Latest / Predators Official Podcast / Reidolf the Red Haired Rookie feat. Reid Schaefer

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Reidolf the Red Haired Rookie feat. Reid Schaefer · Predators Official Podcast

0:00
What was the best gift that you ever received for Christmas?
0:03
So you will Equipment guy, Jersey guy is anything that
0:07
sticks out along those lines. Honestly, it's got to be the
0:09
PS-5. I want to say like 4 years ago
0:13
that was the big thing. They were hard to get so my dad
0:16
got a hands on him and I was pretty juiced.
0:19
What do you play? I was a big Fortnite guy back in
0:24
the day. It was the NHL.
0:25
Whatever, 21 when I came out, but right now it's just
0:29
Fortnite. It's the Predators official
0:39
podcast. Welcome to the program.
0:41
Our final show of the calendar year of 2025.
0:45
It's the holiday season. We're all full of joy and cheer.
0:48
Max Herz, Cara Hammer. I'm Brooks Bratton.
0:51
It's a pleasure to be alongside all of you once again and my
0:54
friends as well. And we talked about it last
0:57
week. You got a watch on YouTube
0:59
because you never know what you're going to see, and boy
1:02
Max, do you have quite a setup behind you.
1:06
Yeah, we have employed A revolutionary new camera
1:09
technique here called turning Around to show you all the great
1:14
print stuff on my desk. And every time we record when
1:17
we're not at practice or at a game, I'm going to be here.
1:21
And I was here last episode too, but I was facing the other
1:24
direction. So, yeah, this is 180 is what
1:28
they call it in the business. And we're displaying the
1:31
Predators Hanukkah shirt given out earlier this week on
1:35
Wednesday night at the game, which says Nashville and Hebrew.
1:38
There are 300 of these in existence.
1:41
Who knows, maybe if you play your cards right and you're a
1:44
listener out there, you could end up with mine.
1:46
But thanks to everybody who joined us for Jewish Community
1:48
Night this week on the fourth night of Hanukkah.
1:51
Hanukkah continues this weekend. We're celebrating Christmas all
1:53
weekend with ugly sweaters and Fred's tuks and beanies.
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It's going to be a fun holiday week in Smashville.
2:00
Yeah, what a great show we've got lined up and we were just
2:03
talking guys before we came on. We were like, wait, we've got 2
2:07
hat tricks to talk about. So Steven Stamkos had himself a
2:10
night against the Blues and then Philip Forsberg says, oh, I
2:14
might not get to 4, but I'll get to 3.
2:16
So we'll talk about those two contests against the Blues.
2:19
A familiar face joining the Predators ownership group.
2:22
More on that in a moment. We'll have an interview with Big
2:25
Red Reed Schaefer. Looking forward to that as well
2:28
as our favorite moments of 2025 as we begin to close out the
2:32
year. Our biggie, awesome person of
2:33
the week and so much more to get to.
2:36
But Kara, what a fun week this has been.
2:39
And boy was that a pleasure to cover Stephen Stamkos and a four
2:44
goal game against the Saint Louis Blues.
2:46
Yeah, right. When we got started I had to
2:47
ask. I was like when's the last time
2:49
we recorded? Because we logged off.
2:51
Max and I drove over to Brewhouse 100.
2:53
We recorded Smashville live and then we turned around and had an
2:58
amazing outing from Steven Samkos the second four goal
3:01
night of his career. But after talking to Sam after
3:04
the game, this one was a lot more memorable guys because he
3:07
was scoring goals, he said the first time they came on like a
3:09
power play. He had an empty net one.
3:11
But this night was pretty much all about Steven in Sam Coast.
3:16
100% it was a 7, two win for Nashville.
3:18
So seven goals, one, that's impressive.
3:20
And I think one of the biggest things about that win is it came
3:23
off of that shootout victory against Colorado.
3:25
And one of the themes that the Predators have talked about in
3:28
multiple instances throughout this season is they will have
3:32
what they believe to be a statement type win, which they
3:35
did obviously against Colorado last week, the NH LS best team.
3:40
But then how do you follow that up?
3:42
They did that against Saint Louis.
3:43
So that was a big talking point. And again, four goals off of the
3:47
stick of Steven Stamkos, tying the franchise record, a feat
3:50
that only three others have achieved.
3:52
Philip Forsberg has done it. Rocco Grimaldi has done it.
3:55
And all the way back in 2014, the legendary Eric Nystrom in
3:59
Calgary was the first to do it with four goals in a game.
4:02
But a radio montage, Max, You want to set this one up.
4:06
Proud to bring it to you from over a decade of Pred's radio.
4:10
The goal calls of all four Pred's four goal scorers.
4:14
Enjoy. Predators have numbers if they
4:17
hurry. Right wing side Cullen Cullen
4:18
looking tipping in his Nystrom. Any scores?
4:21
Eric Nystrom has his fourth goal of the hockey game and the
4:26
Predators have a two goal lead with 913 to go.
4:31
Wings keep the puck ends. Adina spins inside the blue line
4:35
taken away. Here's Grimaldi breaking in
4:38
looking for his fourth. He gets it.
4:42
Rocco Grimaldi. Quality time Eric Nystrom with a
4:46
four goal night. Predators lead at 71.
4:52
Pass to Shane now into the zone. 8 seconds to go in the period.
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Right in front and the back end. Your cap.
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Goal being in the right place at the right time.
5:03
But I do believe you better get a hat trick plus one here.
5:09
They come in bunches, don't they, Pete?
5:11
Big time. Now a shot from out deep and the
5:15
back tender on the rebound and the score.
5:20
Predators now leaded 62. I believe that's another stamp
5:26
coach. I agree.
5:27
Go. It's in the right spot at the
5:29
right time and you could just tell him he's been getting a ton
5:31
of chances here. How about those four radio calls
5:34
going all the way back to the Willie Donnick radio play by
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play days for the Bobby Nye, Eric Nystrom four goal game up
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in Calgary in 2014? And I just love that list
5:46
because that's Fred's hockey right there.
5:47
Four guys have scored four goals in a game.
5:50
Two guys who you would not expect and then two guys who you
5:54
would expect. So it's some awesome Prince
5:56
history and Cara, two young bucks, had a big hand in that
6:01
Prince history alongside Stephen Stamkos last week.
6:04
Yeah, I we have to talk about Matt Wood.
6:06
I mean, how great has he been? I think we've brought up his
6:09
name every podcast we've done since we've seen him in the
6:11
lineup. But he was the one he set up two
6:14
assists that he was credited for on Steven Samco's goals.
6:18
One of them he completely set up the play, didn't make the score
6:20
sheet. But I talked to him after the
6:22
game and he said that on the bench that night, he said there
6:25
was a belief in the room. And I don't know if that was
6:28
coming off of the win against Colorado.
6:30
I don't know if the things have kind of started to to turn for
6:33
this team where they're play more connected, but the word he
6:36
used was belief, he said. We had a belief tonight.
6:38
And I I think it was evident in the way they played.
