An off day in the Stanley Cup Final, get used to ‘em gang, because there are two days off in between each of the remaining games in the series. The Nashville Predators will practice today at Bridgestone Arena before flying to Pittsburgh. Pred Nation is invited to see the boys off at Signature Air. The send-off is scheduled for 1pm today.
With all of the hype around the Final and how impressed everyone has been with the crowds, the noise and the chants at Bridgestone Arena, it may be a good time to revisit the situation behind one of the most important tradition of Predators fans and their inspiration of their team. The TV Timeout Standing O.
The TV Timeout Standing “O” began innocently enough, as traditions often do, on April 3, 2008. The Predators were coming to the end of a tumultuous season that began in late May of 2007 with the news of an impending sale of the team to a Canadian billionaire that wanted to move the team. The original owner of the team, current Wild owner Craig Leipold was made an offer he couldn’t refuse… I won’t go into all the gory details, so here is the Reader’s Digest version… a battle ensued… Leipold ended up taking $40 million less from local owners who stepped up to buy the team.
The sale was completed in November of ‘07. New leases were negotiated and by late in the 07-08 season, Pred Nation was starting to feel a little bit better about the prospects for this team staying in Nashville long term. Sure, there was work to be done, but things were definitely looking up.
Part of the positive feelings had to do with the team’s performance on the ice. After losing a LOT of talent in the player fire sale during the process of selling the team, expectations for the 07-08 season were not what I would call high. But as the end of the regular season approached, the Predators had secured a playoff spot for the 4th consecutive year on that evening with a come from behind victory over the St. Louis Blues in the home finale for the Preds.
This was the conclusion of my second season behind the microphone as the Predators PA announcer. One of the traditions of closing night is a fan appreciation video… a small, two minute thank you to Pred Nation for their support and their passion for the team. The 07-08 video was scheduled to be shown in the third television timeout of the third period.
The arena was louder than normal that night… from the time the team was introduced and throughout the game. With about four and a half minutes to go in the game we got a stoppage and the Game Ops crew prepared to play the video after my introduction. As soon as the whistle blew for that stoppage, the crowd at the Arena spontaneously began to cheer. Honestly, the Game Ops team expected the cheer to subside after a few seconds so we could play the video.
It didn’t. It just got louder.
After a few seconds of cheering, the crowd stood up, the free t-shirts given out for closing night were used as rally towels… and the cheer continued to grow as more time passed. That cheer lasted the entire 120 seconds of the TV timeout (and about 30 second of ensuing game play.) I still get chills thinking about it. That cheer was an amazing display of thanks and pride… pride in their team and their city… as I wrote in this blog the next day to sum up the experience;
It was Pred Nation saying thank you to the team... It was Pred Nation saying thank you to the new ownership... thank you to the folks who worked so hard to keep their team in Nashville... and a small bit was Pred Nation giving the finger to anyone who dared suggest that hockey does not belong in Nashville.
It was one of the most special sports moments I have ever experienced… just a mundane closing of a season, before the playoffs got started… but the people, Pred Nation made that moment special. As they have throughout this playoff run.
The Predators fan base coalesced around that moment, the TV timeout began to happen in the next season… and the next… and everyone since. Pred Nation has turned it from a thank you to an inspirational tool, whenever they sense their team needs a boost… and more often that not… the team responds, many times with a goal. Not only do the Predators team respond, you see the opposing team looking around with a little sense of wonder and confusion. The TV Timeout Standing O has become a unique display of the special relationship between the team and their fans.
So… in the immortal words of Paul Harvey; now you know... the rest of the story.
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SlapShot Radio is on tonight at 7pm on 102.5 the Game. Our guests are the Voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike Lange and the play-by-play voices of the Calder Cup Final… Dan D’Uva from the Syracuse Crunch and Bob Kaser from the Grand Rapids Griffins. Pete Weber will join us from Pittsburgh.
Join us tonight at 7 on 102.5 the Game
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Playoff Random Notes
- NBC has got to be thrilled… posting a 4.14 in game four and winning the night… that’s right… NBC won the night, with NHL hockey!
- C’mon… ain’t no doubt that Matt Murray will be in net for Game Five.
- Game Six on Sunday night in Nashville has the potential to be epic… 100,000 CMA fins in town for the CMA Music Fest… another 30-40k downtown for watch parties… another 17.5k in the arena… 80-100k at Bonnaroo… Downtown will be nuts on Sunday., but Nashville International Airport is going to be insane from Mon – Wed next week trying to move that many fans out of town!
- A Bridgestone Arena, Game Five viewing party is planned for tomorrow night. The Game Ops Gang will be there to put on the whole show for you, lights, video, announcements… we can cheer so loud that the boys will be able to hear us in PA. Tickets for the Arena watch party are on sale and are expected to sell out, all proceeds benefit the Nashville Predators Foundation.
- Keep a close eye on Filip Forsberg tomorrow night… that empty netter could be the thing that triggers another streak.
- Be wary… Pittsburgh played MUCH better in game four… if they springboard off that it could mean trouble for the Preds in game five.
- The Stanley Cup Final – Game Five – Tomorrow night @ 7pm from Pittsburgh, coverage on NBC. Radio on 102.5 the Game. Series standing – Tied at 2.
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SSR’s season nine is on, our next show is Wednesday at 7pm on 102.5 the Game. SlapShot Radio is the longest running hockey show in the mid-south and Pete Weber and I bring you the best in hockey talk all playoffs long. We will be breaking down the Calder Cup matchup with the play-by play men from both Syracuse and Grand Rapids and we will chat with the legendary voice of the Penguins, Mike Lange.
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