Preds Year In Review: Best of 2021

Much like the previous 365 days, 2021 didn't come without challenges - not only in hockey, but life in general, across Nashville and beyond.
But in a year that has seen a slew of protocols and postponements, the Predators also got back to playing hockey - and some rather entertaining hockey at that. In fact, some of the top moments of 2021 will also go down among the most notable occurrences in franchise history.
As we enter the final few days before December flips to January all over again, the past 12 months are certainly worth revisiting. Goals were scored, games were won and a single victory lap was taken one last time.
Enjoy the Top 10 Preds moments of 2021.

January 14, 2021: Preds Defeat Blue Jackets on Opening Night

Sure, this 3-1 victory over Columbus to begin a 56-game 2020-21 campaign won't necessarily be remembered for years to come, but the night represented something much greater.
Played in front of just a couple hundred family and friends in attendance at Bridgestone Arena - and hundreds more cutouts with fan photos looking on - the Preds scored three unanswered goals on their way to a win, truly signifying a return of hockey, even if it looked a bit different than before.
For everything the Predators - and every other NHL club, for that matter - dealt with in the weeks and months leading up to Opening Night, the first puck drop was a moral victory of sorts to get to that point while finding a way to play during the most unprecedented of circumstances.
And although the Preds needed a couple of months to truly find identity and consistency in their game that ultimately led to another playoff berth, a win to start a new season is always better than a loss. The Predators delivered at a time when we all needed something to cheer for, and from there, the journey was underway.

March 25, 2021: Grimaldi Scores Four Goals, Preds Set Records in Win Over Red Wings

Rocco Grimaldi and the Preds had themselves a night back in late March.
With their season turning around and the push to the playoffs underway, Grimaldi tied a franchise record by scoring four goals in a single game - just the second Preds player to do so in team history at the time - and the first three came rather quickly.
Grimaldi needed just 2:34 to tally his first-career hat trick, and the Predators also scored their first four of the night in a 2:34 span as well - and goals two through four were scored in a 45-second span to set a franchise record for the fastest three goals by the Preds in a single game - in what turned out to be a 7-1 triumph over Detroit.
The victory was Nashville's third straight overall, and although most were still watching from home, everyone enjoys a nice offensive outburst from time to time.

April 13, 2021: Predators Foundation Allocates $735,000 in Grants to 184 Local Nonprofits

The work of the Nashville Predators Foundation, empowered by SmileDirectClub, has arguably never been more important than over the past two years. Despite all of the changes brought on by the pandemic, including financially, the Foundation still managed to make quite an impact last spring.
In mid-April, the Preds Foundation announced the distribution of its largest-ever one-time donation program, with grant allocations totaling $735,000. The 2021 allocation saw a wide variety of Nashville and Middle Tennessee charitable organizations receive a record-high 184 grants. Since its inception in 1998, the Predators Foundation has now provided over $7.9 million through its grant program.

May 8, 2021: Preds Defeat Hurricanes to Clinch Spot in Stanley Cup Playoffs

After being 10 points out of a playoff spot just two months earlier, the Predators clinched a postseason berth for the seventh consecutive season - tied for the second-longest active run in the NHL - in their penultimate contest of the season.
A 3-1 victory over Carolina on May 8 punched the ticket, and behind the energy of an increased crowd capacity late in the season, the Predators found a way after going 20-7-1 down the stretch to earn the final playoff spot in the Central Division.
"I really give a lot of credit to the players," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said following the win. "It's been a tough season. We didn't get off to the start that we wanted… and these guys have really stepped up, have really committed to playing the game the way that you have to play to win… We can always talk about competitive effort and structure and attention to detail, and to the players' credit, they've done it. We won because we believe in the guys that we have. We feel like we've got a really good hockey team, but they're the guys that have to commit to do it… All the credit goes to those guys for the commitment level and dedication level that they've had throughout this process."

