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Living In Nashville
by IwoCPO on 04/10/08 at 01:21 PM ET
Comments (28)
So many fascinating human interest stories following Bubba’s rags to riches to rags back to riches and eventual return to rags story this year. Every one of them brings a tear to your eye.
Almost lost their team, then the Ekspurts saved it. Cracker Barrell closed due to plumbing problems, but re-opened two days later in time for the NASCAR qualifier. Out of the playoff “chase”, then in, out, then right back into it and ready to hit that first round again.
So many stories. But none compare to this.
Members of the Predators organization acknowledged Tuesday that goaltender Dan Ellis has been residing in the net since signing as a free agent last June.
Predators coach Barry Trotz said he had no intention of asking Ellis to move out of the net, considering the goalie led the NHL in save percentage with .991, stopped 177 of 182 shots in the final five games, and had six shutouts on days when the team skipped warm-up slap-shot drills in order to let him sleep in.
According to team sources, the netminder’s housing situation created a great deal of curiosity amongst the Predators, prompting the intensely private Ellis to hang long curtains along the crossbar of goal frame. In addition to protecting Ellis’ belongings from thieves, the drapes also provide the goaltender, who played 2,228 minutes this season, with a way to occasionally of seclude himself from the 17,000 fans in attendance.
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Comments
I think I had a college friend who’s dorm room looked exactly like that.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 04/10/08 at 01:26 PM ET
I guarantee you one thing, if it weren’t for all the transplants (hi Terry Frei, you p***y) Nashville wouldn’t even have a hockey team. I’ll argue that point until the day I die. No Saturn, no Detroit fans. No Detroit fans, No Predators. Simple as that. Let any ‘Turds fan that wants to come and talk to me about that!! Dammit!!
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 01:38 PM ET
Absolutely hilarious, especially the last part about Ellis not being able to find a comparable apartment in Nashville.
But what really made me laugh was the ad on the right for the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs” showing the host with one of his “co-stars” from the pig-slopping episode. Nothing like knowing your target market.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 04/10/08 at 02:04 PM ET
Chris in Columbia, why so full of angst? Have we wronged you? Are you an old bitter Wings fan and you miss the beautiful state of Michigan? As you well know, you are welcome to leave the state at any time. Bye.
Posted by PredNeck from Hicktown on 04/10/08 at 02:09 PM ET
Chris in Columbia, why so full of angst? Have we wronged you? Are you an old bitter Wings fan and you miss the beautiful state of Michigan? As you well know, you are welcome to leave the state at any time. Bye.
To say I’m looking forward to Chris’ response would be putting it mildly.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 04/10/08 at 02:11 PM ET
PredNeck, if I could find a job in this s**t-hole state that paid worth a damn, I WOULD LEAVE. No, no one has wronged me, and yes, I do miss Michigan. I love it there, and I plan to go back as soon as I can. But until then just know that you owe all of us from Michigan, New York, or anywhere else that truly knows the game a giant “Thank You” for us giving you your team.
You’re f**king welcome!!
I’m not full of angst, just simply stating the truth. Like 10 straight years of the Wings finishing ahead of Nashville in the standings. 10 straight years of winning the season series (yes, we won this year’s series too). 2 Stanley Cups won since you asses have been around. Oh, and let’s not forget, a playoff series win head-to-head. So no, no angst here.
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 02:17 PM ET
Wow...Chris you are an idiot and all the more reason I am glad that I am no longer a Wings fan.
Take a look at my blog and see what you miss by living here in Tennessee.
Do we owe Red Wing fans anything? Yes...four sell outs a year and couple thousand loud and obnoxious fans at them.
Posted by PredJoe from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 02:26 PM ET
Chris,
Um. Yeah. All that is true.
It would be stupid to argue that the Preds haven’t benefited from having a built-in hockey fan base.
It’s also stupid to have an argument with yourself and bluster about it when i don’t think anyone said anything to the contrary.
I am a little confused how you can argue that the Preds are here because there is an established hockey fan-base (thanks to Detroit/Saturn/the Wings), yet say we shouldn’t have a hockey team because there aren’t enough fans here.