6:41
You know, talking with Bruno Brooks afterwards, he, he said
6:45
it was enjoyable to watch. He knew what he was going to get
6:48
from Stephen Samcos, the veteran, but he talked about his
6:50
group in general, that he saw it too.
6:54
Yeah, it's a good point. And he had a number of really
6:57
good quotes post game and it one it was kind of heartwarming
6:59
talking about Stamkos whereas. And I think, you know, Robbie
7:03
Stanley from nhl.com mentioned something like this as well.
7:05
And I think for us, like obviously so much of Stamkos's
7:10
success in his career came in Tampa Bay.
7:13
But for us to now have a front row seat, to see a moment where
7:17
he scored four goals in the game or to see him get his twelve
7:19
hundredth point, he's coming up on 600 goals, things of that
7:23
nature. You know, he's a first ballot
7:25
Hall of Famer, he's won 2 Stanley Cups, He's done just
7:27
about everything you can do in this game.
7:30
And it's really just a privilege, honestly, to watch
7:34
him in moments like that and you talk to guys.
7:37
I mean, Luca Evangelista sticks in my mind where Stamkos kind of
7:40
dubbed him the The Dish and Magician after that game as he
7:43
had three helpers as well. But you know, you hear a guy
7:46
like Luke Evangelista, somebody who grew up watching Stephen
7:49
Stamkos. And to one, it's one thing to be
7:52
teammates with him. But again, to witness a night
7:54
like that, not only in Predators history, but in his career, what
7:59
a special moment that was. And yeah, Carrie, you mentioned
8:01
Enderburnett as well. I love this quote and you talk
8:03
about that belief, this quote that Bruno had after the first
8:07
game against Saint Louis, Stamkos's four goal game.
8:09
He said, I think we're believing.
8:11
I think the path hasn't been easy.
8:13
We've gone through some stuff together and we've hung in
8:16
there, but everybody's all in. We've never been tighter and we
8:19
haven't deviated from our game plan.
8:21
And it's nice for our group. I've been saying this all year
8:23
that through the process we've been in, the result was there
8:26
and it hasn't always been there. And I give the group credit.
8:29
They've stayed with it and now they've reaped a little bit of
8:31
the benefit of their hard work. Now, can we be consistent with
8:35
it? I like Brunette finishing with a
8:36
question there because again, that's been a hot topic.
8:39
Can the Predators find that consistency?
8:41
And I would argue, as we record this on Tuesday, December 16th,
8:45
wins in seven of their last 10, for the most part, they have
8:48
found that consistency. And Brooks talking about Samer
8:52
and those comments from Bruno. I think one thing that we can
8:55
highlight and hone in on was he never wavered.
8:58
He was in a slump, he wasn't playing well, but you never
9:01
heard negativity from him. You never heard him change the
9:05
way you know, I know he switched up his style a little bit on the
9:07
ice, but you weren't hearing those negative comments.
9:10
He wasn't bad mouthing his line mates.
9:11
He wasn't putting anybody down on the coaching staff.
9:14
He put his head down and he went to work and I think that is the
9:18
biggest thing and showing younger players how to act in
9:22
this league when things aren't going your way.
9:24
Yeah, and the way Bruno put it just absolutely friggin nailed
9:28
it. He's handled himself like an all
9:31
timer and I think that sums the whole thing up right there cuz
9:35
first of all, he is an all timer when it comes to goal scoring in
9:38
the NHL. And even though things didn't go
9:41
right last year and things didn't go right the first month
9:44
of this year, I think Stampos still carried himself like a
9:46
gentleman. He carried himself like a team
9:48
leader. He carried himself like someone
9:50
who wanted to be in Nashville even though very little on ice
9:53
good had happened for him so far in Nashville.
9:56
And then my God, what a reward that was for Stampos with four
10:00
goals in that game. So, so much fun.
10:02
He now has eleven goals in his last 18 games after just one
10:07
goal in the 1st 14 games to start the season.
10:10
And Wooden Svechkov were on the ice for all four of those goals
10:13
in the four goal game. They both were a career high +4.
10:16
They both had multiple assists in the game.
10:19
And Stammer and the kids is hopefully going to stick here
10:23
because Stamkos has some great dad jokes about it.
10:25
He's like, Yep, just playing with my two boys on the ice,
10:29
same as at home with Jason Carter, his young son.
10:32
So it's pretty perfect. It goes both ways, yeah.
10:36
Well, in that Blues game, they had the league going into the
10:38
end of the third period, you know, and they knew that Saint
10:41
Louis was a team that they were going to take on again on Monday
10:44
night as we set and record here on Tuesday, December 16th.
10:49
But they knew going into that final frame, hey, we're going to
10:52
turn around. We're going to see the Blues.
10:53
We got to work on some things. So we know what we're going to
10:56
see when we face them again. And guys, what whatever they
10:58
worked on seemed to work because Philip Furzberg saw Steven
11:01
Samkos and thought I could do that.
11:04
I know. I love it.
11:05
We were waiting for him to get 4.
11:06
Obviously he got the empty netter to finish it off.
11:08
Philip Fordsburg did with his 11th career hat trick.
11:12
Yeah, I kind of said that to him after I was like, well, it's not
11:14
4, but you did get 3 and you'll take it, right?
11:17
You're not. You're not going out there
11:19
saying, well, Stammer got 4. You'd love to get 4.
11:21
But yeah, 5/2 went on the road and that came off of a Colorado
11:25
game where again, like you're going into the building of the
11:28
best team in the NHL. The Predators lose 4:00 to 2:00.
11:31
But Andrew Burnett, after that game, even he said I liked our
11:34
Rd. game. I mean, you see why Colorado,
11:37
it's so obvious why they are the top team.
11:39
Just the offensive firepower they have, the cohesion they
11:42
have as a group. But the Predators still liked a
11:44
lot of what they saw in Colorado.
11:46
And it was a matter of carrying that forward into Monday night.
11:49
They did that for the most part. They really liked their start.
11:51
The second period especially, they really took over, got three
11:54
goals in the 2nd. St.
11:55
Louis had a little bit of a push in the third, which I think was
11:58
to be expected. The Preds didn't love how much
12:01
room that they gave the Blues, how many opportunities they gave
12:03
them to get back into the game. But again, when Forsberg iced
12:08
it, boy was that satisfying. I always think that it's more
12:11
satisfying sometimes to win on the road than it is at home.
12:14
Because at home, like you kind of expect it.
12:16
You're in front of your crowd, you love to be in front of your
12:18
fans. But when you can go on the road,
12:20
especially against a division rival, and just silence the
12:22
building and the building is 75% empty before the the final horn
12:27
even goes, to me that's always really satisfying.
12:30
And I think for the Preds as well, they're feeling good about
12:33
themselves. It's been a good few weeks here.
12:36
And again, for Philip Forsberg, just doing Phil, doing Phil
12:39
things, as Andrew Brunette said after Monday's game.
12:42
And another good outing in Saint Louis there.
