just a comment, dont want to turn the thread into something else, but I do not get the hating on the Hartnell/Kimmo deal.. I mean, I understand that the circumstances that kept us from signing them and forced the trade absolutely sucked, but to actually get a first for the rights to two guys who were 100% gone in a week anyway seems to me to be a damn fine deal...
Yea I don't want to de-rail this thread so I'll just give my quick 0.02. I have no problem with the value received. If I was looking at it from a Financial/Organizational perspective, it was a decent move. Unfortunately I'm a passionate fan, and from a fan's perspective (atleast mine anyway) I hated it.
Location: St Johns Newfoundland (Canada, sad but sometimes needs saying)
Occupation: Club general manager.
Preds Fan Since: Was a leaf fan who was tired of losing and how the on ice product was ran. so when Preds came out was a fan of David Pollie and here I am.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Cliff Ronning
Favorite Current Pred: Patric Hornqvist
Most Memorable Preds Moment: When we traded for Peter Forsberg
Best Trade: Jan Vopat and Kimmo Timonen from Los Angeles for future considerations.
Worst Trade:
Best UFA Signing: Paul Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: Lombardi (sad bc at the time I loved it)
Jerseys Owned: Weber 3rd C.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: To play: Golf
Favorite Movie: Godfather
Favorite Music: 90s rock
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: Close to the beer.
Yea I don't want to de-rail this thread so I'll just give my quick 0.02. I have no problem with the value received. If I was looking at it from a Financial/Organizational perspective, it was a decent move. Unfortunately I'm a passionate fan, and from a fan's perspective (atleast mine anyway) I hated it.
It was a case of lose them for nothing or look to get anything possible in return. I don't blame the hockey people for that trade. I blame Liepold for the situation he put the team in with his attempted sale to Balsillie.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Sully (ever since I was in house for his natural hatty against the Sens)
Favorite Current Pred: Husltechuck
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Toss up between 1st home playoff game and first TV timeout standing ovation
Best Trade: Sully
Worst Trade: Walker for Vasisuck
Best UFA: Kariya
Worst UFA: Lombardi
Jerseys Owned: First year home, Mustard (which my wife hates), 2009 home, 2009 home with 6 Weber on the back, 2011 home personalized with my name and birthyear.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: NFL, MLB and March Madness
Favorite Movie: To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite Music: Varied leaning towards prog rock, saw the Grateful Dead 12 times in college. Going to see Rush tomorrow for the 10th time. Foo Fighters, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Yes...
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: Attack twice mezzanine. Great view, okay concessions for the family and close to the smoking area when I am down with buddies and getting my drink on.
Occupation: I work a contract job dealing with cell phones and I am also a EMT student.
Preds Fan Since: Casual fan until the previous lockout and the season after the lockout (05-06) I had just graduated high school so I had more free time. My dad took me to all the home games during the Preds 9 or 10 game winning streak to open that season and I have been hardcore since.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Can't say I have one in particular
Favorite Current Pred: Shea Weber
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Beating the Ducks and finally making it past round 1
Best Trade: On paper the Sullivan trade. But just for pure excitement for sure the Foppa trade. I remember I was in the airport with my dad waiting to go to Detroit and we were checking hockeybuzz every minute and we got the news just minutes before we boarded. Best.Plane.Ride.EVER!
Worst Trade: The Brendan Witt trade had good intentions but was an epic failure. He was already a shell of his former self by then.
Best UFA Signing: Paul Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: Poile never takes huge chances in the UFA realm so it's hard to say there is just one colossal bad signing.
Jerseys Owned: I have 3. One old home jersey from around the mid 2000's. A mustard jersey and the current dark blue 3rd jersey I think the team is going to start wearing again this year. None with names
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Watching: NFL Playing: Basketball
Favorite Movie: Rush Hour, Shaun of the Dead, Inception
Favorite Music: Just matters what mood I'm in. Not a huge fan of modern country though. However when I'm in the honky tonks it doesn't bother me. Probably has something to do with all the girls in skirts and boots.
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: I've had club seats for awhile and I wouldn't change them other than if I could afford to sit at club level center ice I would do that. The club level to me gives you the best of both worlds. You are close enough you can see the puck and all the players clearly but you are also far enough you get that bird's eye view and can see the plays developing
Occupation: Technically between jobs at the moment, but it's generally IT related.
Preds Fan Since: Jim Balsillie's heavyhanded attempt to move the team. It also helps that I've got friends and family in Nashville. Still a Jackets fan first, though.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Ryan Suter and Kimmo Timonen.
