OT: Best Moments in Predators History

[Jonesey]

This off-season has been one of the most interesting off-seasons in team history. We are going to stir up some controversy by introducing a 16 moment knock out bracket of what are in my opinion 16 of the best moments in Predators history.

I came up with the list and have randomly assigned them a spot in the bracket. Voting will be open for 1 week per round, and the first week will be split into two different weeks so there is only 4 votes taking place at a time.

Without further adu, here are the 16 moments.

1. The beginning. First game vs. Florida (1-0 Loss). 10-10-98

2. Red Light Special! Predators light the lamp all night with an 8-0 win vs. Detroit. 2-28-09

3. We played Duck Hunt. Predators eliminate Ducks for first playoff series win. 4-24-11

4. 7th Heaven! Nashville wins their first game 7 vs. Ducks. 4-27-16

5. The little brother no more. Predators eliminate Red Wings in 5. 4-20-12

6. Oh Captain, My Captain. Nashville trades Shea Weber to Montreal for PK Subban. 6-29-16

7. The night the roof came down. David Legwand scores first Predators playoff goal. 4-11-04

8. Poile pulled this off?? Martin Erat traded to Washington for Filip Forsberg. 4-3-13

9. We ARE big time! Nashville signs Paul Kariya as a free agent. 8-5-05

10. 9 is fine! Two goals in 9 seconds to take the lead Vs. Detroit in the playoffs. 4-14-08

11. Welcome back, indeed! Steve Sullivan wins the Masterton Award. 6-18-09

12. Quiet the crowd. Jerred Smithson scores first Predators Playoff OT Winner at Anaheim. 4-22-11

13. %@#& you Philadelphia! Predators match offer sheet to RFA Shea Weber. 7-24-12

14. Turn the lights off, it's time for bed! Mike Fisher ends the longest game in Predator history. 5-5-16

15. This is what we came to see! Shea Weber ties the game after a standing ovation vs. Chicago. 1-15-11

16. It's not over until it's over! Predators score 3 goals in the final 3:22 to pull out 5-4 win vs. Minnesota. 1-31-2012

Click to read more...

 

[worstfaceoffmanever]

So many great moments left out of the field... like these!

12/23/1998 - The Ice Storm Game - Amid nasty weather, the Red Wings came to the GEC and left with their tails between their legs as 22-year-old Tomas Vokoun posts 50 saves in a 5-3 win.
1/16/1999 - Vokoun made a Cliff Ronning power play goal stand up as the game winner against Phoenix, posting 31 saves in a 2-0 win - the Predators' first ever shutout.
10/29/2003 - Greg Johnson scored twice as part of a three-goal second period that pushed Nashville by Detroit 5-3, but this game will be most remembered for its fights: there were 9 of them, including five in the third period, and Steve Yzerman was assessed a game-high 34 penalty minutes and ejected halfway through the third.
2/18/2004 - Steve Sullivan makes his Predators debut with a hat trick against San Jose.
4/15/2006 - In a 5-1 Preds win over Phoenix, the Coyotes put the puck in their own net on a delayed penalty. Initially given to Vern Fiddler as the last Predator to touch the puck, the scoring was later changed, and the goal was instead credited to Chris Mason - the first time a Predators goaltender scored one for himself.
2/24/2007 - Peter Forsberg's first goal as a Nashville Predator comes off a sumptuous backhand pass from Kariya:



Preds beat the Wings in overtime, 4-3.

12/22/2011 - Martin Erat scores with 8.4 seconds left to complete a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Columbus.

 

[Jonesey]

So many great moments left out of the field... like these!