12:44
Screw it, Brooks, I disagree with you.
12:46
I don't think that thing was ever close in Saint Louis.
12:49
That was an easy, easy win for the Preds.
12:52
They never let him back within one goal.
12:54
That thing was decided the moment Philip Forsberg scored on
12:57
the 1st shift of the game. He got one in each period.
12:59
The power play goal in the second period was a thing of
13:02
beauty. Twisted wrister to put the Preds
13:05
ahead by a couple of goals and a lead that they knew would last.
13:08
That would end up being the game-winning goals.
13:10
They went ahead 31 and 152. And then I love it.
13:13
Jim Montgomery just giving out candy on Halloween.
13:16
Oh, Philip Forsberg's on the ice.
13:18
I'll pull my goalie with four minutes left while the pucks in
13:20
the neutral zone. I'm sure nothing bad at all will
13:23
happen. Oh, just the easiest hat trick
13:25
finisher in Philip Forsberg's career.
13:27
And I have one absolutely amazing stat.
13:31
I don't like to throw too many stats on the podcast.
13:33
This is more of a kind of have fun and let it fly and enjoy
13:36
life POP style. But this is such a great stat
13:40
and I think it sums up everything that is great about
13:43
the all time leading goal scorer in Nashville Predators history,
13:47
Philip Forsberg. Philip Forsberg has eleven
13:50
career hat tricks. That's the Preds franchise
13:52
record. It already was the franchise
13:54
record before this week, but that's not the stat.
13:57
Philip Forsberg and his 11 hat tricks in 11 games in total has
14:01
34 goals and one assist in 11 games where he had a hat trick.
14:10
Do not pass that thing Phil Shoot everything.
14:13
That is what goal scorers do and I love it.
14:16
Another three goal game this week with no assists.
14:21
No, Max, that I love that we were talking about it on the
14:23
Butts as we were pulling out of the arena.
14:24
But like you said, goal scorers are going to score goals.
14:27
I mean, Phil, you know, he mentioned to me about the power
14:29
play goal, the Preds, they were doing quite well on the power
14:33
play, moving the puck around, getting opportunities.
14:35
But Phil was eventually like, yeah, I just decided enough was
14:38
enough and I was going to score. So you'll love to see it.
14:41
And a great game for Philip Forsbrig.
14:43
Again, like Andrew Brunette said, Kara, Phil doing Phil
14:45
things, we know he's capable. And that was a classic Philip
14:48
Forsberg performance. I love this.
14:50
Max has a slew of bobble heads behind him and he's showing us
14:54
Philip Forsberg at the moment. I'm curious, Brooks, do you
14:56
think every time we talk about a player, Max would have a have a
14:59
bobble head that he could throw out there?
15:01
I was just going to say I wonder how many names we can mention
15:03
and see Max has a corresponding bobble head that we can shake
15:08
their head. That's like giving me a test
15:11
without letting me study. There's a lot of different
15:13
arrangements that we can do here, but OK, we'll see what we
15:16
can do. That was so awesome from Philip
15:18
Forsberg. The Preds are now tied for the
15:22
NHL lead by team for most hat tricks this season.
15:25
That is the third Preds hat trick of the young season in
15:28
just 32 games, tying them with the Mammoth and the Blackhawks,
15:33
who as far as I know, do not give out free hot chickens of
15:36
their entire fan base the day after every hat trick.
15:38
So that is a tiebreaker, and the Preds lead the NHL in hat
15:41
tricks. And you took advantage of that,
15:43
did you not, Max? I did I I'm 2 for three on my
15:46
free Hattie Bees hot chicken hat trick the next day.
15:49
Shout out to my friends at the Hattie Bees on Charlotte.
15:53
They are awesome and great to see some of our friends radio
15:57
super fans getting some hot chicken there as well.
15:59
So too many more. Nice.
16:02
And I learned that the the Saint Louis Blues postgame meal was
16:05
Hattie B's. I could smell something
16:07
different waving through the hallway.
16:09
I was curious what my senses were, and I was informed they
16:13
were provided Hattie B's Hot chicken.
16:14
There you. Go no way after the four goal
16:17
game. Wow, so.
16:21
If you're the visiting team and you cater Hattie B's for your
16:24
postgame meal and you allow a Pred's hat trick, is your hot
16:29
chicken free by proxy? I think it has to be.
16:32
That's a great question. I mean, I'd like to think that
16:35
they had no idea what their postgame meal was going to be
16:37
until Steven Stamkos scored his third goal and then they.
16:40
Said what? Free chicken.
16:41
For the beans are watching it. It's right across the street.
16:44
And they also had Frosties. It was really, really.
16:46
Weird. Oh, that's amazing.
16:48
See that's that's the insider Intel you can only get on the
16:51
POPI love it. There you go, bringing you the
16:55
knowledge down from Studio H. Well done, Hammer.
16:58
Studio Age home of Ferry Hammer, where many famous people have
17:03
gotten ready for their big show. Well, as we mentioned, it's a
17:07
holiday week in Smashville, 3 game homestands.
17:10
So the Canes. This will come out after the
17:13
Preds play the Carolina Hurricanes on the 17th.
17:15
But then the big weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New
17:18
York Rangers are in town Saturday and Sunday evening
17:21
respectively at Bridgestone Arena.
17:24
And then the Preds finish off by heading to Minnesota 2 days
17:27
before Christmas to take on Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota
17:30
Wild. A fun way to end it before the
17:33
holiday break. But the friends are hot, it's
17:35
fun to talk about and we'll see what they can do headed into
17:39
that Christmas break. You always want to feel good
17:40
about yourself going into a little bit of a a stretch there
17:43
where you get a nice well deserved few days off.
17:46
So we'll see what the Preds can do in this next week.
17:48
Coming up, another reason why Nashville has found success.
17:53
Other guys are scoring more goals than he is, but he's still
17:55
putting the puck in the net. Rookie winger Reid Schaefer, big
17:58
red and we will talk to him next.
18:00
You are listening to the Predators official podcast on
18:03
102.5 The Game and watching on Preds YouTube back in a moment.
18:14
Welcome back to the Predators official podcast here on ESPN
18:17
1025 The Game and the Nashville Predators YouTube page.
18:21
It is time for our final interview before Christmas with
18:25
Preds rookie winger Reed Shaffer. 10 games into his NHL
18:28
career, Reed has hand picked today's episode title.
18:32
We gave him many great big red Christmas puns and he has chosen
18:36
read off the red haired rookie. He does not have a very shiny
18:40
nose, but we are very happy to have Reed Schaefer on the
18:43
podcast. Hi, Reed.
18:44
Hey guys. How's it going?
18:47
So it's Christmas time. First of all, are you going to
18:50
get a chance to go home for a couple of days for Christmas, or
18:52
will you be hanging out here? And what does the holiday season
18:55
look like in the Schaefer household?
18:57
Yeah, actually booked my flights home last night, so I'm going to
19:01
go back home to Edmonton after Minnesota and then, yeah, I just
19:05
get the family together for the, you know, short time I'm home,
19:07
so it'll be fun. Amazing.
