Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round Two TV Market Match Ups

 

By Lisa Ovens

You see, for diehard hockey fans recently bounced out of the playoffs because their team lost their first round series, wondering out loud about the size of TV Markets is a popular activity. I guess it helps mask the pain they are feeling after some of the epic oustings we witnessed during this year's Quarter Finals. So, they turn to the rankings of TV markets in order to decide which teams actually “deserve to still be playing” and in some cases; bolster their NHL Conspiracy theories arguments. However, many fans don’t actually look up the TV Market rankings.

When the Phoenix Coyotes eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Florida Panthers appeared to be in the driver's seats of their  first round series with the New Jersey Devils, many a fan jumped to a "Stanley Cup Final conclusion" featuring those two teams, and it wasn't pretty: plenty of these speculators felt the Coyotes and the Panthers don't deserve to be in the Finals. If they did check out the TV market rankings, they'd see the Coyotes are in the 12th largest market, and the Panthers reside in the 16th largest. That's not too bad! Yes, I did the research, and this is how the TV Markets are matching up in Round Two…

Let’s see, in the East we have Number One Seeded TV Market, the New York Rangers vs. Number  Nine TV Market, the Washington Capitals. In the other Eastern Conference Series, Number Four TV Market, Philadelphia Flyers up against New Jersey Devils, who appear to have one foot in Number One  (Ranger’s market) and the other foot in Number Four (Philadelphia’s market) Yep, Stanley Cup parking lot parades, no unique TV Market to call their own…nothing comes easy for those Devils.

Out West, the high flying Los Angeles Kings, tops in Left Coast TV numbers (the Number two US TV Market) vs. Number 21, the St. Louis Blues. Phoenix is looking steady at Number 12 , vs. the smallest Round Two TV Market (29^th), the Nashville Predators.

The best part about the four Western Conference teams: none of them have won a Stanley Cup, therefore one of these virgin teams is guaranteed at shot at winning it all this year! Both the Kings and the Blues have played in the Stanley Cup Finals: the Blues lost three years in row (1968, 69 and 70) and the Kings were finalists in 1993, losing to the Montreal Canadiens (that was last time a Canadian based team won the Stanley Cup). The Predators and the Coyotes have yet to make it to the Finals, and considering they are playing each other right now, one of them isn't going to make it any further than Round Two :o(

Out East, the Capitals are the last remaining Cup-less team in this year's Playoffs, only tallying one appearance in the Finals (1998, and they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings). Who knows how this is going to play out, but  if the Capitals make it all the way to Round Four, then one of the final two teams will bring The Stanley Cup home for the very first time. Trust me...this is one story line that will keep many of the fans in Canada watching. What else are we gonna do?

Happy viewing :o) 

 

Top One Hundred TV Markets

Report from Nashville: Game 6 and the Off-Season

Marie Meisel is a Nashville Predators season ticket holder and a guest contributor to Lisa's Lounge. Read along as she wraps up with the final Preds game this post season, and looks ahead to the summer...

by Marie Meisel

After the nail biter that was game 5, the Predators were welcomed Sunday May 8th by several hundred fans at the airport. It was great to see the guys smiling and enjoying their welcome home. http://video.predators.nhl.com/videocenter/


Monday was game night. Game 6, do or die time. We had our towels, we had our vocal cords and we had our passion for our team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and the Predators Magical Playoff ride ended in a 2-1 loss. We stayed for the traditional handshake and saluted our team with one last “Let’s Go Predators”.

It was sad to see the season end. No more trips to the arena, no more comparing notes with fellow fans between periods, no more overpriced concession stand pizza. All that was left was a round of hugs and wishes for a good summer to the various members of my hockey family.

But this playoff run was a huge step for the team and for us as a fan base. The team finally got over the first round hump. They took the best team in the regular season to 6 games, five of which were 1 goal games. Pred Nation finally received a measure of respect from many fans around the league for our passion and knowledge.

The Canuck fans who posted on our message board were respectful and appreciated our online version of southern hospitality. And many Canadians got to see what many of us already knew, hockey is alive and well in this part of Dixie. How about calling Nashville a new traditional market? We’ve borrowed a few traditions from other teams and put our own twist on them. We took Detroit’s octopus and made it our own by using a catfish. We have used the rally towel that Vancouver started. And we have our chants and the well known TV timeout standing ovation which are uniquely ours.

Now it is off season for the citizens of Pred Nation. We will enjoy the warmer weather. Get around to all those things that got neglected during the season. Get reacquainted with non hockey loving family members. For myself, I am in the process of buying my first home. I will be doing some traveling. I will catch up on my professional reading by going through the pile of nursing journals on my bedroom floor. I will drop by Lisa’s Lounge periodically to add columns on road trips and playing fantasy hockey. And perhaps even read a non hockey related book or two.

I will be checking various message boards though perhaps not as frequently. I will follow the playoffs as they progress towards the awarding the Stanley Cup. Good luck to Lisa’s Canucks. I will get together with my friend Robin to watch the NHL Awards show to check out the players all cleaned up. And see if any our guys: David Poile, Barry Trotz, Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne get an award.

