predandy

This was taken from a blog about Barry Trotz's press conference after the morning skate today. The question about whether or not they knew before Game 2 was asked here (and I wondered about it myself), so I thought I would share. Nashville Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz, while answering another question, offered up the following: “I’ll throw this out because I think it’s been asked on a lot of shows. We did not know before game two. We found out after game two. Hell would have had to freeze over if they would have played in game two if I would have known before. Plain and simple. That’s how I am, that’s how the management team is and that’s how the Nashville Predators are run. “There’s been a lot of speculation that we knew and that’s a bunch of crap. We didn’t. I just wanted to throw that out there because it’s been asked a lot… but never to me.” Alrighty then. Radulov, the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs (six points), and Kostitsyn, tied for the team lead in playoff goal scoring (3), will both sit out game three and Coach Trotz fired a warning shot about game four. “With our situation,” Trotz said. “Tonight, if (they) get it done, I would expect that I’d probably go back with the same group. The group that gets it done.”

As a longtime Preds fan, I can completely understand that. I am tired of the "you suck" that people in our building have to interject into most everything, but especially when they play that song at the end of a game and never moreso than last night during the handshake line. At this point I think it's a conditioned Pavlovian reaction by most of the people there. They hear the song and just react. I think the arena staff could keep it from happening (if they wanted to) if they just didn't play the song, or if last night they had at least stopped it before the handshakes. At the end of every other game it's stupid because by the time they play the song, the opposing team has left the ice and everybody's yelling that crap when the Preds are saluting the fans by raising their sticks before they leave the ice. Not sure what, if anything, I accomplished by sharing that, but if nothing else it was worth it just to let you know that not all of us take part in it, and some wish it didn't take place at all.

This is true. His failure/unwillingness to use his size the last couple of years has been maddening to Preds fans, and is probably due in large part to his concussion issues. He's been good for us but his play has declined and his salary ($4.5 million) was probably more than the team was willing to pay at this point. The Preds will probably put some of that money towards retaining some of the younger players (Hornqvist, Weber, Suter), and maybe (hopefully?) a top 6 forward on the free agent market. I don't believe there's any chance they go after someone like Kovalchuk though. Arnott had a no trade clause, so when it became apparent after the season was over that the Preds did not want to give him an extension, he gave them a list of teams to whom he would accept a trade. From the sound of things there are no hard feelings or ill will on either side.

I don't know if it will make any difference but I feel compelled to bring up a couple things. The comparison that was made earlier about our crowd sounding like those at college games was very appropriate. You have to remember that we had no professional sports at all in Nashville until 11-12 years ago. The Oilers/Titans moved here from Houston around the same time the Preds started up. So a college-type atmosphere is really all we've known. We haven't had 80+ years of professional hockey like Detroit. Speaking of which, you guys have had hockey (and great success) for so long, people that were raised as Red Wings fans grew up and kept supporting the team as they grew older. We haven't had that chance yet. The kids that got interested in hockey by going to Preds games in the early years are probably not even out of college by now. When they get into the workforce, they will buy tickets and bring in corporate money and maybe the team will get the financial support it needs to be successful. I just hope the team is here long enough to see that happen. As far as the chants go, the you suck thing does get old. We know (at least most of us) that the Red Wings don't suck as a franchise, that you've been quite successful, many Stanley Cups, all of that. But you are our most hated opponent (not rival) so last night was enjoyable for us. We've been on the opposite side of a beatdown from the Wings plenty of times. And while it was just another regular season game for you guys, we're fighting for our playoff lives. Every point we can muster now is huge and we'll take them any way we can get them, 2-1, 6-5, 8-0, it doesn't matter. We don't have the luxury of coasting into the playoffs.

Preds fan here...I check out the board here on most Preds/Red Wings game days during the season, as well as other times to gauge opinions of other hockey fans regarding issues of the NHL. I will try and help explain some of these things... I can understand how the Tootoo whistles annoy most other people. Not sure how the idea came about other than the whole Tootoo/Choo-choo train similarities, but fans can get the whistles for a minimum $10 donation to the Predators Foundation. So it is helping a good cause, even if everybody else in the league hates them. "Fang Fingers" - I hate, hate, hate this. It's stupid, and most long-time Preds fans don't like it either. It was semi-funny the first year or two we had the team, but now it's old and makes us look like 6 year old kids. Before this season started the rumor (coming from people involved in the production of the games) was that there would be no more "Fang Fingers." I was overjoyed at the thought but quickly disappointed when 2 or 3 games into the season, it was back. "I Like it, I Love It" - I'm a lifelong Nashville resident, but I can't stand country music, so I wish they would come up with something better. It's cool to have the local talent involved with the Predators I guess. But if the song is really getting on my nerves, it means the Preds are scoring a lot, so I can deal with that. The post-goal chant - I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about, so if I'm wrong, please clarify. When the PA guy announces who scored the goal, assists, etc., at the end of that, they play the "roar" sound effect once for each goal that's been scored (example: "...That's Radulov, assisted by Dumont and Arnott." then one roar if it's our first goal, 2 roars if it's our second, etc. The chant, as the "roars" are played, goes..."That's one, that's two, Thank you Hasek, may we have another? He shoots, he scores, you suck!" Most of the arena only gets in on the "he shoots..." part, so that's what gets heard. Edit: I see that someone else has explained this while I was posting. He's right. Hope this helps. Good luck in Game 4...