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Nashville Predators
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1998
History	Nashville Predators 1998-present
Arena	Nashville Arena
City	Nashville, Tennessee
Local Media Affiliates	FSN South WGFX (104.5 FM) WNSR (560 AM) WRLT (100.1 FM)
Team Colors	Navy Blue, Silver, Light Blue, and Gold
Owner	Craig Leipold
General Manager	David Poile
Head Coach	Barry Trotz
Captain	Kimmo Timonen
Minor League Affiliates	Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) Rockford IceHogs (UHL) New Mexico Scorpions (CHL)
Stanley Cups	None
Conference Championships	None
Division Championships	None

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Their name is sometimes shortened to the "Preds."

Contents 1 Franchise history 1.1 2005-06 season 1.2 2006-07 season 2 Catfish throwing 3 Section 303 4 Season-by-season record 5 Notable players 5.1 Current roster 5.2 Team captains 5.3 Hall of Famers 5.4 Retired numbers 5.5 First-round draft picks 5.6 Franchise scoring leaders 6 NHL awards and trophies 7 Franchise individual records 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

The team was named after the fossil skull of a saber-toothed cat—a species extinct for at least 10,000 years—that was found in August 1971, in a cave during the excavation for the AmSouth Center in downtown Nashville. The fossil is only the fifth of its kind found in North America.

When awarded a franchise, the Predators got a very lucrative deal. The city of Nashville paid 31.25% of the $80-million fee to join the league. The city also absorbs operating losses from the arena, despite the fact that the Nashville Arena is operated by a subsidiary of the team.[1]

The Predators first took the ice on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1-0 at home to the Florida Panthers. Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 for their first win. Forward Andrew Brunette scored the first goal on a play that was reviewed by the video goal judge.

In the 2003-04 NHL season, the Predators, under coach Barry Trotz, finished eighth in the Western Conference and made their first trip to the playoffs. The rival Detroit Red Wings beat them in six games in the quarterfinal.

In 2005-06, the Predators set an NHL record by winning their first four games by one goal each (although two of those were shootout victories, which would have been tie games in previous seasons). They also became only the fourth NHL franchise to start the season 8-0; the last time a team did so was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who set the mark with a 10-0 start in 1993. The Buffalo Sabres tied the Leafs' record in 2006. The Predators set the franchise mark for wins in a season with a 2-0 shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes on March 16, 2006. In that match, Chris Mason became the ninth goaltender to score a goal. By the end of the season, the Predators had accumulated 106 points—their first 100-point season—and clinched home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. They finished the season with an NHL-best 32-8-1 record at home.

In the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Predators faced the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Sharks beat them in five games.

The Predators acquired veteran center Jason Arnott from free agency on July 2, 2006. He currently leads the team in goals, with 27. Late in the season, the Predators traded Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent, a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for five-time NHL all-star Peter Forsberg. Forsberg has 11 points in 11 games with the Predators.

The Predators are currently ranked number one in the Western Conference, and second in the NHL (the Predators have the same amount of points as the Buffalo Sabres, but have one more loss, putting them in second overall).

Fans of the Nashville Predators have created their own unique tradition to show their support: on occasion, a fan will throw a catfish onto the ice. The Tennessean^[1] newspaper in Nashville cites the first instance of this on October 30, 2003. At least four catfish were thrown onto the ice after the first Nashville goal on November 13, 2003.

The Detroit Red Wings have a similar tradition where fans sometimes throw an octopus onto the ice, with the creature's eight legs symbolizing the eight wins it once took the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. It is likely a fan decided to create a Southern tradition, and the catfish — a Southern trademark — was a fairly logical choice.

The Nashville Predators have a loyal fanbase, as do many professional and non-professional sports teams. Of particular notice is the extremely vocal and relatively organized Section 303, whom describe themselves as the "loudest section of the loudest arena in the NHL". The section, located in the upper section of the arena, has been recognized by the Predators front office, who printed a banner to display on the wall of the arena immediately behind the rowdy section. Predators owner Craig Leipold has also recognized the Cellblock (as they are known) by stopping by the section at the end of the Predator's second season in Nashville and giving praise^[2] to the fans by way of bowing to them in a manner similar to that popularized by that of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in the recurring Saturday Night Live sketch and subsequent movies Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season	GP	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1998-99	82	28	47	7	—	63	190	261	1420	4th, Central	Did not qualify
1999-00	82	28	40	7	7	70	199	240	946	4th, Central	Did not qualify
2000-01	82	34	36	9	3	80	186	200	944	3rd, Central	Did not qualify
2001-02	82	28	41	13	0	69	196	230	1071	4th, Central	Did not qualify
2002-03	82	27	35	13	7	74	183	206	969	4th, Central	Did not qualify
2003-04	82	38	29	11	4	91	216	217	1360	3rd, Central	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-4 (Red Wings)
2004-051	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2005-062	82	49	25	—	8	106	259	227	1489	2nd, Central	Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 1-4 (Sharks)
2006-073 (SA)	82	51	23	—	8	110	272	212	1147	2nd, Central	Will Play (San Jose Sharks in Quarter Finals starting Wednesday, April 11)
Totals	656	283	276	60	37	663	1701	1793	9346	—	—

¹ Season was cancelled because of the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

² As of the 2005-06 NHL season, all games will have a winner; the OTL column includes SOL (Shootout losses).