19:10
So how does hockey play a role during the holidays for you
19:14
growing up, I imagine that, you know, World Juniors, that's a
19:17
big deal this time of year, getting presents, playing hockey
19:21
around Christmas, that sort of thing.
19:23
What does the holidays look like from a hockey perspective for
19:26
you? Yeah, obviously younger brother
19:29
plays hockey. My dad played hockey growing up,
19:31
so we'd spend a lot of time on the outdoor rink in the
19:34
backyard. But yeah, like you said, World
19:38
juniors was a big thing, just watching, you know, sport in
19:41
Canada around that time of year. But you know, it's a busy time
19:46
nowadays. So, you know, to get home and
19:49
spend time with family, it's it's pretty special.
19:52
Amazing. What was the best gift that you
19:54
ever received for Christmas? So you will equipment guy,
19:57
Jersey guy. Is there anything that sticks
20:00
out along those lines? Honestly, it's got to be the
20:02
PS-5. I want to say like 4 years ago
20:05
that was the big thing. They were hard to get.
20:07
So my dad got a hands on him and I and I was pretty juiced.
20:11
Nice. What do you play?
20:13
I was a big Fortnite guy back in the day.
20:16
It was the NHL whatever 21 when I came out, but right now it's
20:21
just Fortnite. Talking to Reed Schaefer, Preds
20:24
rookie winger here on The POP. Reed, you now got 10 games under
20:28
your belt in the NHL three weeks after your debut.
20:31
Take us back to the moment you found out.
20:33
What was it like getting the call, and what was it like
20:35
calling home as soon as you found out?
20:38
Yeah, it was pretty special. I got the call from Scott Nickel
20:40
on an off day down in Milwaukee, you know, and I was pretty,
20:44
pretty ecstatic. But yeah, I had a short, short
20:47
turn around. I think within the next hour I
20:49
was on car service to Chicago, joining the team for a
20:53
Thanksgiving dinner. So it's been, you know, a
20:57
whirlwind of three weeks. Pretty special moments getting
21:00
my family there to Chicago to watch a debut and then them
21:04
hopping on another plane to come to Nashville to watch me here at
21:07
Bridgestone. So it's been pretty cool.
21:10
Dream come true but have to thank my parents and family
21:13
members for all the sacrifice they've done to get me here.
21:18
So once you hung up the phone with Scott Nickel, who's the
21:20
first person you called? Called mom and dad right away.
21:24
They are pretty emotional. So it was, it was a cool moment
21:28
between us. What and then how does that word
21:31
spread? Like do you call everyone else
21:33
or they're like, we'll take care of it, we'll spread the word.
21:35
How does that work? Yeah, I called a couple people
21:38
and then just texted others, but I'm sure my mom and grandma were
21:42
texting everybody, getting the word out right away.
21:46
First NHL game at the United Center in Chicago, which, by the
21:50
way, was the same place your head coach made his NHL debut at
21:53
just a few years earlier. What sticks with you most from
21:56
game #1 Reed? Pretty, it's a pretty
21:58
historical, you know, arena and franchise, obviously with the
22:01
Blackhawks, but I think the national anthem sticks out the
22:05
most. The crowd was just right into
22:08
it, so loud, you know, gave me chills.
22:11
So that was a pretty cool moment.
22:14
And then it wasn't long until you scored your first NHL goal
22:17
and your first NHL fight two games later against Calgary.
22:20
What do you remember from that game?
22:22
And I, I think I remember you saying afterword about the goal
22:25
that you just kind of blacked out there for a second when it
22:27
went in. But what now that maybe you've
22:30
had a chance to look back, what do you remember about that game?
22:33
Yeah, it was a pretty, you know, cool game.
22:36
Pretty special, you know, to score that first NHL goal.
22:39
It was a greasy one, just getting to the net.
22:41
Obviously Spetch cough made an unreal play, but yeah, it was
22:45
greasy. But they all count.
22:46
So like you said, in the celebration I kind of blacked
22:49
out. I might have looked a little
22:51
dumb with just my celebration, but it was pretty cool.
22:56
Have you had kind of a welcome to the NHL moment yet?
22:59
I know a lot of guys talk about just the speed of the game being
23:02
different or maybe going up against legendary players.
23:05
Have you kind of had that moment yet where you're like, wow, like
23:08
this is the NHL? Yeah, I think second game, when
23:11
Logan Stanley stood me up at the blue line, he folded, folded me
23:15
like a lawn chair there. So I got up and I was like,
23:18
yeah, this is a men's game. But that was probably an on ice
23:23
moment. Off ice was having Thanksgiving
23:26
dinner with Scalzi and Stamp Coast at the same table.
23:30
Pretty funny stories they got. Yeah, we got to ask about that.
23:34
Reed. You rolled right up on
23:36
Thanksgiving Day, and we were fortunate to be there, too.
23:38
The whole team traveling party was there at dinner.
23:40
You were at the most boisterous table, as you said, led by how
23:45
GAIL regaling you with tales of old.
23:47
Is it just like, Oh my God, I'm playing in the NHL tomorrow?
23:51
Yeah, pretty much. I mean, just, you know,
23:54
Commodore around the team and that table was pretty funny that
23:58
night. You know, it definitely calmed
24:00
my nerves a bit. But yeah, you didn't really
24:03
think of, Oh my gosh, you're going to play in the NHL
24:07
tomorrow because, you know, you're just in, you know, that
24:09
scenario right now. But yeah, it was pretty cool.
24:12
Talking to Pres. Rookie winger Reed Schaefer here
24:15
on the Pres Official Podcast. What was the most special moment
24:18
you had with your family and your girlfriend and your
24:20
grandparents and your other supporters as they were there
24:23
for the first three games with you?
24:25
Yeah, I think just, you know, seeing them after the game, you
24:28
could tell they're pretty emotional, but, you know, so
24:31
excited. They've been, you know, along
24:34
this journey with me since I was a young kid.
24:36
So it means just as much to me as it does to them.
24:40
So it was a pretty cool moment just to share together.
24:42
And. Yeah.
24:45
Reid, what do you think when you look around the room now and you
24:48
see guys like Yossi and Forsberg and Stamkos and O'Reilly?
24:53
And I know you're not starstruck, obviously they're
24:55
they're your team mates. But what do you think about just
24:58
the fact that you are playing with these guys and you get the
25:01
chance to learn from them and be around them on a daily basis and
25:04
see what it's like to be a pro? Yeah, it's an honor.
25:07
Obviously, I'm extremely grateful to be in the position I
25:10
am right now. But, you know, to see those
25:12
guys, you know, of that stature, you know, I grew up watching
25:16
those guys and, you know, to be able to be on the same team as
25:20
them, it's pretty special, pretty cool.
25:21
And you know, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from
25:23
them. What kind of off of that, what
25:25
kind of advice have you received either from them or coaches,
25:28
Anybody that's around, what is kind of stuck with you here in
25:30
the first little bit? Yeah, I think just at first it
25:33
was more so just enjoy it, soak it all in.
