Paul McCann: Off Day - The Origin of the TV Timeout Standing "O"

Hey Paul ... just wanted to say congrats man.

I'm a Canucks fan and been reading hockeybuzz for a long time but always clicked to read your blogs because you are a great hockey writer and exemplify what it is to be a true fan of a team.

I am very happy you get to go on this ride. Good luck to you and the Preds!

I keep hearing from disgruntled fans or media about Nashville being "overrated" as a hockey town or game experience. It's not a traditional hockey market. They don't have true hockey fans. This is just a bandwagon ride. Blah, Blah, Blah.

It's ridiculous. I have been to, at a minimum, 5 games per year (some years as many as 35 games) for 17 years. What I can tell you is that attendance has been steadily growing for the past decade since the ownership change. Last season, the Preds sold out all but a few home games during the regular season. This year, all regular season games were sellouts. As far as I remember, just about every playoff game in franchise history has been a sellout. This was all while the Preds were only having partial seasons televised in the local market, and getting a max of 1-2 games per year on national TV.

The youth hockey movement in middle Tennessee is growing steadily. We have some very strong club and high school teams here now. The fans have quickly grown more knowledgeable. And Nashville is growing - with a lot of the new transplants coming from the north - from traditional hockey markets. Those folks know hockey, and have embraced this team and franchise.

I was there for the first TV timeout ovation. And for many other spontaneous ones during other TV timeouts against the Red Wings or Blues, when the players needed a push and the playoffs were on the line. Sure, there are plenty of new fans on the bandwagon. I say, welcome aboard. It's a great city. It's a great hockey club. And it's a great time to be Preds fan.

If you are a salty "hockey purist" media member, fan of another team, etc. and you think Nashville is being overrated, that's great. Stay home and don't visit this city. Folks that want to come here and be part of the excitement - from the tourism, to the Preds success, to the Titans building momentum for the future - we say "Welcome to town, y'all. Glad to have you!". Yes, we are doing just fine in the Music City, thanks!

Marquee at Friedman's: "Penguins fan? Bless you're heart.."

pretty good.

I keep hearing from disgruntled fans or media about Nashville being "overrated" as a hockey town or game experience. It's not a traditional hockey market. They don't have true hockey fans. This is just a bandwagon ride. Blah, Blah, Blah.

It's ridiculous. I have been to, at a minimum, 5 games per year (some years as many as 35 games) for 17 years. What I can tell you is that attendance has been steadily growing for the past decade since the ownership change. Last season, the Preds sold out all but a few home games during the regular season. This year, all regular season games were sellouts. As far as I remember, just about every playoff game in franchise history has been a sellout. This was all while the Preds were only having partial seasons televised in the local market, and getting a max of 1-2 games per year on national TV.

The youth hockey movement in middle Tennessee is growing steadily. We have some very strong club and high school teams here now. The fans have quickly grown more knowledgeable. And Nashville is growing - with a lot of the new transplants coming from the north - from traditional hockey markets. Those folks know hockey, and have embraced this team and franchise.

I was there for the first TV timeout ovation. And for many other spontaneous ones during other TV timeouts against the Red Wings or Blues, when the players needed a push and the playoffs were on the line. Sure, there are plenty of new fans on the bandwagon. I say, welcome aboard. It's a great city. It's a great hockey club. And it's a great time to be Preds fan.

If you are a salty "hockey purist" media member, fan of another team, etc. and you think Nashville is being overrated, that's great. Stay home and don't visit this city. Folks that want to come here and be part of the excitement - from the tourism, to the Preds success, to the Titans building momentum for the future - we say "Welcome to town, y'all. Glad to have you!". Yes, we are doing just fine in the Music City, thanks!
- holycow_75

Don't worry about it. Haters are going to hate no matter what the facts are. I welcome the bandwagon fans b/c it often translates into future season ticket holders. Winning is contagious!

Yeah not exactly the angle I would have gone with, but that sums it up perfectly.



- Queenie_5_hole

Damn typo...

That was a great story about the origin of the TV-Timeout-Standing-O. It's something you guys have in your team/fan history forever.

I think the Flyers had something like this happen... back in 1973... they won a playoff round in game 7 on the road, and then played the first two games of the next round also on the road... so when the team finally got back on home ice for game 3, the crowd expressed their appreciation when the Flyers first came out on the ice... something like a 5- or 6-minute ovation that finally ended with the playing of the national anthem. Of course, that was just a one-time thing.

Marquee at Friedman's: "Penguins fan? Bless you're heart.."

pretty good.
- coaster28

That's great! So very southern ;-)

Damn typo...
- jochfr

I meant regardless of that... Not sure if you meant 'batch' or 'bag' but really does it matter?

Paul McCann: Off Day - The Origin of the TV Timeout Standing "O"
- pmccann

This is a very cool tradition. I'd be interested to hear the origin of hurling a catfish onto the ice.

On it's face, i find this one to be a hoakie knock-off of the octopus in Detroit. Unless there's a backstory - i would retire that 'tradition'.

