This is absolutely the right message coming from David Freeman and the other members of the Preds’ new ownership group:

“There’s definitely work to be done, but the doors are open,” Freeman said. “In (10 weeks), we’re thrilled. The reception has been very good. We’re very appreciative that people care about Nashville and what we’re trying to do. We have a great ability to walk in with businesses and say, ‘Is there something that makes sense for both of us here?’ …

All during the summer we had heard whispers — that were more like shouts in our ear — about a suggested change in approach,” Freeman said. “We certainly not only listened to those whispers but agreed with them. The basic mindset or approach we’re taking is it’s not their responsibility to buy something. It’s our responsibility to give them a great product that they want to buy. There’s no sense of entitlement.” …

“The easy part of selling for us is that we feel like we’ve got a great product. The entertainment value down here is fabulous. We’re not a charity case. We bring value to our sponsors, to our advertisers, to the people who use us with their human resources department.”

Thank you, David, for all you and your group have done during the past nine months to save this franchise. Thanks also to the fans and the companies who choose to support the Preds, including Taco Bell, AmSurg, HCA and Community Health Systems.

I never had behind-the-scenes experience with the former ownership group, and I have plenty of thanks for Craig Leipold and all he did to bring hockey to Nashville. That said, it’s interesting to me to hear this complaint emerge about a sense of entitlement from the Preds business side.

It’s long been a criticism of the Titans that the franchise has operated with a similar sense of entitlement, a sense of “you need us more than we need you,” but here’s the unfortunate difference in these scenarios: An NFL team, especially in a football-crazed community, can afford to think like that, but an NHL team, outside of Ontario and Quebec, cannot.