Favorite Current Pred: Kevin Klein. It'd be Erat, only he was the one who (to his great chagrin, admittedly) delivered the preseason hit that ultimately ended David Vyborny's NHL career, so he loses a point.
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Tootoo to Smithson for the Game 5 win against the Disney Goon Squad.
Best Trade: Kimmo Timonen and some other guy (Jan Varpat? Something like that) for Future Considerations.
Worst Trade: Leopold's disassembly deals.
Best UFA Signing: Would have to go with Karyia.
Worst UFA Signing: Couldn't say. Lombardi, maybe?
Jerseys Owned: I generally don't collect them.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: NCAA football (particularly the Buckeyes) and MLS soccer (particularly the Crew).
Favorite Movie: Rollerball. The actual one, starring James Caan and dating from well before I was born. Persistent rumors of a "remake" that came out around aught-two, aught-three or so are patently false.
Favorite Music: A whole lot of Canadian Indie Rock bands (thanks to a friend who provides me with regular "fixes"), plus bits and pieces of country, classical, chiptune, some progrock, some strange world music, some fusions of all of the above...
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: At a game. I don't get to go to many. That said, BFC and I have made a semi-tradition of going to at least one Preds game every New Year's when we're in the area.
__________________
Remember - when you're a hockey fan, it's not "reckless driving", it's "good forechecking".
"Viqsi, you are our sweet humanist..." --mt-svk on the CBJ boards
Thanks, Howson, for cleaning up MacLean's toxic waste. Welcome, Kekalainen; let's get good things built!
Preds Fan Since: Casual fan since the beginning. Became a STH during the "Get Your Damned Hands Off of Our Team" rally.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Sully.
Favorite Current Pred: Tossup between Hornqvist, Peks, and Big Ern.
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Putting the Red Wings out of the Playoffs last year.
Best Trade: Sully.
Worst Trade: Witt
Best UFA Signing: PK, hands down.
Worst UFA Signing: Lombardi. Great expectations, zero realizations.
Jerseys Owned: Original home/away/ mustard third, and the second generation home/away/ third, and grey practice jersey. Not buying any more, because sure as I do, they'll redesign them again.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: College football. Go Irish!!
Favorite Movie: A Christmas Story (kudos to Viqsi for "Rollerball"...classic!!)
Favorite Music: Classic Rock/metal/80's hair metal bands/most anything not rap or hip hop.
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: Got to sit in section 101 one night right above the walkway between the middle and lower bowl..you know...where the Preds dancers spend some quality time...those seats weren't bad at all..
Occupation: Used to make gold records when I put my pants on
Preds Fan Since: The night I went to see them play my old team, the Habs and found myself cheering for the Preds more.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Greg Johnson, Jerred Smithson and Bill Houlder in no particular order, close 4th and 5th Vernon Fiddler and Jason Arnott
Favorite Current Pred: Nick Spaling
Most Memorable Preds Moment: The night they had Chase Donnell's parents on the stage to share their story. Not a dry eye in the house and I still get misty eyed every time I think about them and their amazing son.
Best Trade: 2 seconds for Sullivan is pretty good in my estimation
Worst Trade: V2 for Belanger
Best UFA Signing: Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: deVries
Jerseys Owned: Original White, Mustard, 3rd Blue and Some Blue Jersey
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Is pro wresting a sport?
Occupation: Used to make gold records when I put my pants on
Preds Fan Since: The night I went to see them play my old team, the Habs and found myself cheering for the Preds more.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Greg Johnson, Jerred Smithson and Bill Houlder in no particular order, close 4th and 5th Vernon Fiddler and Jason Arnott
Favorite Current Pred: Nick Spaling
Most Memorable Preds Moment: The night they had Chase Donnell's parents on the stage to share their story. Not a dry eye in the house and I still get misty eyed every time I think about them and their amazing son.
Best Trade: 2 seconds for Sullivan is pretty good in my estimation
Worst Trade: V2 for Belanger
Best UFA Signing: Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: deVries
Jerseys Owned: Original White, Mustard, 3rd Blue and Some Blue Jersey
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Is pro wresting a sport?
Favorite Movie: Field of Dreams
Favorite Music: VanHalen
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: 331
TSK TSK TSK Glenn that is very disheartening to read you are now excommunicated from the HABS family lol.
