From Hockey 101, Preds bring Stanley Cup Finals to Music City

From Hockey 101, Preds bring Stanley Cup Finals to Music City

The expansion franchise had tapped the original broadcast team to teach hockey rules in a market where fans knew what a sack meant in football and why conserving fuel can matter so much in NASCAR.

The Predators held class in a small theater to explain the rules for a sport many had seen only on TV or in minor leagues where the players excelled at fighting.

The fans learned well and their team has put on a master class this postseason in reaching its first Stanley Cup Final.

The bandwagon is bulging with country stars, pro athletes and people swelling with civic pride for the best show in Music City.

No major-league franchise in Tennessee has ever won its sports championship, and this is the closest a team has come since the NFL’s Tennessee Titans reached the 2000 Super Bowl.