25:36
You know, you only get one first NHL game and you know, so for
25:42
now it's just, you know, just soaking in all the knowledge.
25:45
I mean, it's it's a lot different than the American
25:48
League with how good guys sticks are, pace of play.
25:52
So just trying to figure out those little details with, you
25:54
know, stick placement and stuff like that.
25:56
Just trying to, you know, learn stuff like that.
25:58
I've heard guys talk a little bit as well about just obviously
26:02
you're a young player, you're going to get to know the game,
26:04
you're going to get to know guys on other teams.
26:06
How have you kind of felt maybe your confidence even in these
26:10
first 10 games or so, maybe from game one until now, have you
26:14
felt that confidence grow a little bit and and how has your
26:17
game maybe grown even in the last little bit?
26:19
Yeah, absolutely. I think from, you know, the
26:21
first game till now, I think each game I play, I get a little
26:25
bit more comfortable, a little bit more feel for the puck, come
26:29
trying to hold on to pucks a little more, use my body to, you
26:32
know, create some more space. But like I said, it's just more
26:36
games I play, the more I'll feel comfortable.
26:39
Talking to Fred's rookie winger Reid Schaefer here on the
26:42
Predators official podcast. Reid, you've been a Preds
26:45
prospect for a while, but you are not a homegrown Pred since
26:48
you were drafted by the Edmondson Oilers 32nd overall
26:52
with the final pick of the first round in 2022.
26:55
What was it like being drafted by your hometown team and then
26:59
being traded away when you were still in juniors to a different
27:01
team? Yeah, it's pretty crazy,
27:03
obviously. You know, I was so excited, you
27:05
know, when the time came, I was a home hometown boy.
27:10
I cheered for that team growing up as a young kid.
27:13
So to be drafted by them, I was pretty excited.
27:15
And then it was a it was a quick stint with them.
27:17
I think I got traded six months later at the trade deadline,
27:22
which I wasn't really expecting, but I knew my name was out
27:24
there. But to be involved with a guy
27:26
like Matthias at home, I think it's, you know, something cool
27:30
you could look back on. But now that I'm in the
27:33
Predators organization, I'm, I'm really happy.
27:35
I mean, such great staff and, you know, organization has been
27:39
great to me, so I'm enjoying it and yeah.
27:44
At the time you were traded, you were playing in the Western
27:46
League for the Seattle Thunderbirds, one of the few
27:49
major junior teams in the United States.
27:52
What was your experience in Seattle like living in a big
27:55
American city? And on the hockey side, you guys
27:57
won the Ed Chenoweth Cup, you played in the Memorial Cup and
28:00
you were a really important player on some really good
28:02
teams. Yeah, Seattle was great.
28:05
I mean, that was another great organization.
28:07
I think they did a great job of developing me.
28:09
You know, I came in, you know, as a 16 year old call up only
28:13
played seven games that year. And then my 17 year old year was
28:16
COVID, so I only played 20 games and my stats weren't great that
28:21
year. And then, you know, coach gave
28:24
me an opportunity my following year and my draft year.
28:27
And, you know, I had, I had some success on a good hockey team.
28:31
I mean, we made it to the finals but lost out to the Edmonton Oil
28:35
Kings there in the finals. Yeah.
28:37
And then the next year, I mean, we loaded up.
28:40
We had a super team. It was pretty fun hockey.
28:43
And, you know, we are fortunate enough to, you know, win the
28:45
league and go on to the Memorial Cup final where we fell short.
28:49
But it was, it was a special time in Seattle.
28:52
Great group of guys, great staff.
28:54
And overall, I mean, my billet parents were great to me too.
28:58
Like they were a huge contributor.
29:00
They're actually there at my NHL debut, so that was pretty cool.
29:05
Rita, I remember talking to you back in September at rookie camp
29:07
and just you developing as a player and you mentioned, yeah,
29:12
like, yeah, I've got some offensive upside, but I like to
29:14
be a pain in the butt to play against two.
29:16
And you said that was kind of your dad's style of play as
29:19
well. Was it growing up?
29:21
Was it in junior? Like when did you feel like you
29:23
kind of developed your style of play and said this is the kind
29:27
of player I can be? Yeah, I mean, as an 18 year old
29:31
in the Western League, I was a bigger guy, so I knew I had to
29:35
play a bigger guy role. And, you know, I use my body to
29:37
my advantage against smaller, younger players.
29:41
And I knew that going into pro I was going to have to, you know,
29:44
use my size to my advantage and, you know, play a physical role.
29:48
And I think I just, you know, tried to add on to that with,
29:52
you know, my skill. Yeah.
29:55
And then going to pro, obviously you're going up against men,
30:00
guys who are a lot older than you.
30:01
So having those, you know, physical attributes back in the
30:05
day, you know, helps a little bit more for an easier
30:08
transition, I guess. One more for me and I'll let Max
30:11
wrap it. But what is just the coolest
30:14
part about all this right now? When you look at your let your
30:16
life and where you are as a professional hockey player the
30:19
best league in the world, what do you think about all this
30:22
right now? Honestly, the best part of being
30:26
in the NHL is probably travel. Get whatever you want to eat,
30:32
But I think that's the cool part is just how you're going city to
30:35
city and you don't wait, wait in line.
30:37
You just, you know, hop right on the plane and go.
30:40
I think that's pretty cool, so. Our final question is
30:44
technically a fan question read. It's from Wiley on the East
30:47
side, which is Willie Donnick from Preds T VS Fan Code name.
30:51
He wants to know your favorite piece of sports memorabilia or
30:54
merch that you have, and he's really hoping it's Mariners or
30:58
Supersonic Skier from your time in Seattle.
31:02
Honestly, no, I don't have any Mariners or Seahawks gear.
31:08
I might have gone to three baseball games in Seattle and I
31:10
didn't even make it out to an NFL game.
31:12
So can't say it's any any of that kind of sports related.
31:19
I think it would have to be something of myself and I would
31:23
probably a gold medal for Team Canada at World Juniors.
31:26
Nice. Hey, that's hard to be good.
31:29
Yeah, Yeah, that one wins. Well, Reed, thanks so much for
31:33
doing this. It's awesome getting to know
31:34
you. We're so happy for your success
31:36
and have a Merry Christmas and hopefully easy flights back to
31:39
Edmonton next week. Thanks guys.
31:41
Appreciate it. That's Prez rookie winger #49
31:44
Reed Schaefer, 10 games into his NHL career on The POP.
31:48
We'll come back and recap our favorite moments of 2025 in
31:52
Smashville for our final podcast of the year here on ESPN 102.5
31:56
The Game. Welcome back to the Predators
32:06
Official podcast on the Nashville Predators YouTube page
32:10
and ESPN 1025 The Game. My name is Max Herz from Preds
32:14
Radio alongside Cara Hammer from Preds TV and Brooks Bratton team
32:18
reporter from nashvillepredators.com.