May 10, 2021: Rinne Celebrated by Teammates, Fans as Preds Win Regular-Season Finale

Two nights after the berth was clinched, Pekka Rinne had his moment.
Although no one knew for sure at the time, Rinne played his final NHL game as the Predators skated in their regular-season finale - a 5-0 shutout for Nashville's favorite goaltender.
Sure, the game was great, but what happened after the final horn will go down as one of the top moments in franchise history.
After stopping all 30 shots he faced in his 60th and final shutout, Rinne's teammates convinced him to take a victory lap around the Bridgestone Arena ice to the delight of the Smashville faithful in attendance and countless others watching from afar.

Never before had a moment like this taken place for a Predators player, and we may never see anything like it ever again - all the more reason to relive it once more.
"Overwhelming, very special - I don't know if I can find the right words [to say] how much I appreciate our fans," Rinne said of the experience that night. "My relationship with the fans, this city, it means the world to me. I never want it to be about me. This team is going to the playoffs, and we have big things ahead, but I truly appreciate what happened tonight. It goes very high on my personal list, my experiences in hockey. I was emotional all day. My fiancée and my son were on the glass [during warmups], and I had a hard time keeping it together, and then during the game, same thing with the fans' reactions and all the signs and things like that. I love the city and love the fans, so it was very, very special."

May 21 & 23, 2021: Duchene, Kunin Score Back-to-Back Double-Overtime Winners

A double dip here for a double dose of double-overtime magic.
After returning home down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes in their Round One playoff matchup, the Predators delivered two of the most memorable victories in franchise history - it just took some extra time to get there.
In Game 3 of the series, the Preds and Hurricanes went to overtime tied 4-4, and at 14:54 of the second OT session, Matt Duchene played the role of hero in front of 12,135 fans at Bridgestone Arena- the largest crowd to see an NHL hockey game at the time since the pandemic began in March of 2020.

"[To pump up and win for] the crowd here that I've been dying to play in front of in the playoffs for so long, that was just amazing to play here at home," Duchene said. "I was really disappointed last year that we went to the bubble and we didn't have games here. [They're the] best fans in the NHL. It's just incredible to play here, and we needed that. It feels good, and we're going to enjoy it tonight, and it's right back at it because we're still down in the series. We got some traction and scored a few more goals, and we've got to take the next one and hold serve here."
The Preds did just that, and two nights later, it was Luke Kunin's turn when he scored at 16:10 of double overtime in Game 4 to give the Preds a 4-3 triumph and even the series 2-2.
"It's been a battle, and I thought our team got better as the game went on," Kunin said. "We knew if we just stuck with the game plan and how we play, we were going to get our looks, and we did that. Everybody in the lineup, Juice [Juuse Saros], I mean it was an unbelievable effort by everyone. And the crowd, unbelievable again. It just gives us so much energy to go out and play like that."
Nashville ultimately fell in six games to the Hurricanes, but the series provided two of the most memorable outings in franchise history with a pair of double-overtime thrillers that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

July 13, 2021: Rinne Announces Retirement from NHL

Just over two months after his victory lap, Rinne made it official.
In mid-July, after weeks of reflection, the legendary goaltender made the decision to call it a career following 15 years with the Predators.
Rinne, whose number will be retired on Feb. 24, 2022 - the first player to have his jersey retired in franchise history - played his entire 683-game NHL career with the Predators. He is etched in Nashville's record books as the franchise leader in nearly every goaltending category, including games played, wins (369), goals-against average (2.43), total TOI (39,413:29), shutouts (60) and saves (17,627), and in NHL history, he sits 19th in shutouts and tied for 19th in victories. He finished his career with a record of 369-213-75.

"For more than 15 years, I've been on an incredible, life-changing journey with the Nashville Predators that has taken me to more places than I could have ever imagined and given me more than I could ever hope to give back," Rinne said. "This decision wasn't easy, but I know this is the right one at the right time. As I announce my retirement, I'm thankful for my parents, sisters, fianceé Erika, everyone in the Predators organization - management, coaches and trainers - my teammates and my youth coaches back in Finland. Last but not least, I'm thankful for the people of Nashville. Each of you helped me grow into the man, father and person I am today."

