Welcome to SMASHVILLE!

For the (incredibly late) next entry on my hockeysee, I ventured to Nashville, home of the Predators, country music, and incredibly bad puns.

You didn't think I came up with Smashville on my own, did you?

Or...hockey tonk, ugh

For this installment, I saw the hometown Predators face off against the Red Wings, whom everybody hates.  Because they’re the Red Wings.  And Detroit Sucks

The Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is a beneficiary of a movement to put sports arenas back in the hearts of cities, as opposed to out in remote suburbs (cough, cough, Glendale).  Nashville benefits more from this than most, as there are literally dozens of cool bars and restaurants well within walking distance from the arena.  It really makes the whole place feel more interesting, and gives me a reason to come early and stay late.  It being a modern arena, it has all the nice amenities that one would expect from a new arena.  Nice seats, large concourses, plenty of bathroom facilities (yes I’m still bitter about MSG, which also sucks).  It’s really a great place to watch a hockey game.

The Preds warming up

The arena is fantastic, the neighborhood, fantastic, and the game?  Also fantastic.  The place was (obviously) packed, with it not only being a division game, but one that determines playoff seeding. A very back and forth affair, with both teams scoring in the first and third, the deciding goal came off the stick of Andrei Kostitsyn.  Even though the Wings scored with 5 minutes left, the Preds and Pekka Rinne (whom I still think is the best goalie in the league) shut the door to preserve the win.

Preds Win!

The Nashville experience was amazing.  The game was great, and they even have a penalty box on the concourse you can take a picture in!

One thing I didn’t like: Nashville’s new jerseys.  I won’t torch your retinas with a full picture of them, but they’re yellow.  Sooo, so yellow.  Yellow and ugly.  Their old jersey, the one I’m wearing above, is nice and classical.  Yes, now Nashville joins the small club of teams with jerseys that aren’t Black, Blue, or Red.  But at what cost?


So, commenters, what do you think? Has anyone been to a game at Nashville?  Does anyone LIKE those new monstrosities?

Finally the map, mappity map map. Obviously it's ridiculously outdated, but was actually current, for about a week.