Then the NHL Entry Draft in late June, though there is less excitement this year since we don’t have a first round pick. Wait to see what players are re-signed (especially our captain, Shea Weber) and who is let go. In July, there will be prospect camp. And as the calendar rolls around to August, training camp will start.

Until we meet again, in the words of Paul McCann our arena announcer...

Good night and good hockey!

Game Six: Canucks Advance, Predators also Advance...sort of

This Guy!!!

Canucks 2 Predators 1

Canucks win series 4-2

by Lisa Ovens

There will be no Game Seven. No Game Seven. Oh thank heaven, there will be no Game Seven! The Vancouver Canucks managed to finish off the Nashville Predators in six games, much to the pleasures of their fans. A little extra rest is something we were hoping for as we turn the corner into the last half of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That guy, Ryan Kesler deserves every bit of praise for the hard work he personally put into the Canucks second round victory over the Nashville Predators. And that'll happen in the playoffs: one player becomes possessed, and everyone look out. But we have to remember they are a team, and in order to take those 16 wins required, we can expect to see others pull off the extraordinary when it will be needed most. For example... Enter Jeff Tambellini. He hadn't been inserted into the line up until last night, his very first playoff game. His quick and efficient work interupting a Martin Erat breakaway surely had an impact on the outcome of the game. We could be singing an entirely different tune today had Erat scored.

And why do I say the Nashville Predators have "sort of advanced"? Well, finally in this round two, it became glaringly apparent that there is a living, breathing, passionate nation of hockey fans in Tennessee. The South. There must have been a few million Canadians tuning in last night and throughout this series featuring the last Canadian based team/city in the playoffs (many of them cheering against the Canucks I am sure) so the elitest hockey fans out there have to be aware of this by now. No one is allowed to say the people don't care about hockey in Nashville ever again.


Congratulations Canucks...we are in Western Conference Finals after all of these years :o)

The View from Smashville

by Marie Miesel
Lisa did a nice job summing up games 1 and 2 in Vancouver!

I do have a funny story about game 2 before moving on. I was on our message board np.com chat room for game 5 against Anaheim. I was very frustrated and decided to turn the game off. As you all know the Preds tied it in the dying seconds of regulation and then won it in OT. A mojo/superstition was born. Prior game 2 in Vancouver, I had promised to log off if we were behind. With 9 minutes left, I logged off. And we tied it up in the last minute. I furtively followed the first OT. I came back to the chat room for the second OT and was able to enjoy the win with my fellow fans.

Games 3 and 4 were at our house on 5th and Broadway. The front office decided to go with a “Gold Out” theme. Bright yellow T-shirts and towels were on every seat. We supplied the noise. We are getting noticed for our vocal commentary on the game action. TSN, CBC and even a French language paper in Quebec have done stories on our fan base. Alas, the power of Gold was not enough. Game 3 was a 3-2 OT loss with the game winner scored on a controversial power play. It was also Ryan Kesler’s coming out party. He had 2 PPG including the game winner.

Game 4 the crowd came back with the same energy but again the Preds struggled offensively. We lost 4-2 with goal #4 an empty netter. Kesler drew another penalty. This time on Ryan Suter and proceeded to score the game winner on the PP. Heartbreak at the Bridge. I wanted to cry. I had intended to wish all my hockey buddies a good summer. But I didn’t. Perhaps part of me knew that just maybe we would get another home game.

Game 5 and Hockey Night in Canada. The biggest hockey stage outside the Olympics and World Jrs. Most Canucks fans were predicting an easy win. Time to get rid of those pesky, no talent Predators. I didn’t hold out much hope myself. The Canucks have been are a better team statistically and have outplayed the Predators for the most part. Pekka Rinne has been a major reason we have been able to stay in the previous 4 games. And there was Ryan Kesler, itching to make our defense look silly again. And he did. He had 2 goals in the game.

But as it happened against Anaheim, where Nick Spaling, Jerred Smithson and Matt Halischuk entered Predators lore, another unlikely hero stepped up. Joel Ward, a product of the Canadian University hockey system, scored 2 goals and played his heart out on defense. David Legwand also scored twice including once with a little help from Alex Elder. No offense Canucks fans, but fluky goals still count.

And we Preds fans know a little something about fluky playoff goals. First round 2009 playoffs, game 6 against Detroit. Nik Lidstrom shoots a puck from the neutral zone at the end of the period. It takes a funny bounce and pops right over Dan Ellis’s shoulder. That shot ended our hopes of getting past the Wings. First round 2010 playoffs, game 6 against Chicago. Brent Seabrook shoots the puck down the ice on a dump in; it deflects off Patrick Kane’s skate at the blue line and bounces in. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another fluky goal in Game 6 Monday night. Though, I do hope it’s ours. 8-)

And now a word from the soapbox. The internet is a wonderful tool. Being able to post on hockey message boards, meet other fans and discuss hockey with a wide audience is great. Sadly, it is also a vehicle for the petty, mean spirited and downright ignorant to inflict their views on the general populace.

 Our moderators have been very busy editing and banning “trolls” who seem to have no purpose other than to stir up trouble and act like fools. I’m sure the Canucks moderators have had to do the same. Participate in a discussion but don’t descend into name calling and other childish behavior. Hockey fans are the best fans in the world. Let’s show a little class and treat opposing fans with some common courtesy.

