If there’s one thing Rob Blake remembers about the days when he used to play against the Nashville Predators, it’s that he could never let his guard down when a certain fan favorite was on the ice.
“Well, Jordin Tootoo and making sure you had your head up the whole time,” Blake smiled while reminiscing on what was top of mind when facing the Preds.
That’s high praise considering Blake was a feared defender in his own right during his Hall-of-Fame career, known just as much for his thunderous body checks as his offensive prowess and leadership capabilities.
He’s about to enter a much less precarious position inside Bridgestone Arena, albeit one that will bring its own unique set of challenges.
But after a 20-year stint as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history - and then as General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings - Blake is ready for his next opportunity, this time in Music City.
Following the hiring of Chris MacFarland to become the new President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Predators, Nashville’s new boss added Blake to his staff just days later as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
In his new role, Blake will work alongside MacFarland in all areas of the hockey operations department, including team and staff development, long- and short-term strategies, free agency, player recruitment, drafting and everything else that comes with running an NHL franchise.
Suffice to say, that pairing of Blake and MacFarland is what attracted the newest employee to town.
"I think first and foremost is probably working with Chris,” Blake said Tuesday of what excites him about his new role. “I've known Chris over the years, got to know him better when we were GMs and with involvement at different meetings and whatnot. So, when he reached out, it was familiar going there. But the ability to learn from him, and then obviously his vision for the Predators and some of the parts of the organization that he wanted to get a good look at and dive into - I think all that made it an appealing opportunity.”
MacFarland, who most recently served as general manager of the Colorado Avalanche up until a couple of weeks ago, and Blake, who owned the same title - as well as VP of hockey operations - with Los Angeles from the 2017-18 campaign through 2024-25, hope to make a formidable duo when it comes to revamping the Preds on the ice.
Blake views joining the Predators as a supporting role to MacFarland while offering insights to his experiences as a player and a GM - and then helping to share MacFarland’s messaging throughout the organization.
“The longer you play in the League, I think the better you become at looking around, taking advice, watching what other players do, just to be able to play a certain amount of time,” Blake said. “I've been able to take some of those attributes or characteristics into the management part, and that's why, when I talk about the excitement, is to be able to come in and learn under Chris, too.”
Regarded as one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history, Blake skated in 1,270 regular-season games and won the Stanley Cup as a player with Colorado in 2001. He was a seven-time NHL All-Star before being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.
Those experiences patrolling the blue line for 20 NHL seasons have served him well on the management side of the game, and it was a natural transition for Blake following his playing days.
“I think all players think they're GMs when they're playing,” Blake laughed. “But just to see the appealing part about being around a hockey dressing room, it changes from playing to sitting around discussing what you want to do with the team, but that's the fun part.”
Following his on-ice career with the Kings, Avalanche and Sharks that concluded in 2010, Blake joined the League’s Player Safety Department under Brenden Shanahan for a few seasons before accepting an Assistant GM role in Los Angeles under Dean Lombardi.
Blake won another Cup, this time with the Kings front office, in 2014 before taking over as GM in 2017. Then, after over 30 consecutive seasons in the NHL in some capacity, Blake and the Kings parted ways. That gave him a chance to step back from the professional ranks in the past year, instead focusing on youth hockey and his 14-year-old son’s involvement in the game.
But that time away only reinforced his desire to be with a team once more, and when the call came from MacFarland, he couldn’t say no.
“At the end of the day, we all want to win,” Blake said. “The chance to join a group of guys that you could trust, that's an important thing when you keep moving later in your career… The appeal with Chris and the role that he had here with the Predators, and to be able to come in and support him, [was a perfect fit].”
Like everyone else in Nashville, the club’s prospect pool - as well as the amount of draft picks still to come in the years ahead - excites Blake for the future of the franchise.
And after being in town for meetings with the team’s pro scouts for a few days to start his tenure with the Preds, Blake is now focused on getting to know his new team inside and out with the meat of the offseason schedule right ahead.
“Just getting an understanding of the organization firsthand is key,” Blake said. “Every general manager, every president has a little different style they want on, so you understand what Chris's vision is and how he wants to present it, and then we've got to relay that message throughout the staff. So, it’s just starting that process with meeting the pro [scouts], amateur [scouts] probably within the next couple weeks here with the Draft coming up, and then go from there.”
Before long, Blake will know exactly what MacFarland and the rest of the Nashville front office is looking to do, and he intends on doing his part to make the Predators one of the NHL’s best once more.
And while there will be challenges along the way, Blake wouldn’t rather be doing anything else. Hockey’s in his blood, and now, he’s bringing his Hall-of-Fame pedigree to Tennessee.
“I came into town on Sunday night, and Monday morning, 9 o’clock, we’re in a meeting here with pro scouts going over team needs, and that's what's fun,” Blake said. “Talking the hockey part and understanding and seeing Chris's vision, and then trying to relate that to what we're trying to do in these meetings, these are the times that excite you about hockey.”
