“The 10” is an original article series offering interesting, unique and sometimes not so well known factoids. As the Preds begin Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Jets, we wanted to highlight some interesting facts about them.
The Preds play the Winnipeg Jets tonight at 7pm at Bridgestone Arena.
1The Predators Logo Inspired by an Archaeological Find
In 1971 when construction workers were drilling and what is today the 28 story UBS Tower in downtown Franklin, they found a cave containing a nine-inch fang and foreleg bone of a saber-toothed tiger, extinct for at least 10,000 years. Twenty-six years later when Nashville’s hockey team needed a logo, the saber tooth tiger came to mind. The saber-toothed tiger logo was co-designed by JDK Design of Burlington, Vermont and Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence of Nashville. And the cave has been preserved for historic and educational purposes.
2Fans Chose Team Name
The franchise held a vote with the fans to choose a team name. Initially, there were 75 names in contention and the list was shortened to four for the official vote: The Ice Tigers, Fury, Attack and Predators.
3P.K. Subban is an Olympic Medalist
Subban’s talents were recognized by the league in 2014 when he was chosen to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. With Canada being so prevalent on the hockey tip, the team was stacked with talent and easily came home with the gold medal and the dub.
4Goalie History Made During Preds First Playoff Run
In the 2003-2004 season the Predators made the playoffs for the first time and Tomas Vokoun, goalie at that time, recorded the first shutout in the history against Detroit. He stopped 41 shots giving a victory with impressive score of 3-0.Also he was the first goaltender to make this record in the history.
5Players from 6 Different Countries Make Up the Team
The Preds team is comprised of players from six different countries: five Americans, eight Canadians, three Swiss, three Swedes, four Finns and one Russian
6Throwing Catfish on the Ice is a Decade Old Tradition
Even if you’re not a huge Preds fan, you’ve probably heard of fans throwing catfish on the ice.
While throwing catfish onto the ice is foreign to most, it’s a tradition in Music City going all the way back to 2002. The story really starts in Detroit with Red Wings fans tossing dead octopuses onto the ice. During the 1952 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a Detroit fan threw an octopus over the glass. An octopus has eight legs and those eight legs represented how many games the Red Wings needed to win to hoist the ’52 Cup. They won the Cup that year so it has been a tradition ever since.
As for Predators fans throwing catfish onto the ice, it all began on October 26, 2002 when the Preds were hosting the Red Wings of course. The 2002-03 season was just the Preds fifth season in franchise history and there really wasn’t a ‘tradition’ so to speak with Nashville hockey so a fan mimicked the Red Wings and decided to toss a catfish over the glass.
7Bringing Wooden Train Whistles to Home Games Used to be a Thing
Jordin Tootoo was a fan favorite during his Preds reign from 2003-2012. To support him, fans began bringing wooden train whistles to the games.(“toot toot,” get it).
8Roman Josi Hits the Tennis Court in the Off Season
In the off season, Josi stays fit by getting on the tennis court. Josi shared that his interest in tennis deepened when fellow Swedish athlete Roger Federer first began his rise to prominence in the early 2000s, reports nhl.com.
9First Hat Trick Scored in 1999
Right winger Rob Valicevic scored the first Hat-Trick on November 10, 1999, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
10If Forsberg Weren’t a Hokey Player…….
When asked what other job he could see himself doing if he weren’t a hockey player, Filip Forsberg told Celebrity Sweat he could see himself doing TV/news.