July 19, 2021: Prokop's Announcement Marks Monumental Day for Preds, NHL, Hockey World

He has yet to play a single shift for the Preds, but with his announcement last July, defensive prospect Luke Prokop made history as the first active player signed by an NHL club to announce he is gay.
A 2020 third-round pick of the Preds - who just happened to list Nashville as his favorite NHL team while growing up - Prokop attended Predators Development Camp this past summer and spoke of his experience within the organization thus far.
"It's been really cool," Prokop said. "I've gotten a lot of messages and support from players around the NHL, and also my league in the WHL. The guys here have been fantastic. I've had a few guys come up to me and just talk about it and say they're really proud of me. I can just go on the ice now and just focus on being a hockey player and trying to make the Nashville Predators organization.
"After I had my phone call with the [Predators] management staff, they kind of wanted me to get in touch with some of the [NHL] players in the [Nashville] leadership group. For them to reach out and just have their words of encouragement was something I won't forget. I'll always remember that, and again, I've felt that my first few days here, the guys have been really receptive and really good about it. I couldn't be happier."

July 23, 2021: Preds Select Svechkov, L'Heureux in First Round of 2021 NHL Draft

The Predators appeared to be done for the night when they selected Russian forward Fedor Svechkov with the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, but David Poile had one more move to make.
Nashville's general manager made a trade with Carolina to acquire pick No. 27, and the Preds stepped back up to the podium to take forward Zachary L'Heureux to mark the first time since 2008 the Predators took two players in the first round of the Draft.
"We saw Fedor play at the World U-18 Championship and felt like that was his coming out party," Poile said. "His play at that tournament really solidified our liking of him. He looks like a complete player who can play with top players in the NHL. We like his chances of developing into a very good centerman for us."
"We were very high on Zachary, and the reason is simple - he brings something different to the game," Predators North American Amateur Scout J-P Glaude said. "He has got a unique package of skill, grit and character. He's hard to play against and he'll be there for his teammates. We felt players like him are hard to find, and when you add in the skills he has, we are pretty excited to have been able to draft him."

November 30, 2021: Forsberg Scores Four as Preds Shut Out Blue Jackets

The feat had only been accomplished once in team history prior to the 2021 calendar year, but just one month ago, Filip Forsberg became the second player over the past nine months to score four in a single game for the Preds.
The four goals came in a 6-0 rout over Columbus with Mikael Granlund recording a primary assist on each of those tallies, just the 12th time in NHL history that one player had the primary assist on each of a teammate's four or more goals in a game.
"I think the unreal part of it was Granny's passes," Forsberg said. "I don't know how he made them happen. But I mean, all four goals are just tee-ups, and I finished them off obviously, but the last two I didn't have to do too much. I think most of you guys in this room would have probably scored both of those as well."

December 16 & 17, 2021: Preds Win Back-to-Back Games Despite Eight Players, Five Coaches on COVID List

At this point of the lookback, you may be saying to yourself, "We've already hit 10 moments - what's the deal?"
That's correct, but a couple of late entries have been deemed worthy of a final, extra spot before the year is out.
The odds seemed to be against the Predators on Dec. 16 as they hosted the Colorado Avalanche with seven players and five coaches unable to participate due to their placement on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list, but two goals from Filip Forsberg and a 5-2 win said otherwise.

One night later, with the total now up to eight players on the COVID list, the Preds won again - a 3-2 overtime victory in Chicago to extend their win streak to seven games.
"I think back to what Fil said the other night, you've kind of got to expect the unexpected in the world right now," Preds forward Tanner Jeannot, who scored the OT winner against the Blackhawks, said. "So, you just try to take it an hour, not just a day at a time, but an hour at a time right now and just try to be as prepared as you can be for the next game and your next shift. And like I said, the character of this group, everyone's been doing that, and we've just got to keep it going."