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When David Poile, Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne are inducted into the Nashville Predators Golden Hall this week, Roman Josi’s memories will rush back.

He’ll think of Poile becoming the NHL’s winningest general manager on a winter night in Edmonton, he’ll remember Weber’s thunderous slap shot and natural ability to lead, and he’ll reminisce on Rinne’s moments of desperation to make a save a goaltender should have no business making.

And yet.

Josi won’t be the only one inside Bridgestone Arena who will remember those moments either as the Golden Hall’s inaugural class takes part in a ceremonial puck drop on Thursday night before the Preds host the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now past the quarter century mark of existence, the time for the Predators franchise to begin a Hall of Fame of their own has arrived, and there’s no one more fitting than Poile, Weber and Rinne to make up the original trio.

Josi, who played for Poile - and with Weber and Rinne - beginning as a rookie back in 2011, knows better than most what the three mean to the organization and the city of Nashville, especially the two he shared the ice with night after night.

“It’s very fitting for [Weber and Rinne] to be the first two players selected, and it's obviously fun for them too, because they were such good friends, played together for so long and two guys who kind of shaped this organization,” Josi said. “They kind of set the culture, and you still feel it to this day, and then you just pass it on. What they did for the Preds, and even the community, not just on the ice, is pretty cool, and so it'll be great to honor them.”

That desire to serve the community is just as much of a reason why Weber and Rinne are legends in these parts as their on-ice play. The 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund presented by Twice Daily, which benefits research and treatments at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, is Weber and Rinne’s most notable contribution in town, but there was so much more they had to give back elsewhere, too.

Josi saw that involvement firsthand and helps to carry those traditions on today because he simply doesn’t know any better thanks to the example before him.

“They were just so active in the community, and when I came [as a rookie]…it was almost like, you come in as a young kid and that was the norm,” Josi said. “They set that culture and everybody else kind of followed. And I think now we see the connection you have with the fans and how tight this community is, a lot of it is because of them.”

Preds forward Colton Sissons, who, like Weber, hails from the province of British Columbia, will never forget walking into the Nashville locker room and seeing Weber in his prime.

“It was intimidating,” Sissons smiled when recalling Weber’s presence. “Yeah, he's quite a figure. I watched him lots growing up and had some ties from [playing for the] Kelowna Rockets [of the WHL at different times]. So, he kind of took me under his wing a little bit, made me feel comfortable, had me over for dinner and stuff, and brought me to lunch with the boys when I was just a young guy. I’ve definitely carried some of those lessons forward with young guys now being an older guy myself. I learned a lot from him.”

So, what was the best part of transitioning from watching Weber on television to playing alongside him?

“Probably watching Shea rip that one-timer from the point and just put the fear of God into other people's eyes when he was out there,” Sissons laughed. “That was pretty neat. And then probably going on our run with [Rinne] to the [2017 Stanley Cup Final]. He had some incredible performances throughout that whole run, but obviously that Western Conference Final Game 6 was probably one of the best of his career. That was pretty special.”

Ryan O’Reilly never played with Weber or Rinne in Nashville, but he certainly had the unenviable task of trying to find success against them while playing for teams like Colorado, Buffalo and St. Louis. Thankfully for O’Reilly, he managed to stay out of the way of a Weber clapper.

“Fortunately enough, I did not take one of those,” O’Reilly said. “But gosh, if you got hit with one of those, you're going on the IR, that's for sure. But [Weber and Rinne] were such amazing players, and a huge honor for those guys. Just what they've done, not even just on the ice, but just hockey in general, they are great examples of what it should mean to be an NHL player and be in an organization.”

Now a member of the Predators for the past two seasons, O’Reilly has certainly come to appreciate what Weber and Rinne mean to the Nashville franchise, and he’s looking forward to another reminder in the days ahead.

“You just see when they come around how excited everyone is, and even the fans, too,” O’Reilly said. “There’s an excitement around, and it is special. You can just tell they have this presence about them. They’ve done so many amazing things here, and for so long, that it's really cool to see.”

Indeed, hockey in Nashville likely wouldn’t be the same without Rinne and Weber’s impact. Now they, along with Poile, will be enshrined by the franchise they helped build so the next generations of fans may understand why Smashville is unique compared to every other NHL destination.

Signs point to Josi joining them one day, but for now, he’s just appreciative of what they’ve done for him and everyone else who plays or cheers for this team.

“I know how much they put into hockey, how much they sacrificed to play at this level for such a long time, and I think it's pretty cool when you're done and you're getting honored by the organization that meant so much to you,” Josi said. “It’s obviously so well deserved, but I think it’s pretty cool for them, too.”

Click here to learn more about the Preds Golden Hall and to purchase tickets to the luncheon on Jan. 15 and the game on Jan. 16.