2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs

[someguy23475]

I drove through Nashville last month, and I have to ask: Are the Preds fans really fans of the sport, or just the atmosphere of the crowd and an event? I have heard both from national media, and while I have a cousin in that general area, he grew up a Red Wings fan due to living near Detroit for years. Also considering the team was close to moving, makes me wonder.

Any observations from some Nashville area residents?

[JohnHolder]

I drove through Nashville last month, and I have to ask: Are the Preds fans really fans of the sport, or just the atmosphere of the crowd and an event? I have heard both from national media, and while I have a cousin in that general area, he grew up a Red Wings fan due to living near Detroit for years. Also considering the team was close to moving, makes me wonder.

Any observations from some Nashville area residents?

I don't live there, but I went to a Predators game five years ago, and the atmosphere was as enthusiastic as I've ever seen in an NHL arena (I've been to nine of them).

[dmaingame]

Nashville is one of the best success stories of an NHL market in the south.  Like many other southern states, Tennessee has a high population of hockey fans and people who moved south from places that may have lacked an NHL Franchise.  Having the Predators is a dream come true for a Nashville resident who may have relocated from say, Wisconsin and finally has a home team after having spent their years growing up rooting for a Northstars or Wild team that played their games more than an hour's drive from and in a different state than their hometown.  What many hockey fans also forget is that for much of the league's history, hockey was a sport exclusive to Canada and a handful of cities in the northeastern US.  Only in the 1970s with expansion teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, Edmonton Oilers, Oakland Seals, Kansas City Scouts, and Atlanta Flames did the NHL truly become national as its footprint swelled exponentially.  The league is much more exciting with 31 teams than it would be if it were still the original six.  I'm all for the NHL having franchises in non-traditional markets so long as the city and population genuinely supports the team. 

[Mr. Weatherman]

I've lived in the Nashville market my entire life but about 40-50 miles outside of the city.  Here's what I've observed:

- The biggest fans, it seems, are in fact those who have moved to Nashville from other cities.  This comes as no surprise, as the city has been exploding with growth recently, which includes, as mentioned above, many people from northern regions where hockey is much more popular.

- There are, however, many fans who aren't what we refer to as "transplants" from other regions of the country.  They just don't come close to matching the number of Titans or Vols fans (or fans of both teams, as I am).

- Once you step outside of Nashville's city limits, football is absolutely king.  We follow the Preds, and several people I know do in fact have season tickets.  However, the Average Joe probably can't tell you what the Preds record is during the regular season or when the next game is going to be played -- at least not until playoff time.  We'll see how this changes following the Stanley Cup run.  They may have picked up several more true 'fans', myself included.

- The biggest sports radio station, WGFX-FM 1045 The Zone, spends very little time discussing the Preds -- the exception being during their playoff run.  Granted, they aren't the flagship station for the Preds -- that would be 102.5 FM -- but they, by far, have the largest listening audience of any station in Nashville, regardless of format.  The Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Vols and Vanderbilt Commodores generally get the most attention on any given day.

- Regarding football, even the Titans aren't as popular as the Vols, despite being much closer in proximity (Knoxville is about 150 or so miles east of Nashville)(Vandy's fan base, even in Nashville where the school is located, is smaller than that of the Vols).  College football comes first, followed by the NFL.  After that, it's kind of a toss up, but the Preds have certainly made their case to fill that space.

[UltraPrice]

This was the first Stanley Cup Finals series since 1983 where no game was decided by one goal.

[mellongraig]

650,000 fans attended the Penguins victory parade today.

I would say that the help of country superstars in Nashville performing the national anthem at the Predators playoff home games got them this far to the finals.