Tomorrow night is another home game. Hard to believe we are still playing. Another chance for the Preds and their fans to stand together. Win or lose, I am proud to be a citizen of Smashville.

May we have a good, clean game.

Canucks/Predators and Game Six

Thw Wondertwins need to activate their powers, big time!

Canucks lead series 3-2

By Lisa Ovens

Remember,  way back on Thursday April 28th, when many pundits and fans wrote off this series as a boring one to watch? Boring has been far from it. Well at least since Game Three in Nashville. Although the Canucks took games three and four, I felt the Nashville fans took those games over the Canuck fans, too. If people still think hockey in Nashville hasn't arrived yet, well, I just don't know what else to tell them anymore. The spirit of hockey is alive and well in Music City, and that is almost as much of a story as the ones being written on the ice.

The Canucks should be very thankful for the play of Ryan Kesler throughout this series. He's been seriously bringin' it each and every game. On the other side, Preds goalie Pekke Rinne has been the star, even when the Preds lose.

So the series returned to Rogers Arena with the Predators down 3-1 and on the cusp of elimination. Game Five in Vancouver Saturday night delivered Canuck fans to a very familiar place: witnessing their team lose the game, feeling disappointed, concerned and wondering: how come the team can't get it done on the first try?

Losing 4-3 Saturday night was a reminder of Game Six in series one. Although the team played well that night, they just didn't win the game over the Blackhawks. And here we are again, this time with the Predators climbing back into a series the Canucks could have nipped in the bud.

Considering the overall lack of performance out of the Sedin Twins in these playoffs, we have to think the Canucks have gotten used to finding ways to win without them. If Daniel and Henrik do manage to make some major noise in Game Six tomorrow night, we can only consider that icing on the cake providing Kesler, Burrows, Higgins and Luongo keep up their game.

And, if the Canucks lose again, we have another little demon to deal with: Game Seven takes place back in Vancouver on May 11th: the very date the Canucks were eliminated in both the 2010 and 2009 Playoffs...yikes!

Go Nucks!

Predators/Canucks Games One and Two: Splitsville in Vancouver

photo by Andrew lavigne

Game One Canucks 1 Predators 0
Game Two Predators 2 Canucks 1 (Double OT)

Series tied 1-1

by Lisa Ovens

Many assumed the Canucks would lose Game One after the thrilling and exhausting first round series against the Blackhawks, and then righting the ship to take Game Two. Well, the exact opposite happened. The Canucks shut out the Preds in front of a mild crowd last Thursday evening. That was the night I came up with a new nickname for Preds netminder: The Thud. Pekka “The Thud” Rinne. That’s for the loud thud heard every time Canuck rubber bounces off the sturdy goal tender. But it would be Roberto Luongo earning the shut that night.

Two nights later, it seemed the very same game carried over into Game Two. A match that was more about goal tending than scoring.

Canucks captain, Henrik Sedin is stuck in a scoring slump, along with forward, Ryan Kesler. We can only hope these two can pull out some offense in Nashville for Games Three and Four: they’re going need it in order to quiet the spirited Nashville crowd.

But getting back to game two…seeing Round One catch up to my home team was something that was bound to happen. But, as the long game moved along, they did come alive, but didn’t get the break needed to end the game. Dang…five periods of play and someone’s going to go home angry. May the anger inspire more scoring!!!

For the Canucks and Preds series, I think we’ll be waiting for a turning point that opens the series up. Find those reasons to dislike the opponents. But until that happens, we’ll have to be content with a slower built up.

Here's to slow cookin' playoff hockey :o)

Did you see...
 
Blonde Jazz diva, Diana Krall at Saturday night's game? Kind of makes ya think about another Blond Diva in the Country Music scene hanging out at the Preds games...Carrie Underwood (wife to Mike Fisher). Do I smell a new rivalry cooking between Jazz and Country? BC's Krall takes on  Nashville's Underwood...Krall sits in the stands and that's pretty cool, but if I am not mistaken, every shot I've seen of Underwood, she's up in a suite somewhere. Rivalries gotta start somewhere....
 
Go Nucks...Go Krall!!!

Vancouver Canucks/Nashville Predators….so Much in Common!





By Lisa Ovens

I dub this series “The Series of Distinguished Acknowledgements”. Look at the potential hardware both teams are up for winning in June at the NHL awards…

The Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year (Alain Vigneault, Barry Trotz)

The Vezina Award for Goal Tender (Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne)

The Norris Award for best defender (Shea Weber and his fabulous playoff beard)

The Selke Award for Best defensive forward (Ryan Kesler)

The Hart Trophy for most Valuable Player (Daniel Sedin)

Now that’s a lot of acknowledgement! (Please note I only listed nominees from the teams in this series)

Little Engines that Could

On a more mental level…if there is one big similarity between these Semi Final opponents, is how they both finished their first rounds….on incredibly high notes! The Predators had to win Round One. There was no other way. After losing their way out of the playoffs via the first round during five other attempts, it meant the world to their resilient fans to finally get through to the right side of the Quarter Finals. Heck I remember when the Preds had a devil of a time trying to secure a playoff win on the road! So having that Game Six victory, and at home in front of their chant crazy fans, was the bomb.