This is a very cool tradition. I'd be interested to hear the origin of hurling a catfish onto the ice.

On it's face, i find this one to be a hoakie knock-off of the octopus in Detroit. Unless there's a backstory - i would retire that 'tradition'.
- bcallaway

FYI - At the current rate of catfish tosses, we will surpass the number of octopi we have seen on Pred ice sometime in the year 2027.

This is a very cool tradition. I'd be interested to hear the origin of hurling a catfish onto the ice.

On it's face, i find this one to be a hoakie knock-off of the octopus in Detroit. Unless there's a backstory - i would retire that 'tradition'.
- bcallaway

My wife and I were discussing that while watching game four. We concluded same as you. And, also like you, were/are too lazy to look it up ourselves. lol

This is a very cool tradition. I'd be interested to hear the origin of hurling a catfish onto the ice.

On it's face, i find this one to be a hoakie knock-off of the octopus in Detroit. Unless there's a backstory - i would retire that 'tradition'.
- bcallaway

As you are probably aware, with Nashville's limited early hockey success and easy access to Chicago, St. Louis & Detroit, often times in the first decade of existence, there were more fans in the arena cheering the Blues, Wings, or Hawks than were cheering the Preds.

In fact, while most Preds fans have particular disdain for the antics of rowdy Blackhawks fans, it was most often the sea of Red that overtook the arena every time Detroit was in town that most irked the Preds' faithful. Given that Detroit was on the back end of it's extended dominance of the division and conference, the Wing fans sort of treated the arena like their home away from home. Plenty of octopi have been thrown on the ice by Detroit faithful in what is now Bridgestone arena. Because Nashville had rarely been to the playoffs, much less had any success there, I suppose a readily available aquatic creature of our own became the tradition. It's really more of a "little brother" kind of move to me. But I love my little brother - so antics like that are kind of fun.

I have been to many games where I never saw one thrown on the ice, but I've also been to plenty multi-Catfish games! I think just like with the catfish guy in Pittsburg who has become a local celebrity, it's a fun tradition to do that, because the Preds haven't won anything yet. The Penguins, like the Wings, have a pretty strong history of playoff success. As long as nobody gets hurt, and its in good fun, I don't see the harm.

As you are probably aware, with Nashville's limited early hockey success and easy access to Chicago, St. Louis & Detroit, often times in the first decade of existence, there were more fans in the arena cheering the Blues, Wings, or Hawks than were cheering the Preds.

In fact, while most Preds fans have particular disdain for the antics of rowdy Blackhawks fans, it was most often the sea of Red that overtook the arena every time Detroit was in town that most irked the Preds' faithful. Given that Detroit was on the back end of it's extended dominance of the division and conference, the Wing fans sort of treated the arena like their home away from home. Plenty of octopi have been thrown on the ice by Detroit faithful in what is now Bridgestone arena. Because Nashville had rarely been to the playoffs, much less had any success there, I suppose a readily available aquatic creature of our own became the tradition. It's really more of a "little brother" kind of move to me. But I love my little brother - so antics like that are kind of fun.

I have been to many games where I never saw one thrown on the ice, but I've also been to plenty multi-Catfish games! I think just like with the catfish guy in Pittsburg who has become a local celebrity, it's a fun tradition to do that, because the Preds haven't won anything yet. The Penguins, like the Wings, have a pretty strong history of playoff success. As long as nobody gets hurt, and its in good fun, I don't see the harm.
- holycow_75

I like it because to me it says 'you're sleeping with the fishes' (aka dead - gangster style) with a bit of Southern Charm as Catfish is more popular down South.

Marquee at Friedman's: "Penguins fan? Bless you're heart.."

pretty good.
- coaster28

Is your image of Caine from the tos battlestar galactica?

Is your image of Caine from the tos battlestar galactica?
- PREDX1

You got the right actor but the pic is from another show. You cant possibly be old enough to know that, right?!?

You also got Pekka pegged for Preds too... so he goes so go the Preds for winning game 5.

You got the right actor but the pic is from another show. You cant possibly be old enough to know that, right?!?

You also got Pekka pegged for Preds too... so he goes so go the Preds for winning game 5.
- Nuck4U

I'm a geek and cosplay nerd, so old sciifi i my thing..

I was there for that magical moment vs the Blues, it was something to behold and a joy to be a part of that season!

I'm a geek and cosplay nerd, so old sciifi i my thing..
- PREDX1

it's actually from Airplane The Movie. However, the original Galactica reference is pretty strong. And what was the name of the other Battlestar?? The Pegasus..

I'm a geek and cosplay nerd, so old sciifi i my thing..
- PREDX1

Awesome being like that looks good for Preds hockey too. You know cause that kind of dedication doesn't create a bandwagon following. Good on you hope you infect more fans with that attitude so as to follow hockey. Wish I saw more of that enthusiasm of following for Preds hockey. Like back in the day when I was in Franklin...maybe now.