If all goes as expected, Craig Leipold will mark his tenth year as owner of the Nashville Predators later this month by selling the franchise to Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie. As many have speculated, this move could ultimately lead to the depature of the team for  another market.

For the first nine or so of those years, Leipold has been as much fan as owner, the kind of team leader that most teams would die for. He has been the antithesis of Bill Wirtz, Al Davis or Bill Bidwill, owners who routinely are mentioned as the bottom of the heap in professional sports. Aside from his comments during the NHL lockout where he made the case that the league’s business model wasn’t workable for the Preds’ long-term future, Leipold has emphatically insisted that the Preds were “not going anywhere” and that he was committed to Nashville for the long haul.

Only within the past year has Leipold departed, gradually at first, from that position. (Yikes, the best puns, including that last one, are usually unintentional.) Last fall, he began seeking a minority owner and noted that one was necessary in order to secure the team’s long-term future in Nashville. Last month, Leipold shocked the city (though perhaps not many NHL insiders) by announcing the team’s pending sale to Balsillie. When asked, Leipold said that he could only say for sure that the team would remain in Nashville for the 2007-08 season, though he hoped that it would remain in town much longer.

I am highly appreciative of Leipold and all that he has done to bring hockey here, and I have little doubt that he has acted with great intentions throughout his time as the Preds owner.

In hindsight, though, I have to wonder: Did Leipold miscalculate by repeatedly rebutting concerns about the team’s future? While avoiding the stereotypical situation where a professional sports owner holds a city “hostage” by asking for more for his team, did he deal Nashville a far worse blow by encouraging a sense of denial about the team’s circumstances until selling to Balsillie was the only reasonable solution? I am encouraged to see the city beginning to rally to ensure that the Preds remain in Nashville, but wouldn’t greater awareness of the team’s perilous position months–or even years ago–have been better? Did Leipold unintentionally inoculate fans and civic leaders alike from taking action by maintaining his stance as a consummate team player, one who would never move the team?

This is sheer speculation, but I sure hope ESPN analyst Terry Frei is right:

Q: Might Peter Forsberg return to Philadelphia?

A: Maybe, because he’s been there long enough to hear the argument that many locals prefer Jim’s to Geno’s (order in English only, please) and Pat’s. But I’m in the minority: I think he’s going to come around to choosing between re-signing with the Predators, if he’s healthy enough and they want him, or going home to Sweden … and staying there.

For the record, Frei, who has written for both Denver newspapers as well, has been pretty fair to the Preds over the years, pointing out attendance issues when necessary but noting successes on and off the ice, too.

The Preds currently have the best record in the NHL, but Nashville has taken a beating this season among hockey writers and fans for not filling seats to support the team.

Since the All-Star Break in late January, the Preds are averaging 16,122 fans per game and have sold out four of their past eight games. This doesn’t put the team on par with the nightly capacity crowds in hockey hotbeds such as Toronto, Detroit and Montreal, but it is a major improvement. Fans are supporting this team, and crowds this season (as usual) have been engaged and vocal when it comes to what is taking place on the ice. This is not front-page news in the hockey world, but I’d like to see some of the Preds’ harsher critics from traditional hockey circles at least note that the community is filling seats to cheer on the team instead of continuing to pile on based on attendance numbers from earlier in the season. Here are the Preds’ figures since the All-Star break (sellouts designated with an asterisk):

Feb. 3 Ducks: 17,113*
Feb. 8 Leafs: 15,018
Feb. 10 Kings: 17,113*
Feb. 14 Sharks: 13,836
Feb. 17 Wild: 17,113*
Feb. 19 Coyotes: 15,862
Feb. 22 Canadiens: 15,808
Feb. 24: Red Wings 17,113*

I’m curious why there has not been much mention of New Jersey’s attendance woes. A perennial playoff team during the past decade that is currently right behind the Preds in the overall standings, the Devils rank below Nashville in attendance in a much larger market (Newark, Exit 16W, Northern New Jersey, whatever you choose to call it). Why is Nashville drawing the ire of reporters and fans who consider themselves insiders while New Jersey, a team that would have relocated to Nashville in 1995 if they had not pulled off a Cinderella run to win the Stanley Cup, is not?

I agree with Coach Trotz that the current Preds road trip is likely to only help make Nashville an even better team as it enters the stretch run before the playoffs:

One of the plusses of the Predators’ longest road trip of the season — five games over 10 days — is that the team will get some bonding time with recent acquisitions Peter Forsberg and Vitaly Vishnevski. “You can say all you want while you’re at home, but you don’t bond as well,” Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. “Over the next 10 days, we’re going to be on the road and it’s a bunch of guys together on the road, sort of against the world. We just have to bear down and hopefully pull together.”

One benefit of having all eyes on Forsberg since the trade is that Vishnevski has likely been able to integrate with his new team that much more easily. He isn’t the one who’s every move is being watched, and so far he appears to be fitting in well.