On the other side of this series, the Vancouver Canucks, stuck in what felt like a never ending post- season tango with the Chicago Blackhawks, also had to win Round One just so they could say “we beat them…we finally beat the Hawks in the playoffs!”. There was no other way. It took until an overtime goal in Game Seven to pull it off., and it all went down in front of the hometown fans. Talk about a high note!

Now these two teams are facing each other after both exercising some Stanley Cup Playoff demons. But for these best of seven games, the Predators are in unchartered territory, and the Canucks, not so much: they now have to exercise another demon, getting to the winning side of round two. The Nucks haven’t done this since 1994.

Where's The Love?

Thanks to the two days of the local media billing this as a boring hockey series before a puck was even dropped, the Nucks and the Preds might not be feeling the love they deserve right now. If you saw game one on Thursday night, you would have noticed the empty seats at Rogers Arena. It was the game no one wanted to attend. Are the ticket prices too high, or are we just not a serious hockey town, populated by superficial people that demand confirmation this will be good hockey entertainment prior to committing any time, emotions or cash. All I can say “It’s Playoff Hockey people, what more do you really need?”

Anybody But the Canucks!!

So Canuck haters have quickly jumped onto the Preds bandwagon. May the Nashville Predators enjoy this new found popularity and may it make their first Semi Final appearance all the more special.

On my turf, it’s pretty clear the Canucks are not Canada’s team. Too many Canadian hockey fans dislike us out here on the left coast and can not bring themselves to cheer with us. Cyberspace is full of hate. Oh yeah, I’ve been walking through it, and much like avoiding dog poop on Yaletown sidewalks, I’m stepping aside the steaming piles around the cyber space hockey communities.

All of this hate, kind a makes it more fun!
Go Nucks!

Don Cherry Suit Watch: Keepin' Up with the Jackets!

by Lisa Ovens

The last few days have been busy, and with a few more Don Cherry/ Coach's Corner appearances than normal, I'm behind on the posting So...up first, April 26th...

Look...it's a blast from the past! Don resurrects a look from back in the day when he coached the Boston Bruins. Nice touch, Grapes!

Then it was his choice for the Vancouver Canucks/Chicago Blackhawks Game Seven broadcast...

Wow...just wow. I was in a loud bar that night; almost as loud as this pattern! I had no idea what Don was talking about because I couldn't hear him, but that jacket was speaking volumes!

Hmmm....this one certainly draws the eye to the middle. Not sure why it looks off, which is uncharacteristic for Don. Hockey Night in Canada's is down to covering one Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks. Here is the Vancouver Canucks/Nashville Predator's Round Two Schedule...

Game One     6pm Thurs. April 28  - Vancouver
Game Two    6 pm Sat. April 30th- Vancouver
Game Three  6 pm Tues. May 3rd- Nashville
Game Four   5:30pm Thurs. May 5th- Nashville
Game Five     5 pm Sat. May 7th- Vancouver
Game Six      Mon. May 9th- Nashville (start time TBA)
Game Seven   Wed. May 7th- Vancouver (start time TBA)

For everything Hockey Night in Canada/ Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, including video segments of Coach's Corner, please click this link! Lots of fun stuff :o)

Happy Playoffs!!

Report from Nashville: A Hockey Franchise Grows Up

By Marie Miesel

Let’s rewind 72 hours. It’s Easter Sunday in the buckle of the Bible belt. A day usually spent at church and with family. But this Easter was also a high holy hockey day. Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. After a dramatic Good Friday OT win, the Preds came home with a 3-2 series lead. A chance to win a playoff series for the first time in 6 tries. Having exorcised the ghost of last season’s Game 5 meltdown in Chicago, we were ready to watch hopefully a handshake on our home ice where we were the winning team. Such dread and such hope mixed together. The crowd was large for the pregame warm-ups. Questions loomed. Could we contain the Finnish Flash and the Perry Express one more time? As a previous year’s playoff slogan went Questions Will Be Answered. With our gold rally towels in hand and Pierre Maguire Inside the Glass, we settled in.

We got off to a rocky start with Teemu Selanne scoring his 6th goal in 6 games. I have always liked him as a player, was happy when he finally won a Cup in 07 but man did he make our team look silly. In the previous 5 games, the team that scored first won the game. Nerves were wound a little tighter. Nick Spaling a 3-4th line guy and PKer extraordinaire put a pass from Jordin Tootoo in the last minute of the first to knot the score at 1-1. In the second, the 2 old men and kid 4th line (Steve Sullivan, J P Dumont and Blake Geoffrion) put us up 2-1.

We give the Ducks a PP (very bad idea) near the end of the second period. Jason Blake makes it 2-2 going into the third. It looked like we had gone up 3-2 when Patric Hornqvist appeared to score on a deflection. It was waived off due a high stick. Nick Spaling and Jordin Tootoo team up again and the Preds go up 3-2. Hope was getting a little stronger. But then, (cue music of doom) Mike Fisher goes off for tripping at the 8 minute mark. It was one of the longest 2 minutes I’ve ever experienced. After that, it was holding on for dear life and watching the clock wind down.

