Checking in on the Nashville Predators

Thursday marked the anniversary of the day the Nashville Predators sold enough season tickets to qualify for a National Hockey League franchise in 1998. It was a pretty formative moment for our city. Fast forward to today, and the Preds are in the hunt for a playoff spot.

We’ll kick off today’s show with a local hockey reporter who’s going to fill us in on how this season has gone, and what we have to look forward to in the next couple weeks. Then, we’ll go back in time. We’re joined by a panel of authors, fans and journalists to help us understand how the Preds first came to be and how they’ve changed the city. And, of course, we’ll discuss Smashville’s unique fan culture. 

Finally, we’re going to head out of the studio and into the rink with our host, Khalil Ekulona, as he learns about the ice scientists who keep everything running smoothly at Bridgestone Arena.

Guests: 

• Bryan Bastin, editor and analytics writer for On The Forecheck
• Justin Bradford, author of “The Making of Smashville” and host of Penalty Box Radio
• Mathew Carfi, Day 1 Preds fan and employee at Bridgestone Arena
• Megan Seling, co-host of the podcast It’s All Your Fault
• Balin Ali, vice president of Kurdish Professionals

Additional reading: 

WPLN News: How Nashville’s Love Of Hockey Began, Decades Before The Predators