I was encouraged over the weekend not only by Peter Forsberg’s excellent play and game-winning goal against Detroit, but also by reading the following further explanation in The Tennessean about his decision to decline Coach Trotz’s request that he participate in the shootout at the end of Thursday night’s game with Montreal:

Forsberg explained Friday why he told Trotz he’d prefer not to be one of the top three shootout participants in Thursday’s game against Montreal. Forsberg wound up shooting fourth and slipped to the ice before getting off a quality attempt. “To be honest, I don’t think I’m the best goal-scorer in the league,” Forsberg said. “If you look at the statistics, I’ve got more (assists) than goals. I think this team has a lot of breakaway guys.”

I was admittedly being a little hard on Forsberg, but I suppose that’s because of the level of expectations that superstars tend to generate. As I mentioned on Friday, we’re all human, even athletes and other people who excel at a high level of performance, but one thing that distinguishes superstars is that they tend to outperform the rest of the field sooner or later and on a regular basis. Two things that distinguish great athletes from great leaders is the ability to acknowledge one’s strengths and weaknesses and the ability to see how one’s skills can best align with the rest of the team’s talents.

Forsberg broke out of what might be considered a mini-slump and recorded his first two points as a Predator as Nashville downed the Red Wings 4-3 in overtime in front of a sellout crowd. Keep in mind that this is the second consecutive week that Forsberg has downed the Red Wings by scoring the clinching goal:

In his final appearance with the Philadelphia Flyers last week, Peter Forsberg scored the game-winning goal in a victory over the Detroit Red Wings. It might not have been a showdown game — the Flyers long had fallen out of playoff contention — but it did provide yet another example of Forsberg sticking it to the best team of the last decade.

Keep in mind that this appeared in an article that ran in Saturday’s paper, prior to that night’s heroics by Forsberg. I’m not expecting that Forsberg–or any other Pred–will score every game, but I’m glad to see him begin to contribute. I imagine that we’ll see a lot more assists, goals and, hopefully, wins in the near future, thanks to Forsberg and the rest of the Preds.

It’s not really fair to be questioning this so soon after such a huge trade, but last night’s game has me wondering a bit. Consider this item from John Glennon’s recap of the Preds’ 6-5 loss to Montreal last night:

Predators Coach Barry Trotz asked center Peter Forsberg whether he wanted to be one of the top three shootout participants against the Canadiens, but Forsberg declined.”He said he didn’t want to go as one of the first three,” Trotz said. “He just said it wasn’t something he didn’t feel real strong about, so I listened to him.”Forsberg was the fourth Predators shooter, but slipped as he neared the Montreal crease and failed to get off a quality attempt.

Peter Forsberg is reportedly a humble locker-room leader, so maybe he’s just deferring to the team’s established leaders. I attended the game last night, and it was a little disconcerting to learn after the fact that Forsberg turned down Coach Trotz’s first request to participate in the shootout. Putting him on the ice in the sudden-death round with the game on the line added even more pressure, and even NHL superstars are human and can’t make a spectacular play every time.

The trade is already paying dividends in the stands and around the city, and the team can afford the steep price it paid because it didn’t require a big departure from the current roster. There are rumblings around the league that Forsberg may already have it in mind to return to Philadelphia in the offseason, but some of those rumors are from Flyers fans who are disappointed about an unexpectedly awful season for their favorite team.

Forsberg has made no promises to the Preds, but he did waive a no-trade clause in his contract to allow the deal to happen. He was serving as Philadelphia’s captain, though, and perhaps he sees this move as a way to help the Flyers’ future because he has been limited so far this season for them on the ice.

I hope he will at least give Nashville the honor of keeping an open mind about our team and our community. This could very well be a great place for him to earn another championship, whether this year or thereafter, and it could be a great and welcoming place for him to complete his career, too.

Playing in two quick home games after arriving as the savior via a blockbuster trade will put pressure on anyone, even a premier athlete. The long road trip that starts next week will be a big challenge for the team, but I have a feeling it will be a very good thing for Forsberg’s Predators tenure.

… but I’m sure glad it did. Did anyone else notice how much the Preds’ Martin Erat was offside before he assisted on David Legwand’s goal in the second period tonight? The Preds went on to beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-4 in overtime, but I could tell watching in real time that Erat was either much faster than everyone on the ice or past the blue line before the puck. I didn’t hear Pete and Terry point out the missed call, but maybe they were just being nice.

The DVR didn’t lie: Erat was easily five feet ahead of the puck into the zone. I think the ref must have missed the offsides call because he was busy avoiding the puck. His head was turned away from Erat, and by the time he recovered Erat and the puck were even.

I’m happy the Preds won against the NHL’s current best team, but these two points should come with an asterisk attached. Regardless, go Preds!!

