Dub's hockey story

Robby, I'll follow your lead on this one...how did I, a southern boy, become a nut about hockey? Simple, I was one of the few kids from Nashville who grew up around it. A lot of people are not aware that we have always had minor league teams in Nashville.  My dad used to run the souvenir sales from the Knights, as well as worked for the Nighthawks, so I was always able to attend the games as a kid. Gotta love free hockey! I remember the hours of floor hockey in the hallway (until the Atlanta ownership came in and stopped us), the day of "Top Gun" Trevor Jobe, Brock "the Rock" Kelley, and John Reeeeeeeeeeeed "ohhhhhhhh". Those are great memories!

One of my earliest hockey memories occurred when the Knights were playing against a college team. One of the agreements between the squads was that there was not supposed to be any fighting. Anyone who knows minor league hockey should realize this is a very tenuous agreement. Anyways, after the second period both teams got into a fight off ice between the stands, right below where my mother and I were sitting. You had minor league hockey players, college kids, and fans brawling it out. For a kid in second grade, this was great! Maybe that's where I got hooked...I dunno.

As a kid I also always wanted to play hockey, but my parents never afforded me that opportunity. It was probably a smart choice...let's be honest, I was that small, midget-esque nerdy kid in class. I probably would have gotten killed. But I like to say it would have made me tougher. Who knows. However, for the last couple of years, I have been playing adult rec league hockey for the Mutiny--the baddest SOBs in the lower C league! Woooo!

None-the-less, I've been around the Preds, working and attending games since their Inaugural year. I've seen the horrible teams (whenever Denny Lambert is in your starting lineup, you're screwed)...to the teams that should have vied for the cup (the Kariya, Sully, Forsberg season).

I think the 2010-11 squad ahas a lot of promise. Veteran leadership, young guys that are ready to step up, speed and size (finally).  I think we're built well for a deep run. The biggest problem, IMO is our coaching staff...but that's a blog for another time.

Thanks for reading my ramble. GO PREDS!