Nashville’s hockey team, The Nashville Predators, first started playing at the Bridgestone Arena in 1998. Since then, the franchise has gone on to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs various times. They originally got their name from an archaeological discovery made in downtown Nashville in the 70s. But lately, it seems that the internet is taking it to mean something slightly different.
This weekend, Saturday Night Live made fun of the team’s name in a skit. Actor Miles Teller sported a hockey uniform to play his character, who got squirmish about promoting the team’s mascot. The skit details Teller and a few other hockey players filming a promotional video for charity, where Teller’s character feels the need to change some questionable lines.
“Do I have to say that I’m a ‘Predator’ in my community? You hear how it sounds, right?”
Obviously, the “Predators” are not referring to themselves as that kind of “predator.” However, a few months ago, you couldn’t have convinced the internet otherwise.
The SNL skit is actually inspired by a real community outreach event that the Nashville Predators did in July. At the event, the team wore T-shirts that read, “Preds In The Community.” The team got absolutely slammed on X, even though the intentions with the slogan were definitely innocent. In response to the skit, the Nashville Predators account on X responded with a quote from HBO’s Euphoria. It was clear there were no hard feelings, as the team was playing along with the joke.
“Is this f— play about us?”
The Preds also attached a link to their @PredsFoundation account, promoting their organization that works to improve the lives of youth and their families in the Middle Tennessee area. All in all, even though the skit poked fun, it’s good to see that in the long run, it’s helping to raise awareness for a good cause.
Where the Predators’ Name Actually Comes From
The real meaning behind the Nashville Predators’ brand actually stems from a discovery made in downtown Nashville, decades before the team was even formed. In 1971, while excavating the foundation for the First American National Bank, construction workers found a small cave that was about 30 feet underneath the site. Inside were the remains of a Saber-tooth tiger, along with other animals from the Ice Age.
In 1997, this led to the creation of a logo for the new hockey team, which featured the face of a snarling saber-toothed cat. When asked if they would ever think about changing the iconic name, Predators CEO Sean Henry set the record straight. “I’ve been here 15 years and never once thought about changing the name,” he told the Tennessean.
Despite the slight controversy, it sounds like the hockey team has no plans of changing the name anytime soon. In the meantime, fans of the Predators and of the work that they do can donate to the Preds Foundation using the link https://www.nhl.com/predators/community.
Photo By: Saturday Night Live