12/23/1998 - The Ice Storm Game - Amid nasty weather, the Red Wings came to the GEC and left with their tails between their legs as 22-year-old Tomas Vokoun posts 50 saves in a 5-3 win.
1/16/1999 - Vokoun made a Cliff Ronning power play goal stand up as the game winner against Phoenix, posting 31 saves in a 2-0 win - the Predators' first ever shutout.
10/29/2003 - Greg Johnson scored twice as part of a three-goal second period that pushed Nashville by Detroit 5-3, but this game will be most remembered for its fights: there were 9 of them, including five in the third period, and Steve Yzerman was assessed a game-high 34 penalty minutes and ejected halfway through the third.
2/18/2004 - Steve Sullivan makes his Predators debut with a hat trick against San Jose.
4/15/2006 - In a 5-1 Preds win over Phoenix, the Coyotes put the puck in their own net on a delayed penalty. Initially given to Vern Fiddler as the last Predator to touch the puck, the scoring was later changed, and the goal was instead credited to Chris Mason - the first time a Predators goaltender scored one for himself.
2/24/2007 - Peter Forsberg's first goal as a Nashville Predator comes off a sumptuous backhand pass from Kariya:



Preds beat the Wings in overtime, 4-3.

12/22/2011 - Martin Erat scores with 8.4 seconds left to complete a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Columbus.

Trust me, coming up with the list was damn near impossible. 10 of us could put a list together and share only a few moments from our top 16.

I guess that means we've been a pretty successful franchise, eh?

 

[Soundgarden]

Great list, thanks for putting it together.

 

[PredsV82]

Webers game tying goal that led to the Smithson OT goal against Anaheim is right up there as well

 

[Drake744]

It's hard to judge things like single moments (goals, for example) against turning points (trades, signings). My clear winner is in the bracket, but because of the reason I just mentioned it's tough to vote against one or the other.

 

[bdub24]

Regardless of where my top are versus someone else's, this is just neat to sit back and think through to get ready for the season. Thanks for starting the convo/concept.

 

[gratefulpred]

I would have to give a tip of the cap to the first TV Timeout standing ovation we did against St. Louis 4/3/2008. In my mind that was the birth of Stand With Us and it was amazing and awesome to see happen.

 

[Datsyukian Deke]

I would have to give a tip of the cap to the first TV Timeout standing ovation we did against St. Louis 4/3/2008. In my mind that was the birth of Stand With Us and it was amazing and awesome to see happen.

Agree 100%. That was without a doubt my favorite moment being at a Preds game, that first time it happened, was nothing else like it!

 

[Drake744]

I would have to give a tip of the cap to the first TV Timeout standing ovation we did against St. Louis 4/3/2008. In my mind that was the birth of Stand With Us and it was amazing and awesome to see happen.

Yeah this was a big moment for the franchise. It was really awesome to see in person. I believe you can find it on Youtube as well.

I'm not suggesting this as a top moment because it's nowhere close to being one, but I remember an ovation during the lockout year that stands out to me. We were playing Vancouver late in the year and God we were terrible (hence the #4 pick that summer). Anyway we were mounting a late comeback in this completely pointless late season weeknight game but the 13 or so thousand in the building gave the boys a TV timeout ovation to try and get them that extra push (We lost 5-2. Oh well.) I don't know, it felt like a moment where all the die hards were uniting in unison because that was the only group of people there at that point.

 

[Predsboro]

I would have to give a tip of the cap to the first TV Timeout standing ovation we did against St. Louis 4/3/2008. In my mind that was the birth of Stand With Us and it was amazing and awesome to see happen.

This was the moment I felt that the fans finally "got it." I didn't even stand for most of it but sat there looking around, taking it in, with some kind of salty, liquidy substance in my eyes. Incredible moment ...

Love the list, and not to be a jerk, but the Sullivan hat trick in his Preds debut has to be in there ... at least for me.

ETA: Here's the standing O video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4HsOiFoZiY

 

[Adz]

Also that time we came back from 3 goals to beat St. Louis in St. Louis--there's video of Barry Trotz jumping up to celebrate that one.

And the goalie fight between Vokoun and Khabibulin--after Trotzy almost climbed the glass between him and the Calgary coach. That game shut down the old Preds message board and wiped out most everyone's post count.

The second game, where the glass broke when a Hurricane slammed the penalty box door in anger and it took 20 minutes to replace it. And then the goal and the win.

All good moments.