³ Through Saturday, April 7, 2007

As of March 25, 2007. [2]

Goaltenders
#		Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
29		Tomas Vokoun	R	1998	Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia
30		Chris Mason	L	2003	Red Deer, Alberta

Defencemen
#		Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2		Dan Hamhuis	L	2001	Smithers, British Columbia
3		Marek Zidlicky	R	2002	Most, Czechoslovakia
4		Vitaly Vishnevski	L	2007	Kharkiv, U.S.S.R.
5		Greg Zanon	L	2004	Burnaby, British Columbia
6		Shea Weber	R	2003	Sicamous, British Columbia
20		Ryan Suter	L	2003	Madison, Wisconsin
44		Kimmo Timonen - C	L	1998	Kuopio, Finland

Forwards
#		Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
9		Paul Kariya - A	LW	L	2005	Vancouver, British Columbia
10		Martin Erat (Injured)	RW	L	1999	Trebic, Czechoslovakia
11		David Legwand	C	L	1998	Detroit, Michigan
12		Scott Nichol	C	R	2005	Edmonton, Alberta
16		Darcy Hordichuk	LW	L	2005	Kamsack, Saskatchewan
17		Scott Hartnell	LW	L	2000	Regina, Saskatchewan
19		Jason Arnott - A	C	R	2006	Wasaga Beach, Ontario
21		Peter Forsberg	C	L	2007	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
22		Jordin Tootoo	RW	R	2001	Churchill, Manitoba
25		Jerred Smithson	C	R	2004	Vernon, British Columbia
26		Steve Sullivan - A (Injured)	LW	R	2004	Timmins, Ontario
38		Vernon Fiddler	C	L	2002	Edmonton, Alberta
47		Alexander Radulov	RW	L	2004	Nizhni Tagil, U.S.S.R.
71		J.P. Dumont	RW	L	2006	Montreal, Quebec

• Tom Fitzgerald, 1998-2002
• Greg Johnson, 2002-2006
• Kimmo Timonen, 2006- present

• None

• 99 Wayne Gretzky, number retired league-wide February 6, 2000

• 1998: David Legwand (2nd overall)
• 1999: Brian Finley (6th overall)
• 2000: Scott Hartnell (6th overall)
• 2001: Dan Hamhuis (12th overall)
• 2002: Scottie Upshall (6th overall)
• 2003: Ryan Suter (7th overall)
• 2004: Alexander Radulov (15th overall)
• 2005: Ryan Parent (18th overall)
• 2006: None

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history, through 2005-06. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Predators player

Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Kimmo Timonen*	D	573	79	212	301	.53
David Legwand*	C	484	106	177	283	.58
Scott Walker	RW	410	96	151	247	.60
Greg Johnson	C	502	93	145	238	.47
Cliff Ronning	C	301	81	145	226	.75
Scott Hartnell*	LW	436	93	118	211	.48
Martin Erat*	LW	330	62	132	194	.59
Paul Kariya*	LW	164	55	106	161	.98
Steve Sullivan*	LW	150	62	96	158	1.05
Marek Zidlicky*	D	228	30	102	132	.58

Lester Patrick Trophy

• David Poile: 2000-01

• Most goals in a season: Steve Sullivan & Paul Kariya, 31 (2005-06)
• Most assists in a season: Paul Kariya, 54 (2005-06)
• Most points in a season: Paul Kariya, 85 (2005-06)
• Most penalty minutes in a season: Patrick Cote, 242 (1998-99)
• Most points in a season, defenceman: Kimmo Timonen, 55 (2006-07)
• Most points in a season, rookie: Alexander Radulov, 37 (2006-07)
• Most wins in a season: Tomas Vokoun, 36 (2005-06)
• Most shutouts in a season: Chris Mason & Tomas Vokoun, 5 (2006-07)

1. ^ Tennessean.com, Catfish hunters: Fans throw a curve at Preds
2. ^ Section 303, History of Section 303

• List of Nashville Predators players
• Head Coaches of the Nashville Predators
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons

• Official website of the Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators Head Coaches
Trotz

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