Petey's Preds Party, Peterson Foundation Continue to Change Lives for Those With Parkinson's

Fans around the hockey world knew Brent Peterson as an NHL player and coach for over three decades, but in Nashville, he’s simply known as ‘Petey.’

A beloved member of the Preds family since Day One of the franchise when he stepped behind the bench as an assistant coach on Barry Trotz’s original staff, Peterson helped guide the Predators into the 2010s - but he did so in the later years with another title to his name.

In 2002, Peterson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, an ailment for which there is no cure. Following two years before the diagnosis was announced publicly, Peterson’s news eventually spread across the hockey world, including to his friend and Hockey Hall of Famer, Cam Neely. That bond led to a phone call that changed everything.

“[Actor] Michael J. Fox was [Neely’s] best friend, so one night, I'm driving up Old Hickory Boulevard there, and I get a phone call,” Peterson recalled. “He said, 'Brent, this is Michael J Fox,’ and I almost drove off the road. We talked for about an hour, and finally he says, ‘I listen to you cry and whine about working and being involved, so why don’t you go do something about it?’ So, I decided to do something about it.”

In 2009, the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s (PFP) was founded by Brent and his wife, Tami, with a mission to support and enhance the lives of people with Parkinson’s, their care partners and families to achieve their highest possible quality of life through awareness, education and programs within a caring community.

Over the past 16 years, the Foundation has done just that.

“Our goal is to make sure that anyone diagnosed, newly diagnosed, who has had Parkinson's knows who we are,” PFP Executive Director Amy Breedlove said. “We just want to meet people where they are. We want to be a resource to the patients and to the caregivers and to their families when they're first diagnosed, just so they're not alone. When you get that diagnosis with that doctor and you get sent home with two weeks of medications, who do you talk to?”

That’s where PFP comes in, and one of the ways they raise funds and awareness comes in the form of a staple on the Nashville Predators calendar each and every year.

In fact, one might say a new Preds season simply doesn’t start without a party and round of golf.

This Sunday evening, Sept. 7, at Bridgestone Arena, Petey’s Preds Party, presented by Regions Bank, will open what has become a two-day celebration in conjunction with PFP and the Nashville Predators Foundation. This year’s iteration will feature entertainment from stand-up comedian Killer Beaz, an extensive silent auction, a delicious meal and a chance to mix and mingle with Predators players, broadcasters and staff.

The night leads right into Monday morning and the 15th annual Brent Peterson Golf Classic, also presented by Regions Bank, at GreyStone Golf Club. Preds players, alumni, executives and local celebrities are paired with each foursome for one thrilling day on the links.

So, why put on 48 hours worth of events - other than the obvious amount of joy brought to so many? Because the PFP’s impact in Nashville and beyond has become life-giving and life changing to those it serves.

“My wife was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2015…and we had no support, no place to go,” PFP Board Member Pete Kopcsak said. “We did a lot of research, and it took us two years to find [PFP]. Fortunately for us, here in Nashville, Vanderbilt is a center of excellence for Parkinson's, and they helped us find the Peterson Foundation. [My wife] got the title of being a Parkinson's patient and I got the title of being a care partner. It's roles we had no experience with, and until we found the community, we really didn't have any way to kind of work through that.”

“The support group can help individuals, can help families, can help the community,” PFP Nashville Support Group Leader Tricia Gaule said. “It has really been very beneficial to my husband and I, because we feel like we're not alone in the Parkinson's journey. Everybody there is very welcoming. They have so many support groups for people with Parkinson's, for the care partners, for everybody all together in a large room. They also have activities. So I can go there and do painting, I can do singing, I can do a game day that is just typical activities, but done in an area where everybody's welcoming.”

For Kopcsak, who lost his wife to cancer after seven years with Parkinson’s, he not only found himself as a widower, but just months later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Without PFP, he’s not sure what life would be like.

“Thank goodness the Peterson Foundation is there and supported by the Nashville Predators,” Kopcsak said. “That has been my bedrock through this whole process.”

The funds raised during the Party and Golf Classic go directly to helping people like Kopcsak and Gaule - plus so many others who now have a better quality of life, thanks in part to a man who knew he had to do something after that memorable phone call.

“It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of work, it's a lot of stress, but we want to do these things,” Peterson said. “We want to raise as much money as we can, to help as many people as we can.”

To learn more about Petey’s Preds Party and to purchase tickets, click here. Additionally, click the links to learn more about the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson’s and the Nashville Predators Foundation.