Officially a Hockey Town (Philadelphia: crime, loan, buy)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Drake744

I don't think the weather matters that much. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a solid fan base. The LA Kings have a solid fan base. The San Jose Sharks have a solid fan base. Even though it didn't look like it last round, the Anaheim Ducks have pretty good fans.

I honestly think it started with a bunch of geniuses in the marketing and sales department. The marketing strategies they had in the beginning years (and still now) have always been brilliant. It also helps that we have one of the better general managers in the history of the league to put a competitive team on the ice more often than not. Since you mentioned these two teams...in places like Arizona and Florida (only counting the Coyotes and Panthers here, not the Lightning) you have usually bad teams and you have arenas in distant suburban locations with little to no distinct flavor. It's not a good combination for success no matter where you play. We've been extremely lucky to have built an organization better than any expansion team in the last generation or two and it has mixed with a city that's exploding right at the team's peak to this point. It's a perfect marriage of on and off ice factors.

This. The weather has no bearing at all on hockey's success in Nashville compared to Arizona or Florida. I mean, yeah it gets cold in Nashville, but it still barely snows. The city has a panic attack with 1/4 inch of snow. I don't think there was a single recreational hockey rink in the area when the Predators came to town, and it certainly never gets cold enough for our rivers and lakes to freeze over enough to go ice skating.

Instead, we have the perfect combination of an ownership group who understands how to make the experience exciting for fans used to college football and NASCAR, a beautiful arena located on what has become one of the country's most popular party streets, and a sport where the players arrive in suits and ties and talk about working as a team and winning games "for the city."

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by Craziaskowboi

I also think it helps that Nashville isn't in the Deep South, where actual winter weather is rare. Nashville is far enough north for snowstorms and extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures to be annual occurrences.

For the first 10 years they tried to be the Redwings, and failed, then they embraced Nashville and the fans came.

[Drake744]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

For the first 10 years they tried to be the Redwings, and failed, then they embraced Nashville and the fans came.

This is so wrong I don't even know where to start.

[N.Cal]

https://www.nashville.gov/News-Media...ive-Music.aspx


Viewing parties.

[Vanderbiltgrad]

Nashville is a big city with a small town feel so this is not surprising, in addition the Titans have not been that successful and the Preds are the only other professional team in town.

[Beretta]

From Philly.........

http://www.phillyvoice.com/epicenter...now-nashville/

[carnelian]

If the Predators are so great, why did they finish fourth in regular season?

I'm not sure that any team that finished fourth should be a contender for the Stanley Cup.

[Drake744]

Originally Posted by carnelian

If the Predators are so great, why did they finish fourth in regular season?

I'm not sure that any team that finished fourth should be a contender for the Stanley Cup.

Go watch the NBA then

[JRR]

Originally Posted by carnelian

If the Predators are so great, why did they finish fourth in regular season?

I'm not sure that any team that finished fourth should be a contender for the Stanley Cup.

The Predators got hot as just the right time like the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. The team got it together unlike your Blackhawks who just looked out of sync. So they earned the right to keep going and the 'Hawks earned the right to go home

[Drake744]

22.2 TV rating last night not counting the tens of thousands of people watching at watch parties and bars.

It has far surpassed unreal status at this point.