Thank You, Smashville

We know Predators fans everywhere would rather be talking about their hockey team making their way through their second consecutive Western Conference Final right now.
Trust us, we wish we were writing on that subject.
But with the ink drying on the final pages of the 2017-18 season, it's worth a look back - and peek forward - at what's to come in Smashville.

When Opening Night eventually arrives in October, there will be two more banners to raise in commemoration of the first Central Division title and the first Presidents' Trophy in club history. There's still another banner we're all striving for, but that 2016-17 Western Conference Champions edition sure will look nice with some company alongside.
Truth be told, it was an amazing season. The best regular season this franchise has ever seen. A record 53 wins and 117 points. A record 17,594 fans in attendance to see a hockey game at Bridgestone Arena on April 7. A record 109 consecutive home sellouts dating back to the 2015-16 regular season.
ESPN named the Predators the No. 1 franchise in all of professional sports. General Manager David Poile became the winningest GM in the 100-year history of the NHL with 1,320 victories on the heels of earning the League's top GM honor last summer.
The team's regular-season TV ratings on Fox Sports Tennessee grew 160 percent year over year from a 0.8 to a 2.1 in the market. In addition, combined Stanley Cup Playoff TV ratings grew 62 percent in Round 1 from 5.5 to 8.9 year over year, while Round 2 grew 34 percent from an 8 to a 10.7. Regular-season streams on Fox Sports GO were up 238 percent.
The Nashville Predators Foundation distributed 149 grants, totaling $607,639.32 - the largest one-time donation in the Foundation's history, surpassing last year's previous high of $515,000 by nearly $100,000 - to Nashville and Middle Tennessee-based community service and charitable organizations.
The Round One, Game 1 game-night auction raised $20,000 for Humboldt Broncos (through the NHL Foundation). Rounds One and Two raised $12,493 through Smash Car and Jet for the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund presented by Twice Daily. The Foundation also raised almost $160,000 from game-night auctions and game-night sales on top of the two numbers above for two rounds of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Bridgestone Arena was named Arena of the Year by the International Entertainment Buyers Association. In addition, the Predators home earned Academy of Country Music 2017 Large Capacity Venue of the Year, 2017 Country Music Association Venue of the Year and 2017 Pollstar Arena of the year honors across the industry. An offseason facelift of sorts, the Arena will be adding new, state of the art, 360-degree, high definition LED ribbon boards this summer.
And then comes the part that carries a special sense of pride for yours truly.
The website that houses the piece you're reading now, NashvillePredators.com, established records throughout the season for monthly and annual page views, besting the previous monthly high by 142 percent. We finished in the Top Five in the NHL in page views, article reads and screen views across the 2017-18 campaign. We broke every previous record for page views, visits, video views and app downloads set within the past four years of elevated digital engagement with our fans.
Sure, we can pump out the content day after day, but it doesn't matter if you don't read it. You did, and for that, we are incredibly humbled.
When we both started with the Preds at the beginning of the 2014-15 season, we set out with the goal of making NashvillePredators.com your first stop for news and information on the team. That goal doesn't come to fruition without your readership and your trust. All of those late-night recaps and the early-morning updates are more than worth it because of your interest, and we can't thank you enough.
The excitement, the jubilation, even the occasional heartbreak, we'll continue to be there and bring it all to you to the best of our abilities.
Much like the success of the website, it was a fantastic season throughout the organization. But we still want more, and we'll keep working until that final goal is attained. And then we'll try to do it all over again.
Someday soon, we won't be covering a loss to conclude the year that was. And we can't wait to bring it to you.
-Brooks & Thomas