Predators broadcasters Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley called the game via livestream through Nashville's social media channels, and Voice of the Preds Pete Weber and Hal Gill broadcasted the contest on ESPN 102.5 The Game - just like they'd normally be doing night after night this time of year.
The evening provided an opportunity to not only highlight two of the region's most popular high school programs, but it also brought a sense of normalcy we all crave.
Plus, it's not every day teenagers have the opportunity to play with the Preds broadcast crew saying their names.
"I know for the kids, they had a blast," MBA Head Coach, and former Predators forward, J-P Dumont said. "That's something that these] kids [have never gotten] to experience before… I mean, this is the big stage for youth hockey, so it was definitely a lot of fun for them."
"It's pretty exciting for them, especially this year, given all the changes and the things that they've had to sacrifice," Father Ryan Head Coach Steven Henry said of his players. "I was happy for them to be able to get a special night like this. Rarely is high school hockey promoted the way it was tonight, so it was cool for them to be on the big stage and the Predators be in the spotlight tonight."
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The two teams are perfect examples of how the Predators have influenced hockey in Nashville and beyond, and the connections run deep. Not only did Dumont skate for the club in the late 2000s, Henry's father, Sean, is the president and CEO of the Preds and Bridgestone Arena.
Former Predators forward Cody Hodgson is an assistant of Henry's behind the Father Ryan bench, and two of MBA's players have Predators roots as well. Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales, Premium Sales & Youth Hockey Nat Harden's son, Ty, scored twice for the Big Red, and Sebastian Cigarran, whose father, Christopher, and grandfather, Thomas, are part of the Preds ownership group, also factored in on the scoresheet.
MBA took the game by a 9-1 final to keep their perfect record, and even though one side had to end up in the loss column, Wednesday's outing didn't leave room for disappointment.
"I'd be lying to you if I said it wasn't [fun]," Henry said. "It's cool to be in that environment, and I think everyone came out a little bit nervous when you see the lights go out and the anthem starts. It's different for all of us, but I think once we got settled in, the kids were able to sit back and enjoy it. I think it's one of those things that when they look back on it, and maybe in this moment they don't really appreciate it, but they'll look back on it and they're really going to think fondly of this."
A masked, socially distant crowd enjoyed themselves too, and considering the circumstances, Ford Ice Center Bellevue was able to hold another successful event in a climate we're all still getting used to.
It wasn't a Saturday night with 17,159 in attendance under the lights at Bridgestone, but in a way, it felt pretty darn close.
"The [GNASH] league has done a great job at making sure that we were able to get the season going in the first place," Henry said. "We knew that we'd have to follow these all the protocols really strictly to even get on the ice, so we've kind of gotten over that hurdle with getting everyone used to the new protocol. To finally see something like this here with Paul in the booth there, I'm excited to go back home and watch the rest of it because it's going to feel like it's actually something normal - like hockey's back."