 

[Pred303]

I've been there for them all and to me, the most pure emotional on ice moments in the stands were;

1)the legwand shorty
2)the sully first game hat trick
3)the predators coming out for the pre-game skate for the first home playoff game.
4)the clock ending for the first ever series win.
5)the first tv timeout standing O

many others of course, but those are forever etched in my memory

 

[Drake744]

I've been a season ticket holder from the beginning because of my dad who always bought both of our tickets together (I'm lucky) BUT... I'm only 31. So that means most of these emotional moments that I will chalk up at the top of my list will be more recent. Do I remember the Legwand shorty? Yes, and I was even there, but I won't ever remember it in huge detail like I would, say, Fisher's 3 OT goal. Plus even though I was a "huge Preds fan" in those early days, I wasn't enough of an adult to let my fandom evolve into what it is now.

Just my worthless two cents. It's a bummer that I don't remember the old moments like they were yesterday but that's alright.

 

[Byrddog]

I've been a season ticket holder from the beginning because of my dad who always bought both of our tickets together (I'm lucky) BUT... I'm only 31. So that means most of these emotional moments that I will chalk up at the top of my list will be more recent. Do I remember the Legwand shorty? Yes, and I was even there, but I won't ever remember it in huge detail like I would, say, Fisher's 3 OT goal. Plus even though I was a "huge Preds fan" in those early days, I wasn't enough of an adult to let my fandom evolve into what it is now.

Just my worthless two cents. It's a bummer that I don't remember the old moments like they were yesterday but that's alright.

Its difficult for some of us old farts to not recall every moment since 98. And just imagine you at your age back then its unfair IMO in some ways that do do not remember some of the things we do.

The first Day Karyia took the Ice at Centennial Steve myself and it seems like BC were there together and doubtless we were all thinking about the condition of that knee when he remained out on the ice doing stops and turns flexing that knee. The guy signed so cheap as the first superstar I just hoped the knee was ok after the surgery. The the night Foppa took the ice for pregame skate as we were down at the glass he skates by those steel blue eyes and swwosh you see his back and #21.

I have seen Gretsky play a number of times saw Mario, and countless other ledgends but nothing matched that 21 in the Preds uni that night for me. Sure he was a shell of the player he once was but he was Peter Forsberg and had our colors on. I guess the only other player that would have been more impressive would have been the great one or Gordie but that was special.

 

[Drake744]

Its difficult for some of us old farts to not recall every moment since 98. And just imagine you at your age back then its unfair IMO in some ways that do do not remember some of the things we do.

The first Day Karyia took the Ice at Centennial Steve myself and it seems like BC were there together and doubtless we were all thinking about the condition of that knee when he remained out on the ice doing stops and turns flexing that knee. The guy signed so cheap as the first superstar I just hoped the knee was ok after the surgery. The the night Foppa took the ice for pregame skate as we were down at the glass he skates by those steel blue eyes and swwosh you see his back and #21.

I have seen Gretsky play a number of times saw Mario, and countless other ledgends but nothing matched that 21 in the Preds uni that night for me. Sure he was a shell of the player he once was but he was Peter Forsberg and had our colors on. I guess the only other player that would have been more impressive would have been the great one or Gordie but that was special.

Couldn't agree more. I mean, I remember all of these moments but my fan hood hadn't elevated to the point then to where it's at now. And for some of those times I was really just a naive teenager. I feel like my first major "Holy ****!!!!" moment in person as a grown up fan who was all-in to the level I am now was probably the 2 goals in 9 seconds against Detroit (argument could be made for the Dumont shorthanded goal too). I'll never forget that sequence, the crowd, and my reaction. I do wish I remembered more of the older moments with that clarity instead of simply remembering that they happened.

 

[Adz]

I remember standing down at the glass with BC. Peter ******* Forsberg, he said...and we both just hugged each other like crazy...and Byrd, I was at that practice, too...can't remember now who I was with, maybe Abs or the kids. I remember Paul, myself, excitement and worry.

 

[MrJoshua]

Peter Forsberg's is the only personalized Preds jersey I own. I knew he was only going to play a handful of games for the franchise, and didn't care. It's not every day your favorite player in the league gets traded to your favorite team. I had that jersey on at his last game in the NHL, Avs at Preds, during his short return to Colorado before retirement.

 

[I Will Son]

Nvm.

 

[Byrddog]

This is actually not just one moment but a number of moments. I remembered this today and was compelled to mention it in this thread. In the first few years our seats were in 107 and I recall after every goal looking up and seeing Swampy with that hardhat with the red goal light going. Yep I miss that.