Apologies in advance – this one’s going to be about the bloggiest post we’ve had on this site. Just a Nashville Predators fan on a stool pouring his heart out for all the Internet to read.
It’s been a quiet Saturday morning. A lot of emotions are swimming through my body today, and there’s been a quiet nervousness throughout my household. Tonight is the biggest sporting event in Nashville’s history: our city is hosting a Stanley Cup Final game (remember – the Super Bowl was not played in Nashville).
Excitement is at a fever pitch. I was just a kid when the Tennessee Titans played in the Super Bowl. I don’t know that I accurately have my finger on the pulse of the city now, but I know I damn sure didn’t when I was a kid. So, this is the first real run for me – and it’s great. I love the spirit and the support that our entire community seems to be giving the Preds – ratings are damn near Titan-level right now and that’s astonishing. Hockey would routinely get 2s and 3s on the charts, and now it’s hovering around 20s.
But, it hasn’t been easy being a Nashville sports fan. People like to throw around the terms “small market” and “new pro sports market,” but shit – it has been nearly 20 damn years since the Preds and Titans came to town, and we don’t have any championships to show for it. Right now, we’re experiencing history – this and the Titans’ Super Bowl run is all we have to hold on to. Factor in the Memphis Grizzlies, and pro Tennessee sports have been experiencing a horrible drought.
That puts “us” in the same category as Cincinnati, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. when it comes to sports misery. Those cities haven’t boasted champions since the early 1990s. And, we’re right there with them.
For some reason, the national media doesn’t really talk about that – but this hunger for a championship is very real, and it sucks for those of us who care deeply about Nashville sports. There’s pros and cons to this, of course. But, to be honest, I don’t really care about this perceived national media agenda against Nashville. The fact that the talking heads don’t talk about Tennessee doesn’t bother me, because it has no bearing on my enjoyment of the teams we have.
So, the excitement of the Stanley Cup Final has been met with this sinking feeling of “oh no – not again” at least for me. Now, our Preds are coming home tonight after a totally demoralizing 2-loss start to this series. Sometimes, it’s seemed as if our boys think they’re still playing the Anaheim Ducks – being overly physical and aggressive. No one on the Ducks roster was going to snag the puck and skate across the ice in a split second. But the Pittsburgh Penguins are fast and they strike quick. You give ’em these odd man rushes and there’s no goalie in the league that’s going to stop them.
It ain’t lookin’ pretty, folks. That’s my point.
P.K. Subban has guaranteed victory, though he and Peter Laviolette said he didn’t. Whatever. I think the takeaway here is that Subban knows that if they lose tonight, they’re cooked. It’s over.
But, there’s a lot of work to do, and a lot of questions surrounding tonight’s game. Notably, who’s going to start in net? Does Lavy stay the course with Pekka Rinne? Or, does he turn to hot shot prospect Juuse Saros? Can the defensemen keep the snafus that have plagued this series to a minimum tonight? Who’s going to solve Matt Murray (who is technically still a rookie per NHL definitions – competing for his second Stanley Cup…how does that happen?)?
One thing is for certain – this team feeds off of its home crowd. Somehow, we’ve become the greatest home ice advantage in the NHL. The Preds will need you tonight, Smashville. It’s time to be as loud as you’ve ever been and make catfish rain from the heavens.
I’m conflicted. My mom bought me a blue Preds shirt for Christmas – I wore it on game day for damn near every playoff game so far and prior to the Stanley Cup Final, the Preds lost just once while I wore it. But, I’ve kept it going through the Stanley Cup Final, and the Preds have been defeated twice.
My blue Preds shirt is basically the Pekka Rinne of blue Preds shirts. So, I think it’s time for me to dig my Mike Fisher sweater out of the closet. Hopefully, the will of The Captain can guide this team to victory. But, like Lavy with Rinne, I’m going to have a short leash. If the Pens score first, I’ll immediately change back to the ol’ reliable blue Preds shirt. Don’t worry, Nashville – I got this.
I love this city. I love the people in it, and I want to see it succeed. Regardless, this has been a hell of a ride.
Go Preds.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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