32:20
Guys, we had some big news come out earlier this week.
32:23
A new face in the Predators ownership group.
32:27
And now there are some owners in the sports world that people
32:30
might not know. They're all very important
32:31
people, but they're not sports people.
32:35
Well, this owner is a sports person and for many people here
32:39
in Smashville, he is the sports person.
32:42
Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban is now a minority
32:47
owner of your Nashville Predators.
32:49
And if there was any doubt, the Preds remain SE CS pro sports
32:53
team #1. Without the job.
32:57
I don't know anybody saw that coming.
32:58
Announced on Tuesday afternoon, December 16th, as we record
33:02
this. But yeah, everybody knows Nick
33:04
Saban, right? Former Bama head coach.
33:06
He's on college game day now as a panelist.
33:08
And he's also a part of Dream Sports Ventures LLC.
33:12
So that's an entity controlled by Saban and his partner Joe
33:15
Agresti. So they recently closed on the
33:18
purchase of a minority stake in the Predators and Bill Haslam,
33:22
of course, Nashville's franchise chairman and majority owner,
33:25
making that announcement. And we've seen Nick Saban around
33:28
from time to time. There's photos of him in Pred's
33:31
jerseys. He was actually at Predators
33:33
rookie camp a few months back hanging out with Bill Haslam,
33:37
some of the Predators coaching staff and scouting staff.
33:40
And so we've seen him around, but I don't know that anybody
33:43
saw this coming. But yeah, what a what a cool
33:46
move this is to have somebody like Nick Saban on the Predators
33:49
ownership group. You got to love it.
33:51
I think Max, we, we saw Nick Saban when we were at college
33:55
game day when they were in town for Vanderbilt and we saw him
33:58
talking with Our Lady president Michelle Kennedy.
34:01
And I think we all thought, wow, like everybody here is just so
34:04
connected. And now that you see these
34:06
pieces starting to come together, what a great name to
34:09
have in the organization. Oh, when Kara, Willie Donnick
34:13
and I were apparently in the area, we were not allowed to be
34:17
in a college game day because we were VI PS, but we were not Home
34:21
Depot VI PS. But anyway, we had a nice time
34:24
in the Home Depot area, which we unknowingly were in.
34:27
Miss Terry, Nick Saban's very famous wife, was sitting right
34:31
above us on the stage. And the moment Nick Saban said
34:34
on ESPN that he's all in on Vandy now and that he regrets
34:38
saying Vandy does not have a home field advantage.
34:40
In the past, we yelled at Miss Terry, me and Willie Donnick.
34:44
Miss Terry, we love you. You're one of us.
34:46
Now you're stuck with us. And little did we know she's
34:49
even more one of us than we ever could have thought.
34:52
Welcome to Smashville officially, Nick Saban and
34:56
family and his crew. We are so happy to have you.
35:00
And it sounds like a joke, but the Preds really are the SE CS
35:04
professional sports team. There's no SEC hockey.
35:08
There are a lot of SEC fans that, if the Prince didn't
35:10
exist, would have no hockey allegiance.
35:12
And we are proud to be the pro sports team of SEC Nation.
35:16
And Nick Saban is a nice figurehead to hammer that home.
35:20
And maybe it was Miss Terry who kicked you out of the VIP
35:22
yelling at her. Just get that guy out of here.
35:26
Yeah, that might have had a good point.
35:27
But they came up and said, are you guys Home Depot?
35:30
They said, are you guys Home Depot?
35:32
And I pointed at Kara and I said, well, we have a hammer.
35:38
Nicely. Done.
35:38
You got the joke. Nicely done.
35:41
I do want to read this quote from Nick Saban real quick.
35:43
In the release he said quote. Although I am now retired as a
35:47
coach, I still possess a competitive nature and a great
35:49
passion for sports. Being involved in a sports team
35:52
in Nashville has always been a goal and the opportunity to
35:55
partner in the Preds with a class act like Bill Haslam
35:58
created the perfect scenario for us.
36:00
The Preds are a great organization with a fantastic
36:03
brand and we are excited to be a part of the future success of
36:07
the franchise. No doubt that having someone
36:09
like Nick Saban on board will certainly help in those
36:11
ventures. So as we said once more, welcome
36:14
to Nick Saban and Joe Agresti. So happy to have them on board
36:18
and we'll look forward to many years as they become a member of
36:21
the organization. Well, we we want to have coach
36:23
on the podcast and we are going to try and make that happen once
36:26
the college football season ends.
36:28
We're certainly going to be seeing him in Smashville with
36:30
Miss Terry. But we we know Nick Saban knows
36:33
a lot about hockey. Like it's not he doesn't.
36:35
He's not a hockey newbie. He knows a lot about hockey.
36:38
But the one thing I really want to know what Coach Saban thinks
36:42
about hockey. What does he think about the
36:44
fact that you can lose a game but still get a point in the
36:48
standings? Because that does not seem to
36:50
vibe with the Nick Saban 15 and O every year type mantra.
36:55
So if we get him on, I'm going to ask him about the overtime
36:58
loss point and see what he thinks as one of the greatest
37:01
coaches in any sport ever, if not the best ever.
37:04
Well Max, looking at the standings, the Prods are only 5
37:06
points back from a wild card spot, so a lot to keep our eyes
37:10
on as we make our way into the new year.
37:13
We'll take all the points we can get.
37:15
And as we approach the turn of the calendar, it's always kind
37:18
of weird when you do this because obviously the hockey
37:20
season goes through two years, but we talk about the calendar
37:22
year 2025 and everybody comes out with their countdowns, their
37:26
wraps, their favorite moments. And you know, for the Predators
37:30
and especially for those of us that are around the team on a
37:33
daily basis and get to do some really cool things as a result,
37:37
we just wanted to highlight a few of our favorite moments,
37:39
guys. And as I was looking back the
37:42
other day and just jogging the memory, because so many things
37:45
happen that you forget about. And it was actually one of the
37:49
first days of 2025 was when Ozzy Weisblatt was first recalled.
37:54
We were on the road in Vancouver and we know so much about his
37:58
family, told his story and his parents, his mom, Kim, his deaf.
38:03
And so they use sign language obviously to communicate.
38:06
And Ozzy came up, he's introduced himself to our Pred
38:10
social media crew and they put it out on social and he signed
38:13
everything as well. And that just went viral.
38:16
And that was such a cool moment to not only introduce him to the
38:19
fan base, but especially for someone who has now become, at
38:23
least this season, an everyday NHL.
38:24
Or unfortunately, he's obviously hurt right now and we probably
38:27
won't see him until after the Olympic break in February or
38:30
March. But that was a really cool way
38:32
to start the year with Ozzy Weisblatt.
38:35
Of course, the Four Nations face off in February.
38:37
A couple of Preds went there. But what a moment for the game
38:40
of hockey and kind of a precursor to the Olympics
38:43
that'll be here before we know it.
38:44
And personally, I got to take some cool trips.
