Nashville Continues to Succeed Despite Limited Recognition

The Nashville Predators should revel in the spotlight they have been placed under after upsetting the second-seeded Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. The Predators are constantly overlooked by the NHL community despite their annual success in a difficult division with a small-market payroll.

Unlike other expansion or relocated franchises in the South who play against each other in the Southeast Division, the Predators play in the Central Division against the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and the aforementioned Blackhawks. The Red Wings and Blackhawks were two of the Original Six franchises in the NHL and the Blues joined the league in 1967 when the NHL added another six teams.

Since the 1980s the Red Wings have dominated the NHL. Appearing in the last two Stanley Cup Finals (winning in 2008), the Wings have made the playoffs for 19 straight years—the most among any franchise in North America’s four major professional sports.

Before the lockout the St. Louis Blues were reminiscent of the San Jose Sharks, appearing in the playoffs 14 straight years from 1980 to 2004, but never advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. The closest they came was in the 2000-01 season when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals, but lost to Colorado in five games. The Blues were President’s Trophy winners in the year before; however, ironically that year they lost to the Sharks in the first round.

Historically the Blackhawks have not been as successful as the Red Wings or Blues, but recently the 'Hawks, who have not won a Stanley Cup since 1961, has got the third-largest city in America excited about hockey. Featured on ESPN The Magazine as part of their NHL Preview, the Blackhawks have captured the attention of NHL fans everywhere as they resurrect their franchise.

Located four hours away from one another, the cities of Nashville and Atlanta were awarded NHL franchises in 1997. The Thrashers, named after Atlanta’s state bird, began play a year after the Predators. However, the Thrashers were placed in a division of three recently introduced Southern-based teams: the Tampa Bay Lighting and the Florida Panthers—expansion teams in 1992 and 1993, respectively—and the Carolina Hurricanes, who were relocated from Hartford, Conn., in 1997. Only the Washington Capitals, who entered the league as an expansion team in 1974, have been in the NHL before the 1990s.

Playing against tougher competition and in a significantly smaller market than the Thrashers, the Predators have made the playoffs five of the past six years. Atlanta has only qualified for the playoffs once, three years ago, when they were swept by the New York Rangers in four games.

Even in their hometown of Nashville the Predators are overlooked. According to ESPN.com the Predators are 26^th overall in regular season attendance this year, with an average of just under 15,000 present at each of their 41 contests. Bridgestone Arena, which seats just above 17,000 people, has only had an average attendance over 15,000 twice since the Nashville first made the playoffs in 2004.

The Predators are also a victim of the NHL media’s negligence in regards to marketing this team’s superstar.

Like Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, or Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks, Nashville’s Shea Weber—who anchored Canada’s gold-medal-winning Olympic hockey team—is not marketed as a superstar in the NHL. The man whose slap shot can break feet and tear through netting has had 40 or more points in three of the last four seasons. In the Athens of the South, Shea Weber is a god.

In addition, the team’s two leading scorers—Steve Sullivan and Patric Hornqvist—emulate what it is to be a Nashville Predator. Sullivan was drafted in the defunct ninth round, 233 overall, in 1994 and Hornqvist was the last player chosen (seventh round, 230^th overall) in 2005. Both have been successful without being recognized throughout their careers.

Winning the first playoff series in franchise history may be the turning point for the Predators. Billionaire Jim Balsillie, the same man who was trying to relocate the Phoenix Coyotes this summer, reportedly had attempted to buy Nashville’s team in 2007. Although they are not as financially unstable as the Coyotes, the Predators were unable to keep first-round selections Scott Hartnell (sixth overall, 2000) and Scottie Upshall (sixth overall, 2002) in Nashville.

By defeating division rival Chicago in the first round of this year’s playoffs, the Predators may be able to develop trust among their fans, encourage unrestricted free agent Dan Hamhuis to stay in the Music City, and persuade an additional goal-scorer to join their team in the offseason.

Unfortunately, Nashville’s upset on Friday may be overlooked because Philadelphia (seventh seed in the East), Montreal (eighth, East), Colorado (eighth, West), and Ottawa (fifth, East) all won their first playoff games. Phoenix, who is the NHL’s favorite underdog this season, defeated powerhouse Detroit in their first game as well.

Then again, being overlooked is not unusual for the Nashville Predators.