Anaheim pulls their goalie. But Saku Koivu gets called for interference on Sergei Kostitsyn in the last minute. The countdown was on. David Legwand, our very first draft picks and EN expert, put home the final nail, 4-2 Preds. It was a very emotional moment. People were crying, hugging and cheering their hearts out. We have waited so long and endured so much to get to this moment. A shout out to the Day One fans who stuck with it through the horrible expansion years, the Balsille takeover attempt and the aching disappointment of 5 first round exits.

Lisa’s Canucks are now on our dance card. They will be favored, as they should be, being the best team in the league this year. But don’t count the Preds out. We are led by Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Pekka Rinne and cast of mostly unknowns who play their hearts out every night. And a fanbase who’s passion can no longer be overlooked.

Many hockey elitists have wanted us moved, have called us uneducated rednecks, have put down our city and our state. To all you, have a nice day because the Preds are playing in May!

Pierre McGuire from TSN comments on Nashville...

 "It was a spectacular event and I have to tell you guys this right now. What blew me away more than anything else was post game. The amount of people that were crying because they were happy. The amount of people that said thank you for supporting our franchise. The amount of people that said we really appreciate your network covering our games. I was blown away by the hospitality, by the humbleness, by the polite nature of the fan base here and it’s not just me. There were so many Canadian people at this game. A lot of people obviously view Nashville as a destination type area where you come and you watch … go to museums … you go to the Grand Ole Opry … you listen to country music. It’s just a destination location. And it’s a lot of fun. I was blown away by how many people enjoy this team, by how many people care about the future of this franchise, and by the passion of their fan base. This is a winner. Nashville is a winner. Hats off to Gary Bettman. He had the vision to let this thing play itself out. It’s playing itself out right now. This is one of the better franchises in the league in terms of talent on the ice. This is a very positive thing for the league. Very positive".

Report from Nashville: The Agony and the Ecstasy

Games Four and Five

by Marie Miesel

Game 4 was also in Smashville. Good crowd though a little nervous. Could the Preds take a 3-1 series lead? Would our Vezina trophy candidate goalie get back to his regular season form? Would our D hold up under the onslaught of the Perry Express and the Finnish Flash? For two periods we held on, but in the third the flood gates opened starting with a shorthanded goal from Corey Perry. When it was all said and done the Ducks came away with a 6-3 win. Visions of previous playoff failures danced in our heads that night.


Game 5 was back in Anaheim. We scored the first goal; a pretty pass from Jordin Tootoo to Kevin Klein put us up 1-0 after one. The Ducks Jason Blake scored on the PP to even things up in the second. Poor Shane O’Brien. He’s taken a penalty in every game and the Ducks have scored on the ensuing PP each time. Love his toughness but his hockey IQ perhaps isn’t the highest. Tied 1-1 going into the third, Pred Nation held it’s breath as the period began. Forty seconds into the period, Bobby Ryan, back after a two game suspension, scored what many consider to be the goal of the playoffs so far. Poor David Legwand, he was still looking for his shorts on the way to the plane. And can I just say that I really hate it when our team ends up being on someone else’s highlight reel.

We fought back. Joel Ward tied it up. The Ducks re-took the lead on another Jason Blake goal. Most of us figured oh well we’re done. Another playoff failure. But something magical happened. History was made. With 38 seconds left, with our goalie on the bench, Mike Fisher wins the faceoff in the Ducks zone. The puck makes it way to our Captain Shea Weber who wrists it past Ray Emery. Tie Game! Less than 2 minutes into the overtime period, Jordin Tootoo fishes the puck out from the left half wall and puts it on Jerred Smithson’s stick. Jerred buries it for a 4-3 win. The first Game 5 win, the first OT win, and the first time we have been up 3-2 in a series. NHL.com even has a “History will be Made” commercial for us now. History believes in firsts.



Now for fans like Lisa Ovens and Jan Snyder, Game 5 wins and first round series wins are old hat. They’ve been there before. We haven’t. We’ve watched the handshake with the winning team on our ice five times. We are a blue collar, non superstar team from a small non-traditional market. As I said in a previous column, these guys are our family. We rejoice and mourn with them. We fought tooth and nail to keep the team here when everyone outside of Nashville wanted them moved. And to be this close to breaking through and proving that we do belong is exciting and terrifying all at the same time.

 But at 5 pm CT today, the Bridge will be rocking once again. And I and my fellow citizens of Pred Nation will be there, hoping that history will be made once again.

Report from Nashville: Game Three in Smashville

by Marie Meisel

Unlike Lisa and Jan, my boys started their quarterfinal series in Anaheim, California. Game 1 was a 4-1 Preds win. Our captain, Shea Weber scored on the power play and they bore down after that. Game 2 was a 5-3 loss with the last goal being an empty netter. They got behind the 8 ball in the first 5 minutes by putting the Ducks on the power play. Two goals later and the Preds were fighting for their lives. They pulled back to within 1 at 4-3 but couldn’t force the overtime. The Ducks definitely play with an edge and sometimes they cross the line. Late in the game Bobby Ryan stomped on Jonathan Blum’s foot trying to get the puck away from him. This was a costly decision as he is now suspended for the 2 games in Nashville.