38:47
I got to go up to Milwaukee to see the Admirals for the first
38:49
time in person as they played a couple of playoff games.
38:53
I don't know if they'll let us back because they did lose both
38:55
home playoff games that I was in attendance for.
38:58
So we'll see maybe one day. But really great to get up to
39:01
Milwaukee and then first time to the scouting combine in Buffalo.
39:05
That was really cool to not only see the prospects do the bike
39:08
test that everybody sees and talks about on video at that
39:11
time of the year, but then to go out to Los Angeles, see Brady
39:15
Martin get drafted as well as Kim Reed in the first round.
39:19
Riker, Lee, Jack, Ivan Kovic was in attendance as well.
39:21
So really fun time there in LA. And then the last one, the trip
39:26
to Sweden, what a moment that was for the Preds organization
39:29
to to take it over to Europe and, and to skate and Philip
39:33
Forsberg and Adam Willsby's home country to receive that Swedish
39:36
hospitality. And certainly one of the cooler
39:39
things I've had the the opportunity to do in my career.
39:42
So a lot of fun all around the world for the Preds this past
39:45
year and looking forward to more in 2026.
39:48
Kara, you go next. All right, mine is going to come
39:51
off the ice, but this is a Smashville special.
39:54
But my mother, as many people know because this went viral on
39:57
social media, lost her wedding ring that she had worn for
40:00
nearly 50 years while at the game, watching my daughter so I
40:04
could work a hockey game. The ring simply came off her
40:08
finger somewhere between the Lexus Lounge in the stands and a
40:11
nice Smashville Sinnison. Turned the ring in and returned
40:15
it to my mother. So I just feel like that is that
40:18
is what we are, right? That's why Smashville is so
40:20
special. My favorite moments of the year,
40:23
I think are actually very similar to those.
40:26
My first one is how great our fans have been and this was not
40:30
a winning year for the Preds last season and the first
40:33
portion of this season before the last few weeks when the
40:35
Preds have started to play much better.
40:38
Our fans continue to be the best.
40:40
They continue to show up and show out and be loud and help
40:43
the team win. And selfishly I'm I'm so I'm so
40:48
overjoyed every time we have fans stay after a game to listen
40:52
to the radio broadcasts and say hi to us and come to events and
40:55
things like that. Our fans are the best.
40:58
It wouldn't be like that other places when a team was close to
41:01
last in the NHL for nearly an entire season like the Preds
41:04
were last year. We don't take that for granted
41:06
and that's something that I'll remember forever and hopefully
41:09
the Preds aren't as low in the standings in the future.
41:11
But you guys have been so exceptional and the other
41:14
moments off the ice, Pete Webber and Terry Chris being inducted
41:18
into the Golden Hall, the team Hall of Fame just a earlier this
41:22
season. That was so, so special to
41:23
celebrate those guys and have their families all together.
41:27
And then tying it in with those guys hockey fights.
41:29
Cancer night at home was really special with UC Sorrows taking
41:33
the faces of four people we love and Smashville onto the ice,
41:37
onto his goalie mask, including our friend Aaron Donnick, who we
41:40
lost this summer to cancer. And that's just another example
41:44
of the Smashville community coming together.
41:46
And there could have been tons of different faces on there, but
41:49
those faces represented everybody out there in
41:51
Smashville and how close this Preds community is.
41:54
And it's something that's been there since the late 90s and it
41:58
hasn't gone away through 27 seasons.
42:00
The Predators are an organization based on loyalty,
42:03
they're based on family, they're based on respect, and they're
42:06
based on community. And I'm just so overjoyed every
42:09
time that shows up. And it shows up on the ice too.
42:12
I honestly think my two favorite on ice moments of 2025 might
42:15
have both been in the last week with the two hat tricks.
42:19
Is that, is that so wrong? Am I forgetting something or do
42:22
I have recency bias? No, it's fair.
42:25
That was fun. Those two were, those were a
42:26
couple of fun games. I I don't fault your one bit for
42:29
choosing those. Yeah.
42:32
And my last one is Brooks returning to the podcast.
42:35
Wow, I didn't even have to pay you to say that.
42:39
No, I thank you for that. No, it's been really fun to get
42:42
back on with you guys. I mean, obviously it was so fun
42:44
back in the day to to start this with Thomas Willis way back in
42:48
the fall of 2017, I think maybe 2018 and to take a couple of
42:54
years off and then to get back into it, just it's been so fun
42:58
to to be back on the air with the two of you.
43:00
So thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
43:03
Hey, they supposed to be SEC, Your preds are SEC, Nick Saban,
43:08
all the fields. We're having fun at Smashville.
43:10
We're going to have an amazing new year.
43:12
But before we do that, we have to hand out the final Big E
43:16
award of the week coming up next here on the Predators official
43:20
podcast. Welcome back to the Predators
43:30
official podcast. Cara Hammer, Brooks Bratton, Max
43:33
hers and as we know, we give out our our big E awesome person of
43:36
the week. And as we know, in this league,
43:39
1000 games is hard to come by. But Nino, Nina Ryder, former
43:45
national Predator, just hit 1000 games.
43:47
And Nino, are you so awesome? The guys put together a cool
43:51
tribute video for him. I think he had the best Swiss
43:54
athlete in all of Switzerland, right?
43:58
Am I right saying that? Maybe the world.
44:00
Maybe the world put together a nice little tribute for him.
44:05
So Congrats, Nino. Nina Ryder.
44:09
Rodger Federer got in on the love and Roman Yossi
44:12
congratulated his best friend in the NHL on becoming the first
44:17
Swiss player to ever reach 1000. Hey, you know, Congrats on 1000
44:23
games, You know, unbelievable. I think honestly, really
44:30
emotional for me, too. I've known you since you're, I
44:34
don't know, 15 years old. And, you know, we became really
44:37
good friends ever since and. Been kind of part of your
44:41
journey this this whole time and I'm I'm just really, really
44:45
proud of you. You're going to be the first
44:47
fist player to ever do it and that's unbelievable and you know
44:52
I know you so well. I think everybody that's been
44:54
around you, you're an amazing teammate, you're an amazing guy,
44:57
an amazing player. The way you play, you play the
45:01
game hard every game. And yeah, just to make it to to
45:05
1000 is, is unbelievable. And like I said, I'm, I'm
45:09
extremely proud of you. I'm extremely proud to be your
45:11
friend. And yeah, just want to say
45:14
congratulations. Thought that was such a
45:16
heartfelt message from Roman. And it's funny.
45:20
I mean, if Yossi's been through so much with injuries,
45:22
especially the last few seasons, it could have been Yossi to be
45:26
the first Swiss NHL player to reach 1000.
45:29
He's less than 20 away. We're not going to start
45:31
counting down because we just want to get there.
45:35
But it's it's so perfect like anybody else would be like, Oh,
45:38
it should have been Yost. But it's Nino Nita writer, who
45:41
Roman Yosi loves as much as anybody in the league.
