Posts Tagged ‘nashville’
Long live Bridgestone Arena, please
Bridgestone’s commitment to the Preds is a much-needed boost in stability for a franchise that sorely needs it. While the details are to be announced later this morning, I hope this deal is for 10 years or more. The longer the agreement is, the better it will be for Nashville’s NHL future. It’s a good sign to see a local company that is a household name step up to support the team.
Update: Bridgestone is committing to five years in the naming rights deal. That’s more than Sommet Group (three years) and Gaylord Entertainment (five years, though it originally committed to 20). I was hoping for a decade, but I’ll take half of one.
Tags: bridgestone, bridgestone arena, gaylord entertainment, gaylord entertainment center, gec, hockey, nashville, nashville post, nashville predators, nhl, sommet center, sommet group
Preds wise to leave Jokinen, Gratton for other teams to claim
Sometimes it’s a good thing when a rumored trade doesn’t go down. If you’re disappointed that Phil Kessel wound up in Toronto instead of Nashville, be glad that Olli Jokinen wound up in a Flames jersey rather than a Preds sweater.
Jokinen, who was rumored to be headed to Nashville a few times as the trade deadline loomed in past seasons, was traded yesterday to the New York Rangers. Nothing about Jokinen’s time in Alberta makes me think the Preds missed out when he didn’t end up on their roster. The same can be said for longtime rumor-mill suspect Chris Gratton.
Tags: calgary flames, chris gratton, florida panthers, hockey, nashville, nashville predators, new york rangers, nhl, olli jokinen
Stability of Poile, Trotz has served Preds well
What’s the recipe for survival (and success) when you’re operating a small-market hockey team in a non-traditional market? I think the Preds are still searching for a complete answer when it comes to the fan base, though they’ve managed to grow a rabid, if undersized, following since their arrival in 1998.
When it comes to performance on the ice, though, Nashville has embraced one value above all else: stability. For a franchise that has had more than its share of relocation crises, it’s remarkable that general manager David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz are the only people who have ever held those positions for the team. Trotz is second only to Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff for the longest tenure in the entire league. Neither Poile nor Trotz would ever be mistaken for being flashy, and the team they have built matches the mild-mannered disposition and lunch-pail work ethic that both men espouse.
That may mean that Nashville’s squad is often lacking in the goal-scoring department (although that hasn’t been a problem of late), but it also means that the Preds have had the most playoff appearances (four) among the NHL’s most recent expansion teams.
Incidentally, the Minnesota Wild have had three postseason appearances (and an appearance in the conference finals) while only having two head coaches throughout their history. Atlanta and Columbus, on the other hand, have had a total of nine coaches and only two playoff appearances (one per team).
Tags: atlanta thrashers, barry trotz, columbus blue jackets, david poile, hockey, minnesota wild, nashville, nashville predators, nhl, tennessee
I hope some day this won’t be worth reporting
One way we’ll know that we’ve conquered intolerance and racism is when groups of different races gathering together is no longer newsworthy.
One of the most hateful thoughts in human history is the notion that one group of people has more inherent worth than another. Centuries have been wasted perpetuating that thought. If we’re going to face all of the differences that divide us, we need to start spending time together with people who are different from us, even people with whom we disagree. That’s the only way we’ll ever learn that we’re not that different after all.
Tags: civil rights, Corinthian Baptist Church, First Unitarian Universalist Church, intolerance, martin luther king, mlk, nashville, politics, racism, tennessee, wsmv-tv
It really is just a game
There’s nothing like learning that thousands of people have died in a natural disaster to remind you that a football coach changing jobs just isn’t that big of a deal.
I think all of us who are sports fans can use a wake-up call every now and then, though this certainly wouldn’t have been the one I recommended. My thoughts go out to everyone affected by last night’s earthquake in Haiti.
Tags: college football, earthquake, haiti, haiti earthquake, lane-kiffin, nashville, tennessee
Put Flames on Preds’ “do not play” list
If there’s one team that the Preds don’t want to face in the playoffs this season, it’s San Jose. If there’s a second team to avoid, it may be Calgary. Prior to defeating the Flames on the road last month, Nashville had lost five straight games to Calgary, including a 5-0 whitewashing on home ice in November and another 4-0 drubbing last spring. As evidenced again last night, Kiprusoff and company do a very good job shutting the Preds attack down.
Tags: calgary flames, hockey, mikka kiprusoff, nashville, nashville predators, nhl, san jose sharks
Gaile Owens doesn’t deserve to die
If it’s OK for Mary Winkler to live as a free citizen and have custody of her kids, it isn’t OK for Gaile Owens to be executed by the state.
Owens is the only inmate in Tennessee prison history to face execution after accepting a prosecutor’s offer to plead guilty with a life sentence.
Though there is little doubt that Owens was severely abused by her husband, the jurors who decided her fate never knew about it. Owens never testified and hasn’t sought publicity for her plight, out of respect for her children. She even declined to appear on Oprah when approached by the program. Owens is remorseful for her crime and from the outset pled guilty. She signed a plea agreement to serve a life sentence, which the prosecution refused to accept when her co-defendant rejected the same offer.
In my opinion, this isn’t someone who deserves to die for her crimes, but my point of view isn’t the one that matters at this point. Governor Bredesen, please do the just and equitable thing and let Owens live.
Tags: capital punishment, gaile owens, john seigenthaler, mary winkler, nashville, phil bredesen, politics, tennessee
Some is better than none: ESPN Radio returns to Nashville
I’m glad to hear that ESPN Radio has returned to Nashville on 104.5FM the Zone, but local sports fans listening options are still limited. Fans had more choices prior to 106.7FM the Fan’s demise this past summer.
Since The Zone is preempting ESPN programming when its local shows are on the air, the net gain in sports programming is zero. I’m all for keeping local shows around, but I still miss having national ESPN broadcasting as an option whenever the Zone resorts to outdoors or auto racing shows. I’m happy that George Plaster and company won the sportscaster slugfest at WWTN-FM years ago, but that victory came at a cost.
Tags: 104.5 the zone, 106.7 the fan, espn radio, george plaster, nashville, sports radio, tennessee, wwtn-fm