Which brings us to Sunday and Game 3 at the Bridgestone Arena and TSN was in the house. The area in between the team benches are usually sold seats but we got Pierre Maguire Inside the Glass instead. The team put on a pre game party on the plaza in front of the arena. But at 5 pm CT, we were ready to rock the Bridge. I hope the folks watching the game on TV got a sense of the intensity of the crowd. Hopefully, it will put to rest some of the critics who say we don’t “get” hockey down here. You better believe we do. We were loud from the player intros on. It was amazing to be a part of such passionate crowd.

Jerred Smithson took a penalty in the first 5 minutes and the Ducks dangerous power play went to work. We managed to kill it off and got on the board with our first goal on the power play. We have had a power play goal in each of the 3 games which is amazing considering our power play has been an Achilles heel for us all season. Jordin Tootoo put a puck home mere minutes later. In fact, our arena announcer (Paul McCann) was announcing Erat’s goal when Jordin scored. We were up 2-0 after one and feeling pretty good. The second period saw the parade to the penalty box continue. Then the ducks went on the power play again and Teemu Selanne made us pay. He scored again 30 seconds later when the puck took a funny bounce off our boards and popped right onto his stick. We took the lead back with a goal from David Legwand. The ducks tied it up. Mike Fisher scored the game winner and the last 8 minutes were tense as we held off the Ducks. The relief and joy that roared through the building when the final buzzer went off was awesome.

Many citizens of Pred Nation were hoarse, nursing upset stomachs and feeling their heart rates return to normal on Monday after such a game. But you can be sure that we will be back loud and proud again on Wednesday night for Game 4.

The Life of a Fan in a Non-Traditional Market

The Nashville Predators are about to launch their sixth campaign in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet, many hockey fans are still in the dark when it comes to all things hockey in Nashville. And that's about to change once you read the following guest column from one of the Predators most passionate fans...

by Marie Miesel

As I look out my apartment window, I can see a magnolia tree. Not in bloom but will be in a month or two. I am a Nashville Predators fan and this about what it’s like to live in a non-traditional market.

I actually got into hockey because I had a massive crush on guy who was a Blackhawks fan. This was back in the 80s and ESPN was carrying games. I got to see Wayne Gretzky and company work their magic. I was also friends with guys who were fans of the Bruins, Rangers and North Stars. I got away from hockey when I moved to South Carolina for graduate school and bounced around after that. Fast forward to 2006. I had gotten a day job had a little extra money and decided to rekindle my love of this great game. I ended up going to 20+ games and the playoffs by the time that season was done. The summer of 2007 was gut wrenching with the Balsille affair and all that surrounded it. I got a full season ticket after the team was saved. The standing ovation at our last home game against St. Louis that season was a thing of beauty and power. All the pain, tears, and uncertainty came pouring out in one spontaneous roar.

Fans in Nashville are always getting ragged on because we didn’t grow up with hockey, we don’t get snow or ice (false by the way, we had over 10 inches of snow this winter), and we don’t care like our brethren north of the border do. Bull. We may be small in number but we are big on heart. You see southern hospitality is not just a phrase, we live it. We say hi in the grocery line, we help when there is a need (May floods and We Are Nashville) and we respect people’s privacy.



Many country music stars make their homes here year round. You learn very quickly to treat them with courtesy and let them go about their business. We treat our hockey team the same way. Steve Sullivan, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter etc don’t have to worry about being harassed by an angry fan when they are just trying to have a family dinner. More over, these guys are family. They are our brothers, sons, cousins etc. We take them into our hearts and embrace them as our own. Steve Sullivan plans on retiring here and JP Dumont and his family stay here year round. Retired Predators, Wade Belak and Stu Grimson, also are now full time residents of Music City. We have no state income tax and the guys have plenty of opportunities to work on their golf game because of our mild climate.

The flip side of course is that this is football country and the Predators often get the short shrift in the mainstream media. However, the Predators have been very forward in promoting social media, credentialing bloggers and allowing them access. We grow new fans by breeding them or introducing them to the game by taking them to one. We are building a tradition here. Youth hockey participation has tripled since the predators were founded and we have even been able to draft one of our own, Blake Geoffrion.

On most nights our barn is loud. The Canadian media and fans love to point out all our empty seats, forgetting the empty seats in the United Center and other places when those more traditional teams were not so successful. Opposing fans, however, are amazed at how much our fans really get into the games. No sitting on hands in our house. We have a repertory of chants usually led by Cellblock 303. Woe to an opposing goalie when we score, a ref who makes an egregious error, or just a player who’s universally disliked. And our newest tradition, the standing O during a TV time out. No megatron, no music, just 17k fans screaming, whistling and clapping for their boys.

Amazingly enough this little team that the pundits look down on, has made it to the post season 6 out of the last 7 years. We have yet to win a playoff series but hope springs eternal in the land of dogwoods and azeleas. And I will be there with my fellow citizens of Pred Nation when the puck drops for Game 3 on April 17th.

Guest Column: An Unlikely Friendship

by Marie Miesel
I am fairly active on the Nashville Predators message boards. There is a poster who goes by the screen name 29Dryden29 from London, Ontario. Bet you can’t guess who his favorite team is? Yep, he is a diehard 3rd generation Montreal Canadiens fan. And yes, he is the classic obnoxious Canadiens fan. He was one of the folks who put down a deposit on the Hamilton Predators. So he could see his beloved Habs, of course. But despite this elitist front, he has a human side. He cares deeply about his children and it shows when he occasionally posts about them.