Preds Fan Since: Went on my son's elementary school outing in the first season and was hooked.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Sully
Favorite Current Pred: Erat
Most Memorable Preds Moment: First playoff game. My ears are still ringing
Best Trade: Sullivan
Worst Trade: Brendan Witt
Best UFA Signing: Paul Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: Lombardi (but only in retrospect - it sure looked good when it was happening)
Jerseys Owned: I've got at least a Walker mustard 3rd, Suter blue third, and an Ellis gold. I think one other.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Baseball
Favorite Movie: Currently Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Favorite Music: Classical/Folk crossover (eg Mark O'Connor)
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: 310 row D (right behind the more expensive seats), right on the blue line. Can see all of the ice and how the plays develop. Every once in a while nice to sit down low for the speed.
Occupation: Data Entry for the state/prospective college finisher/traveling gypsy
Preds Fan Since: 1998. Or, 1997, when we knew we would get a team.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Weber or Fisher (Drake Berehowsky gets honorable mention for obvious reasons)
Favorite Current Pred: Weber or Fisher
Most Memorable Preds Moment: The Anaheim series in 2011. I was living there at the time and went to game 2. Then came home to visit just in time to watch Game 5 (best single game ever) with my friends and attend Game 6 at the Bridge then leave the next day. That whole series was just an awesome ride.
Best Trade: Cliff Ronning from Phoenix for Future Considerations. I guess Sullivan was pretty good too.
Worst Trade: Ronning to the Kings for a felon drug addict from Finland.
Best UFA Signing: Kariya
Worst UFA Signing: Lombardi, although not for lack of trying to spend money.
Jerseys Owned: 1998 home jersey, away (now home) Ronning, away (now home) Scott Walker, mustard Tootoo #55, mustard Weber, a white jersey I won from a trivia contest with signatures from the whole 06-07 team on it, a blank "checkboard/tie-up" 3rd jersey, home blue Weber with the 10 seasons patch on it, gold Fisher. T-shirts owned: Fisher, Forsberg, Goc..................and a Panthers Stephen Weiss.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: I follow teams in every sport.
Favorite Movie: Not a huge movie person really. I just watch TV shows or dumb movies that make me laugh
Favorite Music: Hard to explain, but I went to Warped Tour this year if that helps anyone.
Occupation: Student at the University of Tennessee
Preds Fan Since: First game on December 30th, 1999 when I was 8 years old.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Martin Erat
Favorite Current Pred: Martin Erat
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Game 6 vs Anaheim, WCQF 2011.
Best Trade: Kimmo and #HartnellDown for 1st rounder. Two players we couldn't afford and were not resigning for a potential future all-star now. Also, that was our pick. We gave it to them for Forsberg.
Worst Trade: 1st round pick for Paul Gaustad. We've given a 1st round pick and a pretty huge contract for a third line center.. we have 8 trillion centers.
Best UFA Signing: What is July 1st?
Worst UFA Signing: What is July 1st?
Jerseys Owned: Current gold Erat. 2011 Alternate blank. 1999 away blank.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Baseball.
Favorite Movie: Meh.
Favorite Music: Mumford & Sons
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: Mid ice, upper bottom deck.
Preds Fan Since: Followed them with a few other teams for a while whilst trying to decide who to support, the Vancouver series was definitely a persuading factor with Rinne being a big pull. As a fan from the UK I found it hard to connect with a team, childish factors like 'I like sabretooth tigers, I like country music etc' ended up helping me decide and with the visual redesign of the club I thought it would be a good time to get behind them.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Rinne, I loved Tootoo before he joined Detroit
Favorite Current Pred: Rinne, SK74
Most Memorable Preds Moment: Beating the Wings in the playoffs
Best Trade: SK74
Worst Trade: Gaustad
Best UFA Signing: I dont think I have enough knowledge yet to answer this one admittedly.
Worst UFA Signing: Same as above
Jerseys Owned: Rinne new home jersey
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: Skiing, I follow soccer/football also.
Favorite Movie: Gladiator maybe.
Favorite Music: Country, love Elvis Presley and then a mix of everything I guess.
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: If I ever get the chance to go to a game, behind the net might be cool?
Preds Fan Since: Day 1 ... stood on the Arena Plaza as the Board of Governor's walked the red carpet to tour the Arena.
