This Day In Preds History: Nashville Officially Named NHL's 27th Team

League Announces Predators as NHL's 27th Franchise Ahead of Inaugural Season

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© Nashville Predators

By Brooks Bratten
@brooksbratten Content Manager & Beat Reporter

The logo had been unveiled and the team had been named, but 22 years ago today, the National Hockey League made it official.

On May 4, 1998, the NHL announced the Nashville Predators as the 27th franchise in League history, with expansion into Tennessee for the first time.

That announcement came less than a year after the NHL Board of Governors granted a conditional franchise to Leipold Hockey Holdings, LLC on June 25, 1997. The hiring of David Poile as general manager and Barry Trotz as head coach soon followed in the summer of 1997 before the Preds unveiled their logo in September.

The name "Predators" was announced on Nov. 13, 1997, and months of preparation continued leading into that first season and opening puck drop on Oct. 10, 1998.

While the May 4 date wasn't met with the fanfare of other events that helped to form the franchise, that day in 1998 made things official, a monumental moment in turning Nashville into a hockey town.

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