In reviewing the Predators schedule last season, I noted that the Canadiens were coming to Nashville for the one game we play them a year. It was also on a Saturday night. I decided to reach out to this mysterious 29Dryden and asked if he would like to come to Nashville and see his team play. After all, seeing them in Nashville would be very cheap compared to a game at the Bell Centre.

He was quite amused by my diplomatic efforts. After making the necessary arrangements, he and his father made the trip for the November date with the Canadiens. We even had a wager between us. Loser wears winner’s jersey around town that night.

Dryden and his father did the tourist thing downtown on Friday. Friday evening some folks gathered at a local pub called The Flying Saucer. We had a nice evening of hockey talk along with the obligatory razzing from the two Habs fans with us. Saturday they went out to a shooting range with another board member while I worked. Saturday evening was the game. They were unimpressed by our arena, our crowd (unfortunately it was not a sell out) and our team.
However, “I like it, I love it” echoed twice during the game and we won 2-0. Kudos to Carey Price for 45 saves in a losing effort. And so the proud Habs fan had to exchange his Vezina Habs jersey for a Bonk Predators one for the rest of the evening. It was quite comical. Sunday I took them out to the pre-flood Opryland Hotel. It’s a sprawling complex with indoor gardens and even a tiny river. And then they hit the road back to London, Ontario.

And that might have been the end of it. Dryden continues to post on our message boards. He and I have talk regularly about our teams, the state of the NHL and other hockey related topics. I was able to visit him this summer and went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto (swoon). And yes he still gives me grief about being a Predators fan but that is to be expected; after all he is The Pompous Habs fan.

- Marie is a long time hockey fan, a Nashville Predators season ticket holder and an occasional guest columnist at Lisa's Lounge

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are HERE!!!

by Lisa Ovens

I can't be the only chick out there who sets up a second TV on the entertainment shelf mid April every year, am I? Woot! The 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived!!

I enjoyed CBC Sports playoff intro featuring the sound bytes of champions expressing feelings about their playoff experiences. And as always, I pay attention to Hockey Night in Canada host Ron Maclean's first words on the playoffs. he likes to be eloquent, that Ron, and he always skates dangerously close to becoming a parody of himself with his poignant words...

"It's not the mountains we trip over, it's the pebbles."

"Tell someone about the things they treasure most, and you are on the road to their heart."

And on that note...let's talk Brady Bunch!! (like MacLean could pull off a seque like this)

The Seeding of Playoff teams, According to The Brady Bunch Kids

Eastern Conference

Marcia and Greg Teams
Washington Capitals
 New Jersey Devils
 Buffalo Sabres

Cindy and Bobby teams
Boston Bruins
Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadiens

Peter and Jan teams
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins

Western Conference

Marcia and Greg Teams
San Jose Sharks
Chicago Blackhawks
Vancouver Canucks

Cindy and Bobby Teams
Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
Colorado Avalanche

Peter and Jan Teams
Phoenix Coyotes
Detroit Red Wings

Wow...imagine that, the mighty Detroit Red Wings and defending Stanley Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins are Peter and Jan Teams. It just doesn't make sense!

Wondering what the seeding of playoff teams and the Brady Bunch have in common? The only way to know the answer is to read Hockey & High Heels!

Lisa's First Round Picks : Eastern Conference

Senators vs. Penguins

I do like the fact that Senators goaltender, Brian Elliot counts his childhood memories pretending he's playing in a game seven of the Stanley Cup Final during neighbourhood road hockey games as "playoff experience". It's rather endearing, but may not be enough to keep the Penguins from taking over this series.  

So, I'll take the Penguins, but only because deep down inside, the boys aren't ready to leave Mellon Arena just yet. (These playoffs games will be the last time they go to work at the Igloo, before moving across the street to the new arena for the 2010/11 season)

Flyers vs. Devils

I like the Flyers, because I lika the Orange Crush. That's a silly reason. I really don't know what else to say, as these two teams are my least favourite in the east. The Flyers are the lesser of two evils...get it? Devils, evil. Oh, whatever.

Capitals vs. Canadiens

Capitals...because if they don't, they'll be another step closer to becoming the "Sharks of the East".

Bruins vs. Sabres

For Ryan Miller's sake, I pick the Sabres. he was so awesome for team USA during the 2010 Winter Olympics, I'd like to see the city of Buffalo revel in some glory.

Western Conference

Avalanche vs. Sharks

What do the Avs have to lose here? Nothing. Wouldn't it be funny if that is the main reason they beat the Sharks? Seriously, I am cheering for the Avs to stop the all of the pundit wondering that goes on about the Sharks committment to winning in the post season once and for all.

Predators vs. Blackhawks

The Predators...they want to experience the "Peter and Jan Brady" round of the SC Playoffs, the Semi Finals, for the first time, really bad. (Could I use more commas??) Seriously though I admit I am still bitter from last year's playoffs and want those plucky Preds to boot the Hawks into next season, pronto!

