Preds Players, Foundation Give Back and Share Smiles Across Nashville

On Monday afternoon at the deck hockey rink adjacent to the Bellevue Family YMCA outside of Nashville, Nic Hague and Alex Kerfoot traded in their hockey sticks for…different hockey sticks. 

Of course, their fellow participants were a bit smaller than their usual teammates, but no less enthusiastic, to be sure. 

The defenseman and forward joined local youth ball hockey players as part of the team’s annual Community Relations Days with the Nashville Predators Foundation, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

For Kerfoot, who is in the midst of getting to know his new city after signing a two-year deal with the Preds on July 1, the chance to teach youngsters the game he loves was a perfect match. 

“Anytime you get a chance to come out in the community and introduce hockey to maybe some kids who haven't been around the game, that's always a good thing, and just being in the community in general,” Kerfoot said. “So, it's fun to be out here at the YMCA and play some street hockey with the kids… Some of them have played hockey before, some of them haven’t, but even just getting out and putting a stick in their hands, getting them introduced to the game is always fun, and it's something that we really look forward to.”

Kerfoot and Hague were just one of the pairs out and about with 14 Preds players visiting seven different community-focused organizations across Middle Tennessee over two days. 

Mavrik Bourque and Adam Wilsby visited a local elementary school for an assembly with the students; Justus Annunen and William Trudeau prepared meals for the unhoused community with People Loving Nashville; and Jonathan Marchessault and Jayden Struble participated in after-school programming at Bethlehem Centers of Nashville. 

On day two, Jack Ahcan and Nils Hoglander prepared supplies to winterize community garden beds with the Nashville Food Project; Adam Edstrom and Nick Perbix joined a dance class for teens and adults with disabilities at MOVE Inclusive Dance; and Ross Colton and Reid Schaefer helped coach a 6U and 8U practice with the Preds Youth Hockey League at Ford Ice Center Bellevue.

And then, there were Hague and Kerfoot playing NHL Street ball hockey with some faring better than others. 

“I took a turn at goalie there, and I was taking a real onslaught - I think I let in about 10 goals,” Hague laughed. “But it’s been a lot of fun.”

Hague, who says he never had the chance to learn from NHLers when he was growing up, appreciated the potential for at least one of the participants to fall in love with the game that has given him just about everything in life.

And the chance to do so in the place he now calls home is even better. 

“Our fans give us so much,” Hague said. “We wouldn't be able to be here in this city and do what we do without the support of our fans. No matter what it is, I think it's so important to really get intertwined with the community and give back any way we can. Their support is the reason that we're able to do what we do, and they're cheering us on every step of the way. That’s a great feeling for us, and hopefully we can reciprocate it for them.”

The Preds Foundation’s mission is to meet educational, social, health and cultural needs throughout Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Since its inception in 1998, the Foundation has awarded almost $30 million in grants, SuperGrants, donations and in-kind gifts to the greater Middle Tennessee community. To learn more about the Nashville Predators Foundation and to see a list of upcoming events, click here.