New and Familiar Faces Attend Alumni Clay Shoot, Support Preds Foundation

New and familiar faces gathered once again for an afternoon of camaraderie, competition, and clay shooting.

The annual Nashville Predators Alumni Clay Shoot presented by Tennessee Wildlife Federation was originally conceived by former captain Mike Fisher. Now hosted by former Preds players - and current broadcasters - Chris Mason and Hal Gill, the event has become a tradition for old and new players alike to come together and continue to support the Preds Foundation.

This year, 24 teams took on the 74-bird course at the Nashville Gun Club along the beautiful Cumberland River. In addition to Fisher, Mason and Gill, former Preds player Craig Smith was also in attendance, as well as current wingers Cole Smith and Ozzy Wiesblatt.

Out on the course, Cole Smith traded the rink for the range to support the Foundation while enjoying one of his favorite pastimes.

“This is awesome - an event like this is right up my alley,” Cole Smith said. “I've been doing this thing for the last four years, and it’s something I kind of do in my free time. So, it makes it nice that this is getting out in the community and being able to do something, which is awesome.”

Teams were each paired with a celebrity guest, which, besides shooting targets, is one of Smith’s favorite parts of getting to participate year after year.

“Over the four years, I’ve met so many different guys and different connections,” Cole Smith said. “You get to go meet all these different kinds of people and make different connections, different walks of life, hang out for an hour and a half and shoot guns and have a good time.”

This is just one of the many events the Preds Foundation hosts every year, with events catering to different interests and all walks of life.

“We have such a wide variety of events,” Predators VP of Community Relations Rebecca King said. “So the more variety we can have, the more creative and engaged with different fans and bring them into the folds of the organization, but also raise money for nonprofits, the better.”

This year’s annual Clay Shoot will benefit the Predators Foundation and its Helper Grants program, which gives out hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area. Last year, with the help of events like the Clay Shoot, the Foundation was able to distribute a record-breaking $850,791 to 190 non-profit organizations across Middle Tennessee.

“It’s just a great group of people supporting a great cause,” Mason said. “You talk to everybody afterwards, everybody's had the best time ever, and it just doesn't happen by accident. So, you really credit our Foundation, which is doing an amazing job and keeping that connection tight with the community.”