Kings vs. Canucks

I am so happy for the Los Angeles Kings fans (especially for the ones that I know personally) that they will enjoy some playoff action after all of these years!! Yes, exactly one round of playoff action before my Canucks move onto the second round. Sorry girls, but if my Nucks don't get their butts into the Conference Finals, I just might have to become a Kings season ticket holder. That means someone has to get me a job down there and help me find a place to live. Girls, do you really want that on your list of things to do???

Red Wings vs. Coyotes

Whoever wins, I just want this to be a full seven game experience for the resilient hockey fans in Phoenix. They deserve that more than most people know. And by most people I mean those ones who are convinced there are only fourteen hockey fans in that city. BTW, Nice whiteout, Coyotes faithful!
It's hard for me not to pick the Red Wings to win this series. They just know how to deal, those Wings. They deal with everything so well; whatever the storm, they deal with it. They are by definition, Retrosexual Men.

Welcoming a New Guest Columnist...

Not long ago, Marie in Nashville emailed me about attending the Predators State of the Franchise meeting for season ticket holders. She offered to write about the event and share it with our readers at hockeyandhighheels.com.


Meetings like this are a common occurance this time of year around the NHL, and I am more than interested to learn about how other teams treat their most important investors, the fans.

I enjoyed reading Marie's account of "The Predator Way"published below, and I hope you do too.


PS: FYI, the byline pic of Marie you see below was taken at another Predator event, a much more formal event, hense the lovely strapless gown (you look fabulous, Marie!)




IceJerseys.com - Shop Now!

Skate of the Union

Nashville Predators State of the Franchise Meeting

By Marie M.

-Nashville Tennessee

I ducked out of work early on July 23rd to attend the state of the franchise meeting for my beloved Nashville Predators. I arrived just after 5 pm and got in the autograph line. JP Dumont and two of our prospects, Cody Franson and Mark Dekanich were signing. I had brought my jersey. I asked Cody if we were going to see him in our "laundry" this season and he said he sure hoped so! He’s been working out at local training facility getting ready to make his debut with the big boys. I met up with my friends Robin and Tony a little after that. We ran into different folks we knew, saw Steve Sullivan aka "Sully" with the Masterson Trophy posing for pictures. There was also an equipment sale but neither Robin nor I were interested in that.

There was a highlight reel playing on the Megatron. Some clips included Willie O’Ree’s visit and our rivalry with the Wings. The meeting started with some nice highlights from last year and features on Colin Wilson and Ryan Ellis. The meeting was moderated by Pete Weber our play by play guy. David Freeman from the ownership group spoke first. He talked about the Predator Way: 1. Scouting and developing talent; 2. consistency with our coaching staff; 3. David Poile’s steady and classy management; and most important of all, the passionate and knowledgeable fan base. He wouldn’t trade us for any other fan base in the league.

Second was Ed Lang for the business side of things: the 2/20 plan had done well.(The plan allows you to purchase season tickets for 2 years at the current rate and have 20 months to pay it off). He reviewed the schedule which includes 15 Sat games, a Friday and a Sunday game. We will also have our own version of March Madness with 17 games in the month with 10 of them at home. They are looking to repeat some promotions like the Military Mondays (discounted tickets for the military, Fort Campbell, home of the 101st is just up the road so the military is a big deal around here). The usual promises to upgrade concessions were made (yeah, right). Among other things he mentioned were that we sent 13 squirt/pee wee players to the Ace’s Got Skills national competition and 3 came back national champions. (Not bad, eh!)

David Poile was up next. He spoke about re-signing Sully and Joel Ward and how important it was for the team. Sully twitters so one of Poile’s staff knew the deal was made before Poile had a chance to tell him. We hired former player Martin Gelinas as director of player development. Martin was very popular here the one year he played and was an excellent mentor to Jordin Tootoo in particular. Our first goal is to get back to the playoffs. To do that, we will be relying on our core group of players, Sully, Arnott, Dumont, Erat, Legwand and our stud D corp. of Suter, Weber and Hammius. These guys will supplemented by our younger guys from Milwaukee who Poile feels are ready to get their chance at the Big Show. He, of course, was Mr. Positive that we can and will get back to the playoffs this coming season.

Lastly we heard from Sully and JP. Both were incredibly complimentary about the city and the fans. They love playing here and living here. JP said, “You made us feel welcome and part of your families.” They both spoke about the now tradition of a spontaneous standing ovation during a TV timeout. It started at the end of the ’08-‘09 season during our last home game with St. Louis when we knew we had made into the playoffs after a season of turmoil, fears, tears and joy. We don’t do every game, but when the crowd senses the boys need a lift, we get it going. Opposing players are amazed and perplexed by it, of course. Our guys love it and totally feed off it.

The guys were positive about the upcoming season and look forward to getting back on the ice. There was a Q & A session afterwards. Mr. Poile confirmed that Alexander Radulov is not coming back this season. Mr. Freeman acknowledged the need to get more butts in seats to increase our revenue. JP likes watching Alexander Ovechkin on the highlights.
And on a more personal level: Mr. Poile became a grandfather this summer.

The turnout was not great but it was a weeknight. I think we had around 1000 fans there, which is still pretty good for the middle of summertime in Nashville.