Preds Foundation Dazzles Fans With Annual GnashVegas Casino Night & Auction

The Nashville Predators let the good times roll during the 12th annual GnashVegas Casino Night & Auction presented by King Jewelers at Bridgestone Arena last week. 

It was a full house on the Arena floor where Preds players, staff and fans gathered at the casino tables with players as guest dealers, tried local cuisine from Nashville restaurants and smiled for plenty of keepsake photos. The theme this year was Mardi Gras, and everyone obliged, appearing in decorated masks and festive beads.

For the first time in GnashVegas history, dueling pianos were the main entertainment, playing songs requested by attendees for a donation to the Foundation. Performers from Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar put on quite the show, enticing players and fans to break out some of their best dance moves together.

The silent auction offered fans a chance to win team memorabilia, prizes and experiences to bring home at the end of the night. This, along with the other fan activations raised more than $110,000 for the Nashville Predators Foundation, which will be distributed to non-profit organizations throughout the Nashville community.

Director of Community Relations Kristen Harris led GnashVegas in her 15th season with the Preds and reminisced how rewarding it was to see the finished product.

“Just knowing everyone is having a great time, and the attendees commenting how much fun they are having or how they enjoy interacting with players, is awesome,” Harris said. “The Nashville community does a great job supporting our team and organization, so being able to give back to the community through things like this is the least we can do as an organization with our players.”

Fans were able to snap some magazine-worthy shots alongside Luke Evangelista and more of the Predators roster in the photobooths, capturing how “electric” the winger thought the night was.

Evangelista expressed how special it is to interact with fans in such close quarters while fundraising for the greater Nashville community.

“That relationship between the players and the fans, you don’t get that face-to-face interaction too often,” Evangelista said. “It’s a lot of fun for us as players because they know so much about us, but we don’t really know much about them.”

The forward is passionate about getting involved with the Foundation. Last season, Evangelista created a custom shoe collection with a local nonprofit dedicated to providing opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities.

“The Preds Foundation has always been awesome; they’re super easy to work with, and it’s always been a blast," Evangelista said. 

Additional donations at GnashVegas were made by attendees who took the opportunity to grab a photo with the entire team towards the end of the night. Participants got to line up as a part of the roster and take home the moment in a frame signed by the team.

To learn more about the Preds Foundation and the organizations it supports, click here.