45:44
They've been friends for more than half of their lives, as you
45:47
heard Roman say. And I, it's almost fitting that
45:51
Nino gets it first. He was briefly A Pred for less
45:53
than a season, but he's the swab Swiss gentleman.
45:56
He is awesome. Erin Donic was a big fan of his.
45:59
So, Brooksy, this is a pretty easy Big E for Nino, Nita,
46:03
Ryder. Nino's a guy that I
46:05
unfortunately did not get to cover in my 2 years off, but you
46:09
hear the stories and you see moments like this.
46:11
And certainly very well deserved for Nino.
46:14
Nita Ryder again, hitting that 1000 game milestone.
46:18
And yeah, YOS isn't far behind. We'll let him get there first,
46:20
just like Luke Shen when I asked him last year, hey, do you want
46:23
to talk about it ahead of time? He's like, Nope, we're going to
46:26
get there first and then we'll talk about it.
46:28
Fair enough, but congratulations to Nino.
46:30
Nina Ryder, our final Big E of 2025.
46:34
Way to play it safe. I think that's the right move.
46:37
And amongst the video tributes, Roger Federer was the headliner.
46:40
Absolutely. Roman Yossi, lots of other NHL
46:43
ers were in there. Some of the big name Jets,
46:45
Sebastian Ajo need a writers linemate from the Hurricanes and
46:49
also Nino's grandparents, one grandma and then a set of
46:54
grandma and grandpa who both recorded very, very beautiful
46:57
messages from Switzerland. And everyone in Switzerland is
47:01
just beautiful and lives forever.
47:02
And his grandparents are another testament of that.
47:05
And we got to see his grandma when the Preds played in
47:09
Switzerland in the global series in a preseason game three years
47:13
ago when Nina was on the Pred. So pretty cool.
47:15
And as great as those were, I actually think my favorite
47:17
amongst the tributes was Swiss skier Marco Odermat, who sent in
47:24
his tribute from the ski lift. From the chairlift, of course.
47:29
Yeah, so Swiss. So Swiss, I love it.
47:34
You don't need a writer. Everyone from Switzerland, you
47:37
rock. You rock.
47:40
Y'all rock, Let's finish off on this.
47:41
And this is kind of a cool way to wrap up in 2025 as we get
47:45
ready to say goodbye. But our mailbag, of course, you
47:47
can always use #preds podcast on X or social media, or you can
47:50
comment down below on the YouTube listing.
47:53
And our friend Rick did use #preds podcast.
47:56
That's how we saw this question. And I like what he asks.
47:59
He says, why did y'all want to work for Slash cover the Preds?
48:04
That's a good question. I will start with that.
48:06
So, and this may be similar for all of us, I'm not sure.
48:09
But I'll be honest, growing up I wasn't necessarily like, oh,
48:14
I've got to work for the Nashville Predators one day.
48:17
But when I became very much interested in working for a
48:21
hockey team, I didn't care what team, what league, I was blessed
48:25
enough to have it be Nashville and started out in 2014.
48:29
I just straight up applied for the job, Essentially the similar
48:32
if not the same job that I still have now.
48:34
It's just evolved over time and applied online, Ended up getting
48:39
the job and then in the back of my head I was kind of like, oh,
48:41
I'll be here for 3-4 years, it'll be some good experience
48:45
and then I'll move on somewhere else. 11 plus years later I'm
48:49
not only living in Nashville, I'm married.
48:53
My wifes entire family is in Nashville.
48:55
My mom and stepdad not live in Nashville.
48:57
They moved from Pittsburgh. I don't think we're going
48:59
anywhere anytime soon. So what I will say is every
49:04
time, having grown up in Pittsburgh, having intern for
49:07
the Penguins, when you play the Penguins, there's no team for me
49:10
that I'd rather beat. And I've had people, not as much
49:14
now, but in the early years say like, come on, who you're really
49:17
rooting for. And I'd say you'd be amazed at
49:19
how your allegiances change when you start working for one of
49:22
them and you're around them every day and you see the guys,
49:25
you live the wins and you live the losses.
49:27
And so again, 10-15 years ago, had no idea that I would end up
49:33
here, but couldn't be more proud to work for the national
49:35
predators and be able to participate in a medium like
49:39
this. But I think I appreciate the
49:41
question. It's a good one.
49:43
For me, I think it was I came here, I worked at News Two, I
49:46
was covering the national Predators and I think when they
49:49
went on the cup run, that was just such a magical moment,
49:51
right? We were all part of it.
49:53
It it was something that you can never replicate.
49:56
It was one of those moments that you look back on, you're like,
49:58
wow, that was so magical. And we were in it and we were
50:01
living in it at that time. And I think from that moment on,
50:03
I knew that I loved the way the organization was ran.
50:06
I loved how Sean Henry had his people so inspired to come to
50:09
work every day and want to be a part of it.
50:11
And for me, that was it. It was just I, I knew I wanted
50:15
to work for the Preds. And then Lindsay Riley welcomed
50:18
me in with open arms to be the next girl on the broadcast team.
50:20
And here we are. And now this is my second
50:22
family. Couldn't agree more.
50:25
It's it's all about the way that the team and the franchise run.
50:30
And as I said in the last segment, the Preds were founded
50:34
on loyalty and respect and community and hockey is a vessel
50:39
to get to all of that, which is really, really special and I'm
50:42
honored to be a part of it and the way I am now.
50:44
I admired it from afar before I was working with the team and
50:48
when I was working at 1025 the game, and now I'm just overjoyed
50:52
to be a part of it, honored to be in the NHL and so, so happy
50:56
that it's with the Preds. And I feel like care, this is
50:59
where I'm supposed to be. This is my family, so I'm
51:02
really, really lucky. Well said and I think Max, you
51:05
said it so eloquently earlier too, that we really are thankful
51:09
for all of you who listen. I I think jobs like this, and I
51:12
try to say this to fans when I have the opportunity, but like,
51:16
if it's not for fans, like none of this matters, right?
51:18
If if nobody is listening, if nobody is watching, nobody's
51:21
coming to games. Like what are you doing it for?
51:24
Right? So the fact that you as a
51:27
collective group in Smashville continue to show up and support
51:31
this team and again, to watch us on this podcast, I mean, it's
51:35
it's still kind of blows my mind sometimes that people are are
51:38
willing to hear what we have to say for an hour and we're just
51:42
talking hockey, which is something that we'd be doing
51:44
anyway. So we really appreciate your
51:46
listenership, your viewership, and especially at this time of
51:49
the year. I don't know about you guys.
51:50
I always get reflective. I love the holidays, I love New
51:54
Year's Eve, going into the new year and looking back on a year
51:57
that was. So again, just grateful to be
51:59
back on the pod and thanks to everyone for listening and
52:03
watching this year. Looking forward to so much more
52:05
in 2026. So thanks so much to all of you
52:09
for watching and listening for Kara Hammer and Max Herds.
52:12
I'm Brooks, Brad, and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, have
52:15
a wonderful holiday season and a great start to the new year.
52:18
We will talk to you next year in 2026.
52:23
So long.