Thomas Willis: Goodbye and Thank You

I've started and restarted writing this post a few times over the past few weeks. Let's just say it would appear this is one instance where practice does not make perfect.
The end of the 2020-21 season in Game 6 on Thursday also marked my last game with the Nashville Predators. Instantly, I think of the incredible seven years and seven seasons I spent with the organization that I was a fan of since I was in elementary school. If you would have told me then I could pick the seven seasons I'd work with them, I don't see how I could have picked anything but the run from 2014 to 2021 that I've enjoyed.
Just to name a few things: hosting an All-Star Game, a Stanley Cup Final, winning a Presidents' Trophy, visiting 34 NHL arenas, an NHL Winter Classic and making the Stanley Cup Playoffs every season - not bad at all.

But the success on the ice over the last seven years is a secondary or even tertiary reason I'd pick this past seven-year period. There's no doubt in my mind that the friends I've made and the people I've gotten to work with will always be what I'll cherish and remember the most. Those relationships are what will stick with me for the rest of my life. They mean the world to me, and I can't wait for us to get even closer over the years.
Additionally, I hope the work I've done over the last seven seasons has made your fandom or interest in the Predators better in some way. I'm confident
NashvillePredators.com
, the
Preds App
(hey, remember Smashville App goals?),
@PredsNHL social media
and content as a whole will never be the same now that it's risen to its current level. I think that's something I can be proud of. Listen, I still see the
Nashville Locker Room store
signs where the Predators Team Store used to be and think: "How did that idea get through?" (Some of you are still wondering the same thing about the
Predators Official Podcast
.)
To you, the reader, the listener, the fan, you have my gratitude. In large part, you're the reason we go to work every day. Thank you for the comments, tweets, clicks and questions over the years.
Perhaps you've only read to this point to quiet your curiosity about where I'm going next. You're in luck. In the coming days, I'll be joining the
Educational Media Foundation/K-LOVE in Nashville
as their director of digital content. I hope some of you will join me on this next journey.
Don't worry, I'll see you again soon in SMASHVILLE.