All-Time Favorite Pred: Steve Sullivan
Favorite Current Pred: Weber, Rinne, Bourque
Most Memorable Preds Moment: (1) first TV timeout standing ovation vs. the St. Louis Blues. I actually sat through most of it with tears welling as I realized that the fans FINALLY got it ... I believe we became a true hockey city that night. (2) Winning Game 6 at home vs. Anaheim ... incredible noise and emotion as we finally go out of the first round. (3) Preds 8 Red Wings 0
Best Trade: Steve Sullivan
Worst Trade: Jere Karalahti
Best UFA Signing: Paul Kariya ... our first real "star, name" player
Worst UFA Signing: Peter Forsberg (although it was incredible to watch him play in Predators' mustard and to know he chose to play here)
Jerseys Owned: haha ... too many ... all authentics: Tom Fitgerald (21), Jordin Tootoo (55), JP Dumont (71), Steve Sullivan (game worn Meigray 26), Scotty Upshall (7), Shea Weber (6).
Jersey fouls (also authentics): D. Warren (71) in Black & Blue; Warren (71) home Reebok, home Gold; Predsboro (71) in away Reebok, current away White; Doug Warren (17) in MUSTARD.
AND ... replica (original sweater) with full team autographs from an early year.
Favorite Sport Other than Hockey: football (college & NFL), English Premier League futbol
Favorite Movie: Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Music: pretty much anything from Bowie, Bon Jovi, 80s, to today ... very diverse likes.
Favorite Place To Sit at A Game: 108
ETA: jerseys are Preds related only ... too many others to list other than a cool Nashville Knights Chris Grassie authentic (with blood stains still on it when purchased)
Pens fan here but supporter of the Preds organization and their fans. You can call me "Mr. Chancellor". Kidding.
Unlike the poorly conceived franchises in ATL (sorry to the ~ 3500 real fans there, but it will never be a hockey town), FLA, and PHX... the NHL did it right in Nashville and the fans do it right for sure. You guys are some of the best in the league IMO and I've got big respect for your owner, Trotz and your system (which Shero comes from). Any year the Pens are out of it and the Preds are still in it, I'm rooting for the Preds, period. Would be awesome to see you guys win the Cup if we can't.
As for MN, happy for their fans because I don't want to see that franchise fold (Pens were in on Suter and Parise too so can't ignore that), but I have zero respect for Liarpold and the way he's handled things. And being a long-time Pens fan (pre-fire-sale... since Crosby was in grade school) you already know what people like me think of Snider, "Offer Sheet Holmgren" and the Philth on the other side of PA. Because I can't get reliable broadband any other way I have to take Comcast's monopoly pricing and help subsidize the ****ing Flyers, but as soon as my state gets some balls and allows competition with comcrap, I'm dumping their ass.
Paying for Comcast make me feel like Peeuuuk Peeuuuk!
You guys should have some potential break-out players this year in Wilson and Ellis/Josi, right? I think I read Ellis was hurt but long-term all three of those guys project to be top-end players don't they?
Last edited by Chancellor Vitale: 11-09-2012 at 09:22 AM.
Thanks for the Nashville props. Disagree with you on whether Atlanta could have ever been a hockey town, though--I don't think we'll ever really know whether Atlanta could have been a hockey town. They had a lot going against them. We were also accused of "never going to be a hockey town" but success on the ice, the reality of what could happen when Rat ******* and his slimy lawyer friend tried to move us, and a new ownership group made Smashville the place to be and that brought out the best in Nashville. One fed upon the other. In their first 5 years of existence, the Thrashers didn't have an especially good team, the country experienced 9/11 and the depressed economy that followed, the team was sold to Atlanta Spirit where they were most certainly the unwanted stepchild, the Dan Snyder/Dany Heatley incident occurred and there was a lockout. An established team or a team in a place where hockey isn't a novelty can weather the storm, but it's critical that a 5 year old team trying to gain traction be able to build on the previous year's growth. While we were coming off our first playoff appearance after the lockout, the biggest difference was we signed Paul Kariya and that upped the interest level in Nashville. Had we not done that we would probably be elsewhere. There is no question that Nashville did things in a better way than Atlanta did, but to say that Atlanta couldn't have been as successful just because of their location is, I think, unproven.
Also, calling Florida poorly conceived only applies insofar as Miami has a tendency to be dubious about any sport. I would've thought the Rat Trick legend would have convinced people several times over that there's legit enthusiasm for hockey there, but, well...
And Phoenix was just a dumbass real estate deal. I'm convinced it's doomed, but not so much for lack of potential hockey support; more for lack of common sense as regards arena location.
and Kimmo Timonen.
