aware of what the Predators are doing, come playoff time. “For the past 20 years, they’ve always had a strong cult following, I would say a niche group, almost kind of an alternative crowd. But in the last few years when Nashville has blown up and there’s a lot of young people moving in and there’s a lot of energy, they’re all starting to gravitate toward that, especially since the Predators have been so good the last few years. Last year’s playoff run really sparked something that’s carrying on to this year.” The fan support does not go unnoticed among the players. At one time, they lived in relative obscurity and could walk about the town without being noticed, especially with the country music stars who frequent the neighbourhood near the arena. “Last year was pretty special,” Predators forward Craig Smith said. “The whole town jumped on it and there were people everywhere with gold jerseys. Everyone was extremely excited and wanted to be a part of it. It was cool to see, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” Defenceman Ryan Ellis said Nashville has developed into a hockey city, despite being a nontraditional market.
“The people of Nashville and the surrounding area have done a great job of taking us in as a group,” he said. “We’ve tried to reward them with a good product on the ice.”
Last year’s playoff run really sparked something that’s carrying on to this year.
Now, the Predators are a significant part of the community, right up there with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. Well, maybe not quite there yet. “Most people in Tennessee grow up learning football from birth and basketball is really popular as well, so hockey is definitely an adopted sport for most folks,” Shofner said. “You have to learn it.”
They seem to have learned pretty well.
Now, about those geography lessons ...