It all got started on Oct. 10, 1998, at 501 Broadway:
A modest beginning to be sure. To start their third season, it was the Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins playing a pair of games in Tokyo - at the brand-new Saitama Super Arena. A feature of that training camp was Japanese defenseman Yujiro Nakajimaya, who joined me for a pregame interview on that trip.
The Preds split those two games with the Penguins and Cliff Ronning had the honor of scoring the first goal in the arena.
In the 2001-02 season, another great memory, an overtime comeback win over the Red Wings in Nashville and the starring role was played by defenseman Andrew "Bubba" Berenzweig:
Those were the early years, prior to making the playoffs in the 2003-04 season. Then, the fun really began, and it was triggered by a trade. On Feb. 16, David Poile acquired Steve Sullivan from the Chicago Blackhawks for second-round picks that season and in 2005. Two nights later, in his first game with the team, the deal paid off handsomely:
The Predators advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, with their opponents being the Detroit Red Wings. It was competitive from the start:
Though the Predators lost both games in Detroit, that didn't dampen the atmosphere in Nashville on Easter Sunday afternoon for Game 3:
As if that wasn't enough - let's go to Game 4:
Tomas Vokoun pitched a shutout and the series was suddenly tied at two wins apiece. The Red Wings would go on to take the series in Game 6, but the Predators had made their mark.
Those are some of the memories that come back to me as the Predators go down the stretch run of the 2017-18 season. Last season's run to the Stanley Cup Final and this year's outstanding regular season have raised expectations to new heights. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!
