Smashville Scope: Preds Celebrate Black History Month

This past week saw the Nashville Predators celebrate some important figures from their past.
On Monday, the Preds honored former defenseman P.K. Subban with a day full of festivities that culminated in a pregame video tribute and ceremonial puck drop ahead of Nashville's game against the Arizona Coyotes at Bridgestone Arena.
But the celebrations didn't end there - the Predators announced on Sunday that they will unveil a statue of former goaltender Pekka Rinne next month outside Bridgestone Arena.
Let's take a look back at the events of the last few weeks in Smashville, and look ahead at what's to come:

Black History Month in Smashville

The Predators wore custom Black History Month jerseys during warmups ahead of Tuesday evening's game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 7. The sweaters were designed by Eric Jackson, a graphic design teacher at Tennessee State University. Jackson drew inspiration from the Kente cloth to tell the story of the Nashville Predators and the city they call home. Fans had the opportunity to purchase t-shirts with these designs as well as bid on the warmup jerseys. Proceeds benefited GUIDER and the Predators Foundation grants program, which will fund a non-profit organization working in Nashville's African-American community.

The Feb. 7 game also featured Tennessee State's Grammy award-winning band, Aristocrat of Bands, welcoming fans on the Plaza outside Bridgestone Arena. Additionally, Olympic Gold Medalist and Track and Field pioneer Chandra Cheeseborough participated in an introductory hype video and towel-waving to kick off the start of the game.
Smashville also had the opportunity to welcome the United by Hockey Mobile Museum on the Plaza on Feb. 13. The Museum represents hockey's underrepresented and multicultural innovators, leaders, and changemakers. The goal of the United by Hockey Mobile Museum is to create new opportunities and celebrate diversity within the game. The Museum will make a stop in several NHL franchise cities to share the stories of those that influence the game and reinforce the message that Hockey Is For Everyone™.

Immortalizing No. 35

The Predators announced on Sunday that they will unveil a statue of former goaltender Pekka Rinne on Saturday, March 25 at 10 a.m. CT ahead of that afternoon's game against the Seattle Kraken at Bridgestone Arena. Rinne, who played his entire 683-game NHL career in Nashville, retired in 2021 after 15 seasons. The announcement came exactly 35 days ahead of the unveiling to honor Rinne's historic jersey number - the first and only retired jersey in the history of the Predators organization.
Season Ticket Citizens will receive an exclusive invitation to submit a message that will be placed in a time capsule to be opened in 35 years, giving the Nashville Predators' most loyal fans the opportunity to express what Rinne means to the organization. These letters will capture Rinne's contribution on and off the ice so that future fans fully understand Pekka's influence. For more information, click
here
.

P.K.'s Legacy Lives On

The Predators
honored Subban on Monday
, celebrating his accomplishments on and off the ice during the three seasons (2016-19) he spent in Nashville.
The former NHL defenseman and three-time NHL All-Star, who announced his retirement in September, was an integral part of the Predators' 2016-17 Stanley Cup Final run, Nashville's 2017-18 Presidents' Trophy and back-to-back Central Division titles. He had 130 points (35 goals, 95 assists) in 211 regular-season games played with Nashville and 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 41 Stanley Cup Playoff games before he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in 2019.
Subban's lasting impact on Nashville can still be felt off the ice through his Blueline Buddies initiative, which unites local youth and law enforcement at Predators home games. The program remains active and impactful years after Subban was traded, carried on by team members and the organization.

Milwaukee Admirals Update

An eventful week for Nashville's AHL affiliate began with Wednesday's 2-1 shootout win over the Chicago Wolves. Markus Nurmi scored his 13th goal of the season to force overtime, and Michael McCarron converted to claim the win in the 12th round of the shootout.
The Admirals faced their Central Division rivals, the Texas Stars, for a set of back-to-back weekend games. Saturday's 2-1 win saw a goal from Luke Evangelista (9g-30a) and the game-winner from Keifer Sherwood (22g-16a), the latter of whom tallied another goal to open the scoring on Sunday. McCarron scored the tying goal in Sunday's game to force another overtime, but Texas ultimately took the 3-2 win.
After splitting the back-to-back with Texas, Milwaukee is tied for first in the Central Division with 64 points. Sherwood is tied for seventh across the AHL in goals with 22. Saturday's win was goaltender Yaroslav Askarov's 19th win, tying him for third across the league (19-9-3) and earning him AHL Player of the Week Honors.

Goal of the Week

Assist of the Week

Save of the Week

Predators Official Podcast

Darren McFarland and Kara Hammer sit down with P.K. Subban before the Arizona game where he was being recognized. Subban talks about his time with the Preds and what it meant to him and his career. He discusses how his bond started with defenseman Mattias Ekholm as a pair on their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Darren also catches up with former Predators player Craig Smith who was in town with the Boston Bruins. Craig shares the big news that his wife is pregnant with their first child. He goes down memory lane about his time in Nashville.

Coming Soon to Bridgestone Arena

Feb. 21: Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators
Feb. 24: Billy Strings
Feb. 25: Billy Strings
For more information on events and tickets, click
here
.