The NHL suspended Nashville Predators forward Scott Nichol yesterday for nine games after Nichol blindsided another player, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, on Thursday night. Nichol retaliated after Spacek drove him into the goalpost late in the Sabres’ lopsided 7-2 victory over the Preds.

I can understand Nichol’s response after Spacek’s dangerous play, one that could have injured Nichol. Even though fighting is still a significant element in the NHL, striking someone when they are defenseless is wrong. I wish Nichol would have gotten Spacek’s attention first before engaging him, but I applaud Nichol for how he handled yesterday’s decision by the league:

“First, I offer my apologies to Jaroslav Spacek and am thankful that he was not hurt,” Nichol said. “I have great respect for the game and my fellow players, and in the heat of the moment (Thursday) night, I lost my cool and reacted emotionally to being fouled. I am not proud of my actions, but I take full responsibility and accept the consequences. “I also apologize to my teammates, coaches, the organization and Predators fans, and look forward to returning to action and helping my team.”

Nichol took responsibility for his actions, acknowledged what he did wrong, and accepted his punishment. He didn’t pass blame or try to justify his actions. He just said, “mea culpa,” and let it go.

I think it’s refreshing to see a public figure these days just admit what he did wrong and accept responsibility without reservation. We all make mistakes, but not everyone knows how to own them when they happen. In my opinion, being a class act does not mean living perfectly. It does mean doing the right thing even when it isn’t easy.

You know things are good for the Preds when earning a split against the Wings and Avs has me wanting more. After being shut out 3-0 by Detroit Friday night, Nashville responded with a hard-fought 1-0 shutout win of its own over Colorado.

Scoring a total of one goal in a two-game stretch is a concern to me, but I’m hoping it’s a symptom of the six-day layover between games prior to Friday. Still, it’s great to earn two points with only a single goal.

The Preds took a lot of penalties this weekend, and it cost them against the Wings. They survived it against the Avalanche, but only because Chris Mason stood on his head making saves. The Preds take the road again this week to face Columbus on Wednesday, and here’s hoping for fewer penalties and more offense. Go Preds!!

The Red Wings were the better team on the ice last night in Detroit, period. They defeated the Preds 3-0 and effectively answered the bell in this first matchup of the young 2006-07 season.

Detroit came out flying in the first period while Nashville looked a half-step behind. The Wings carried the play for much of the period, and the Preds took too many penalties. Robert Lang tallied on the power play to give Detroit the only score it would need. Nashville gave up an unnerving 20 shots in the opening frame, too. The Wings also heavily outperformed the Preds in winning faceoffs, which never helps.

Niklas Lidstrom added a score early in the third that gave the Wings an extra cushion. Though the Preds never tallied, they did sustain increased pressure during the period before allowing an empty-net goal late.

Here are a few isolated observations I had during the game, too:

• Martin Erat continues to play extremely well. He is as physical as ever, and his stickhandling is spectacular at times.
• Josef Vasicek had his first ice time in a few weeks returning from injury. I didn’t notice him in the first period, but he was aggressive in the second. It’s good to see him healthy again.
• Henrik Zetterberg is blazing fast. He blazed past Paul Kariya in one stretch, and that’s a tough thing to do.

The Preds finally return home tonight with a chance to bounce back against the Colorado Avalanche. Nashville’s overall and road winning streaks had to end eventually, and here’s hoping that the team can get back on the right track quickly after this setback in Detroit.

The Preds (9-3-1) and Red Wings (10-4-1) meet up at Joe Louis Arena tonight for what promises to be a great early-season matchup. Both teams are red hot and among the heavyweights in the NHL’s Western Conference, but for maybe the first time, they are truly equals. Statswise, they look awfully balanced, and their rosters are much more comparable than at anytime in the pre-salary cap era. Tonight should be the first in what will likely be eight exhilarating games that will help decide the Central Division.

I’m wondering how the Preds will come out after a long six-day break. They were playing extremely well through Saturday’s road win in Minnesota, and I hope the time off will not change their momentum. The Wings have arguably the two purest scorers who will take the ice tonight in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, but the Preds are a balanced offensive force these days playing a much more physical game. This is another measuring-stick game for the young Preds, even though the players will likely deny that. Go Preds!!

Wow. The Preds are red hot. Nashville completed a rare (first-ever?) sweep through Western Canada with a 5-3 victory over Edmonton last night. In the process, the Preds (8-3-1) handed the Oilers their first home loss this season.

The Preds limited shots on goal (22) again, a good sign, but they surrendered another late goal before adding an empty netter of their own. I have a hard time griping when the team is playing so well, but continuing to give up goals late in regulation is a concern.

The Preds head to Minnesota for another challenging matchup on Saturday night before taking a six-day break in advance of their first tilt against the Red Wings on Nov. 10. Nashville leads the Central Division by two points over Detroit.