Seth Lake
Registered User
I think many of the same reasons you find yourself rooting for Nashville are many of the same reasons I have become a PredHead.I find myself rooting for Nashville more than most of the Western Conference teams. They're a pretty likable team and I'm looking forward to Vokoun coming back for your sake and for my fantasy hockey team.
It was great knowing that I was moving back to an NHL city when I first found out I was leaving CT. It was even better knowing that I was moving to an NHL expansion city that was not around when the Whalers left so there was no history between the two teams and certainly they were a team on the rise.
The Predators are built very similiar to how the Whalers were always built...through the draft and shrewd, yet not major, free agent signings. They were an underdog team that was dedicated to putting a winning product on the ice (not always the case during the final years of the Whalers) and had/have a roster full of young players that I have/will get to enjoy watching develop into solid NHL'ers (hopefully).
They are a team that was built the "right way". They have not upset too many fanbases yet and their main rivals are those that we as Whalers fans didn't really have any alligences towards or against.
I think the Predators are a team that is easy to cheer for if you don't already have a team to align yourself with. I'm sure there are plenty of people that hate the Predators for whatever reason and I'm fine with that...but I have a feeling that there are a lot of people outside of Nashville that root for them too.
Re: Vokoun...
Mason has been playing very well during Vokoun's absence, but it will be great to have our franchise netminder back in goal and our 1a goalie back on the bench to give him a breather here and there.
Reminds me a lot of the final season when the Whalers started out so strong, but struggled when Burke broke his thumb on his blocker hand. Giguere made his very shaky NHL debut vs. Boston on Jan. 2nd (I remember because the tickets were a Christmas gift) and allowed three goals prior to Muzzatti bailing him out. Muzzatti played very admirably during his time in goal, but it was clear that he was not a No. 1 goalie and his struggles dropped the Whalers quickly down the standings. Thankfully that has not been the case during Vokoun's absence...although it must suck for fantasy.