Blues, Predators joining forces in flood relief efforts

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators will be opponents in Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round on Friday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports), but they're joining forces to help those dealing with the severe flooding in the area during the past week.
"I think the important thing is for us is that we get this little window where there's this great sports event going on, but we also actually realize that the sports franchises in our cities play a really critical role," Blues president and CEO Chris Zimmerman said. "One, to bring attention to suffering in this case and the needs of our community, and on the other side seeing how we can step up both financially and in other ways to support the efforts."

The Blues will raise money at Scottrade Center on Friday through a 50/50 raffle, memorabilia sales and the Blues for Kids fund's silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts.
Fans can also bid on Blues autographed memorabilia and game-used merchandise online by visiting blues.myab.co or by texting "BLUES" to 52182.
The Predators, who lead the best-of-7 series 3-1, will donate proceeds from their foundation's silent auction as well as money collected from fans outside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to hit the Blues-themed "Smashcar" with a sledgehammer. Items up for auction include two tickets in the owner's suite for a Luke Bryan concert and a suite for both a home and an away game against St. Louis during the 2017-18 regular season.
Fans can text "PREDS" to 52182 or visit the Predators' mobile application to see the items up for bid in the auction.
"We hate each other on the ice," Predators president and CEO Sean Henry said. "We're adversaries. I'll do anything right now to beat them on the ice. Literally, tell me what it is and I'll hit them, kick them, whatever we need to do. Fortunately it doesn't come down to the two of us.
"But off the ice, we really are partners. We're business partners, but more importantly when something effects one of our communities, if we can help we should. We have such a unique opportunity because of the type of series we're enjoying right now that we get to leverage our fans passions for the logos to draw attention to the problem, draw attention to the need and most importantly raise a few dollars."