NHL Board of Governors grants a conditional franchise to Leipold Hockey Holdings, LLC in June of 1997
On Sept. 25, 1997, the organization unveiled the logo of the saber-toothed tiger; the team name Nashville Predators was announced on Nov. 13, 1997
On May 4, 1998, the NHL officially announces the Nashville Predators as the 27th franchise in League history
The Preds played their first game on Oct. 10, 1998 in front of a sellout crowd of 17,298; 1-0 loss against the Florida Panthers
The Preds won their first game on Oct. 13, 1998 by a score of 3-2 vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. Andrew Brunette — now our head coach — scored the first goal in franchise history in this game
The Preds made their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2003-04 season
The Preds won their first playoff series in 2011 — a 4-2 series win over the Anaheim Ducks
The Preds unveiled their new gold jerseys on July 13, 2011
The Predators made a historic playoff run in 2017, winning the Western Conference Championship and appearing in their first Stanley Cup Final
The franchise won its first Presidents Trophy in 2018 - the team with the best record in the league in the regular season
Barry Trotz, the team's first head coach, became the team's general manager on July 1, 2023, following David Poile's retirement
Trotz retired as GM in 2026; Chris MacFarland is introduced as the organization's third GM on June 2, 2026
Bridgestone Arena
First concert at Bridgestone Arena: Amy Grant Tennessee Christmas on December 18, 1996
Disney on Ice first came to Bridgestone arena in 1997 and has played our venue for a total of 25 years
Kings of Comedy Tour with Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer and Guy Torry was the first comedy show at Bridgestone Arena and happened in 1998
Nate Bargatze holds the attendance record for having 19,365 people in attendance at his show on April 15, 2023
Garth Brooks has headlined the arena more than any other artist with 19 headlining shows
In November 2026, Bridgestone Arena will host the CMA Awards for the 20th time
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were the first artists to host New Years Eve at Bridgestone Arena
Bridgestone Arena has hosted 22 SEC events; 19 CMA Awards; 18 Country Music Television (CMT) Awards and five Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards
Seven-time International Entertainment Buyers Association Arena of the Year award winner
Seven-time Academy of Country Music’s Large Capacity Venue of the Year award
Two-time CMA Venue of the Year award winner
Twenty (20) overall nominations for the Pollstar Magazine Arena of the Year award, winning three (3) times
