Joakim Kemell’s two goals in the Nashville Predators Gold Star Showcase presented by Ticketmaster on Thursday night were the highlights on the ice as Team White took a 3-2 victory over Team Gold. Joey Willis also converted for Team White before Cole O’Hara and Kevin Gravel tallied for Gold in the final period.
But in the grand scheme of things, the final score or who skated with who was minuscule in comparison to the true goal of the evening.
The Gold Star Showcase, now in its third season at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, features an intrasquad scrimmage between players on the Predators Training Camp roster and includes military highlights, Gold Star family tributes, meet-and-greets with Preds players and complimentary tickets through VetTix and Fort Campbell, which is home to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
And the privilege to be a part of a night like this? Well, that’s certainly not lost on those who everyone came to see.
“It’s a special event for everybody,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously for the organization, I think it's a great thing. What it means for all of us, to pay homage, that’s pretty special to be a part of it. And I thought the game was good. I thought the fans were excited, we had a really good pace and enjoyed the third period of a 4-on-4, kind of opened things up a little bit. I thought all our kids worked and competed and tried and showed the fans their best tonight.”
“[Those in the military] make sacrifices and do jobs that I myself can't even fathom,” Preds defenseman Kevin Gravel said. “So, just to be able to say, ‘Thank you,’ and maybe give back any way that you can, as little as this is, it's important. I think it means a lot… For the guys, it’s not just kind of like a shiny skate. Guys go pretty hard, so I think it makes for a good night for the fans, too. So, all in all a good night, and it’s fun to be part of.”
And those Preds players who weren’t on the ice - the ones who are household names in Smashville - spent their nights signing autographs, posing for photos and meeting with Gold Star families who have gone through more than anyone should ever have to. While a signature on a jersey won’t necessarily change someone’s life, it’s certainly an experience that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
“My kids have never been hockey fans, and we had never been to a hockey game before the last one,” Mary O’Farrell, who was part of the ceremonial puck drop along with her daughters during last year’s Gold Star Showcase, said. “I told them that this one was coming up, and they were like, 'Oh my gosh! Yes! We get to go again!’ They're so excited.”
O’Farrell, who lost her husband - an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operator within the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), known as the Night Stalkers - to cancer in 2023, is just one example of what a night like this means to a family.
“You feel supported and not alone in it,” O’Farrell said. “It’s not just my family. There are other Gold Star families being honored, and it’s fantastic. Very moving.”
A portion of the proceeds from the Gold Star Showcase are donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), whose mission is, “Enduring promise to America’s Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps Special Operations Personnel is to honor the fallen, and all Medal of Honor Recipients, by providing full educations and additional opportunities, ‘cradle to career’ (preschool – college), to their children.”
The promise ensures comprehensive educational support, including academic advocacy, grants, full financial assistance for up to a four-year post-secondary degree and more. Additionally, immediate financial grants to severely combat-wounded, ill and injured Special Operations Personnel who require hospitalization are provided.
O’Farrell and her children have not only benefitted from the SOWF - she’s not sure where she’d be without them.
“Relief,” O’Farrell said, her eyes welling when asked what it meant to know SOWF would be there for her family after her husband passed. “Tremendous relief, support. There are a lot of people who say, ‘If you need anything, just reach out.’ And that's very difficult for someone when you're sitting at the bottom. You don’t want to reach out and ask for help, and SOWF never said, ‘If you need anything, reach out.’ They reach out. They're like, ‘We're going to spearhead this and make sure that you're taken care of. You don't have to ask just, you know, we're there,’ and they have been. They said it and meant it.”
Founded in 1980, SOWF has grown exponentially since then - and not always under the most beautiful of circumstances - but the impacts are impressive.
Since the inception, 1,414 Special Operation Warriors have died in the line of duty - and 598 of the children left behind by those warriors have since graduated college. Currently, SOWF has 241 students enrolled in colleges across the country, and there are another 1,209 surviving children eligible for fully funded education.
“When we have these children, it's always a very sad story, but it's great that we're able to make an impact and kind of change their lives beyond the trajectory that was going to go with the situations that were presented to them,” SOWF Event Coordinator and Former Petty Officer Third Class, USCG, Jason Prosper said. “We’re happy to be able to play a part in these success stories.”
Prosper works to put on SOWF events all across the country - and so much more. The Foundation sends birthday and Christmas cards to those children each year and does anything necessary to make sure they receive the education they deserve.
The Gold Star Showcase in Clarksville on Thursday night goes a long way toward helping those ambitions become reality, and the involvement of the Preds makes everything bigger and better. Preds General Manager Barry Trotz also works closely with SOWF, and his support, coupled with that of the Nashville organization, does wonders for those who deserve it most.
“An event like this is important because we love celebrating, our military families, our veterans, our special operators, and we’re also just so thankful to the Nashville Predators and Barry Trotz for their incredible support,” Prosper said. “Not only do the proceeds directly benefit the Foundation, but this year, we’re also honored to have more than 50 of our family members from the organization in the local area attending the game, which none of this would be possible without the generosity of the Nashville Predators.
“Creating these lifelong memories for these families that have been through a lot, it's important for them to feel supported. I think to have an organization like the Nashville Predators have a hand in that is so important to our community, our veterans, our military family. It’s just such a great experience, and I can't wait to continue to build on that.”
The military support doesn’t just come one night a year in Clarksville either.
Ford Ice Center Clarksville is home to the Fort Campbell Hockey Team that plays multiple games per year at the facility. Military members receive a discount on programming at Ford Ice Center Clarksville, and F&M Bank Arena offers multiple opportunities for discounts throughout the building, as well as complimentary tickets to events through Vet Tix when available.
F&M Bank Arena has also hosted multiple memorials honoring fallen soldiers at no cost to families and the military. Staff from the Arena, as well as Sabertooth Sports and Entertainment, participates in various job fairs with Fort Campbell and the Spouses Employment Center throughout the year, and community work between the entities are prevalent, including assistance building a playhouse and assembling deployment toiletry bags at Armed Services YMCA Fort Campbell and delivering Thanksgiving meals to the YMCA as well.
And then there’s the support back home in Nashville.
Ford Military Salute Week is a staple among the Predators schedule taking place over a homestand each season at Bridgestone Arena. In addition to the Ford Military Salute that comes during every Preds home game, Ford Military Salute Week features a number of recognitions and activations, including soldiers from the Sabaluski Air Assault School and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducting a rappel demonstration from the Bridgestone Arena rafters prior to puck drop.
Last season, the Nashville Predators Foundation teamed with Mechanics On a Mission to surprise veterans who thought they were competing to win a car - until they all did.
