Preds Season Ticket Citizens Enjoy More Than Just Tangible Benefits

The Nashville Predators have been on quite a run thus far in the 2021-22 campaign - and so have Preds Season Ticket Citizens.
In addition to watching their team collect 13 victories on home ice - and see the club at or near the top of the Central Division and Western Conference standings over the past few months - Predators STCs have had plenty of benefits to enjoy,
especially with STC ticket pricing remaining in the bottom half of the League
, unlike Nashville's impressive record.
They've received the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game set to be played under the lights at Nissan Stadium next month when the Preds host the Tampa Bay Lightning. They've earned up to 40 percent savings off the regular box office price for Predators home games. They've been offered the first chance to purchase seats to concerts and events at Bridgestone Arena - the building that ranked first in both the United States and the world for concert ticket sales in 2021, according to Pollstar.

Those benefits have come in addition to 50 percent savings on food and beverage items for full STCs, bonus tickets to use throughout the 2021-22 campaign and, of course, the chance to see Pekka Rinne's No. 35 raised to the Arena rafters in person just one month from now.
Add all of those perks to the simple guarantee of Predators hockey - like a four-goal game from Filip Forsberg back in November, a thrilling overtime victory against division rival Colorado just two weeks ago or any of the other satisfying triumphs that have the Preds back in the conversation as one of the top teams in the League - and one might say there's never been a better time to be a Season Ticket Citizen.
Scott and Missy Wimpelberg, who currently cheer on their team from Section 309 inside Bridgestone Arena, have been attending Preds games for over two decades, and their investment in the team has only grown over time.
They've become avid fans of the team, first attending games more sporadically, but then purchasing a flex plan before becoming half and then full Season Ticket Citizens, a move that eventually became inevitable for the couple.
"It's been a growth and appreciation over the time, largely by learning the game, but beyond that with the Predators as an organization connected with the community, you feel more a part of it," Scott said. "You feel like you want to support something that has almost become part of the culture of the city. They're involved with the community, and that has drawn me more as well. We enjoy the sport largely because we enjoy this team."
The Wimpelbergs recall a visit Forsberg and Mattias Ekholm made to their neighborhood almost 10 years ago as part of a community relations day to play street hockey with the young fans who lived nearby. Up-and-coming players at the time, the Swedes not only faced off against the locals for an hour, but they then spent another 60 minutes signing autographs and simply hanging out as if they were kids back home, too.
A moment like that stuck with the Wimpelbergs, and that involvement, combined with the Preds Foundation's efforts like Pekka Rinne's 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund and charity holiday initiatives, sealed things for them.
"It really shows the human side of the professional athletes as well, which I think is huge," Scott said. "The Predators have definitely led the way in that, and seeing that involvement, you see it's a priority for the organization. They're committed to being plugged in … and that's exciting to be a part of."
"We love the community aspect and what people do about serving and helping others," Missy said. "It's not about playing a sport to make money. These athletes are paid very well, but what they do for the community is huge, and that gives them a much better self and not just being an athlete playing a sport."
"They're not just making money off the name of the city, but they're here and invested in the city," Scott added. "We love that."
Of course, the Wimpelbergs have also appreciated plenty of on-ice moments over the past two decades, Rinne's final victory lap back in May following what turned out to be his last NHL game still top of mind. Their five children are also fans, so much so that one of their daughters has chosen to hold her upcoming bachelorette party at a Predators game.
They're also a military family with their son serving and both of their parents retired military. The recognition shown to both active-duty and veteran military members at each home game matters, and the honors only increase their pride in the organization.
Additionally, the Wimpelbergs say the annual gifts to Season Ticket Citizens are very much appreciated - Missy loves to "proudly wear my Loyal Legion" gear - and Scott says the entertainment value is simply unbeatable.
"They're not there to be a cash cow, they're there to make an experience for the fans," Scott said. "And I think it's like they follow the mindset of, 'If you do it right then guess what - support and money comes.' Because it feels like that. They're doing it for the right reasons, and that's why we cannot say enough about supporting them and being a part of the Loyal Legion."
Suffice to say, they don't plan on relinquishing their status as Season Ticket Citizens anytime soon, and Missy believes everyone should experience a Predators game at least once in their life - a thought her husband, and so many others, would wholeheartedly agree upon.
"You can't go wrong by investing in this," Scott said, "because you get more than you invest in the process."