NASHVILLE
Adidas Anton Khudobin #35 Jersey , Tenn. (AP) Terry Crisp sorely wishes that he and fellow broadcaster Pete Weber had recorded their ”Hockey 101” sessions from the early
days of the Nashville Predators. The expansion franchise had tapped the original
broadcast team to teach hockey rules in a market where fans knew what a sack
meant in football and why conserving fuel can matter so much in NASCAR. The
Predators held class in a small theater to explain the rules for a sport many
had seen before only on TV or in minor leagues where the players excelled at
fighting. Crisp says he and Weber still chuckle when they think of the line
changes that looked like fire drills to the new fans. ”No matter how often we
explained it, no matter how we tried to explain it, they couldn’t figure it
out,” Crisp said. ”Pete and I should have written all these down. It was fun,
and we tried to make it educational.” The fans learned well and their team has
put on a master class this postseason in reaching its first Stanley Cup Final .
The excitement in ”Smashville” over their wild-card team should reach a new
level Saturday night when the Predators host their first Final with Game 3
against Pittsburgh, which leads the series 2-0. The bandwagon is bulging with
country stars, pro athletes and people swelling with civic pride for the best
show in Music City. Just call it a bucket list item – even for those who can’t
get inside Bridgestone Arena – with the outdoor watch parties and star Alan
Jackson giving a free concert before Game 3. ”I’m not working for the Chamber of
Commerce, but I’m telling you, you and your friends would never regret a visit
to Nashville to see a game ,” Predators general manager David Poile said. ”It’s
a tremendous atmosphere. It’s second to none. It’s the best in sports right
now.” Not bad for a franchise that once handed out headphones allowing ticket
buyers to hear the rules explained during games. Crisp
Black Adidas Brad Marchand Jersey , who won two Stanley Cups as a player and a third as a coach, and Weber were the franchise’s biggest faces teaching hockey, both in the
theater classroom and on both TV and radio. At least fans recognized Steve
Carlson and his brother as the Hanson brothers from ”Slap Shot” fame when they
busted into one Hockey 101 lesson. ”That helped our frames of reference in any
case,” Weber said. Country music stars have helped from the beginning when Vince
Gill and Amy Grant both appeared on billboards pushing ticket sales. Now the
biggest guessing game is which star will sing the national anthem next. Carrie
Underwood, wife of Predators captain Mike Fisher, started it off before Game 3
against Chicago in the first round and has been followed by Luke Bryan, Keith
Urban and Trisha Yearwood – with her husband, Garth Brooks, staying just off the
ice. Jason Aldean, the reigning Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year
with multiplatinum hits like ”Big Green Tractor” and ”She’s Country
Authentic Youth Torey Krug Jersey ,” came to Nashville from Georgia about the same time as the Predators started setting up shop. He learned the rules of hockey thanks to
video games on PlayStation and was in the stands for a recent game with his
wife. Will he sing the anthem? ”You never know,” Aldean said. ”We got to be in
town. Their schedule is crazy. I am hoping we are in town during some of these
next few games so we can go to one.” The Predators debuted for the 1998-99
season but didn’t reach the postseason until 2004. The original owner sold the
team in 2007 after Nashville finished third in the NHL with 110 points, tired of
losing millions. A decade later, the Predators have sold out 58 straight games.
High demand made attending Stanley Cup games in Pittsburgh cheaper than it would
be in Nashville for some fans. No major league franchise in Tennessee has ever
won its sports championship, and this is the closest a team has come in years.
The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies were swept in the 2013 Western Conference finals,
and the NFL’s Tennessee Titans’ lone AFC championship came while reaching the
2000 Super Bowl. ”When you start to get close to something like that, that’s
what this city does,” Aldean said. ”It just sort of rallies around whatever is
going on. And we’re no different.” Also rooting are Grizzlies forward Brandan
Wright, who grew up along with the Predators in Nashville, and 2012 FedEx Cup
champion golfer Brandt Snedeker
Adidas David Krejci Boston Bruins Jersey , who took the Ryder Cup with him to a playoff game earlier this spring. The Titans, who hope to break their own eight-year playoff drought
later this year, are fully on board, too. Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan, a
first-year season-ticket holder, even tossed a catfish onto the ice late in Game
6 as Nashville clinched the Western Conference title against Anaheim. He was
joined by his fellow offensive linemen and quarterback Marcus Mariota at two
recent playoff games. Lewan said the electricity around Nashville is just
unbelievable – all for hockey in the South . ”This could be the next Titletown
that if we hold our end of the bargain and the Preds finish it up man, this
could be a really special place for sports,” Lewan said. ”We’re all really
excited.” — Associated Press writer Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report.
— More AP NHL: — Follow Teresa M. Walker at
www.twitter.com/teresamwalker.
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