Do we owe you because you give the team life (which i think is true), or is the team dead?
For the record, thanks. 
Posted by Paul Nicholson from Nashville, TN on 04/10/08 at 02:30 PM ET
I never said that there shouldn’t be a team here. I said that there WOULDN’T be a team here if not for the influx of fans from Michigan (Wings fans), New York (Rangers fans) and other places north of the Mason-Dixon line (go ahead, look it up). Honestly, I don’t want any thanks from any of you people here. Even when, that’s right, when the Predators fold, I’ll still have my satellite t.v. and my Wings.
Predjoe, you need to just go back to Eklund’s site and preach to those retards there. That’s right, I know where you came from, traitor!!
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 02:39 PM ET
Predjoe, you need to just go back to Eklund’s site and preach to those retards there. That’s right, I know where you came from, traitor!!
Huh? Care to clarify? How does posting on Eklund’s site make me a traitor?
Posted by PredJoe from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 02:43 PM ET
Predjoe,
I don’t know wtf you think is wrong with the first picture. Maybe it’s just me, but fellas speak up if you disagree. That looks like it beats the hell out of line dancing! The second shot could be any number of streets in Nashville too. I think we all get the point you were trying to make and, hopefully, you got that the stereotypical pictures posted here were made mostly in jest. Some of them. There are walking steretypes in both MI and TN. And Chris was expressing a frustration that is valid, as well as his disappointment that there are no detroit dance parties down here. For all the bitching in Nashville about Wings fans *#$%@& up your perfect sommet atmosphere, the built in fanbase helped bring the team here. And the big markets, through profit sharing, continue to keep the preds aloft. That’s all he was saying, period. Can you dispute that the larger markets did not pay for the previous year’s team? Or that Papa Bettman will be cutting them a big check this year?
Also, not a lot of people here are fans of Eklund. I’m sure if you’ve followed his ‘rumors’ you would know why.
Posted by AndrewB from TN on 04/10/08 at 02:53 PM ET
...but re-opened two days later in time for the NASCAR qualifier
Posted by O-Joe on 04/10/08 at 02:58 PM ET
I think we all get the point you were trying to make and, hopefully, you got that the stereotypical pictures posted here were made mostly in jest. Some of them. There are walking steretypes in both MI and TN.
You are correct but I tire of Red Wing fans constantly looking down on us like we are a bunch of inbreds.
For all the bitching in Nashville about Wings fans *#$%@& up your perfect sommet atmosphere, the built in fanbase helped bring the team here. And the big markets, through profit sharing, continue to keep the preds aloft. That’s all he was saying, period. Can you dispute that the larger markets did not pay for the previous year’s team? Or that Papa Bettman will be cutting them a big check this year?
I think Wings fans would love to back to the ‘Original Six’ hockey model and totally take this league to a state of non-relevance.
Oh...and by the way...I hear there are still about 3k in tickets for tonights game in HOCKEYTOWN. Wow...they must love their hockey up there.
Posted by PredJoe from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 03:17 PM ET
It’s pretty obvious that Michigan is a better hockey state than Nashville, and as such, a little arrogance isn’t too off base.
But to those Wing-fan brethern of mine that are hinting at picking a fight about how trashy Nashville is? Please. Just stop. After all, we are represented by Detroit.
Posted by Nathan on 04/10/08 at 03:27 PM ET
Pred Joe,
Please post some pictures of Nashville and the surrounding cities. What I’m looking for is some in depth photos of the various meth labs/addicts from the meth capital of the US. You want to point out the flaws of the city of Detroit, as if that is going to discourage the Red Wing Nation. There was a very good article written about Detroit on the eve of XL as well as the reaction people had stating that they enjoyed themselves more than Miami. Detroit has what, 6 times the population of Nashville? More people=bigger problems. May I ask what lead you to forget the Wings and forge ahead as a Pred faithful? Please don’t say it’s the fans, I’ve witnessed plenty of the Bubba faithful cursing and throwing things, at women nonetheless.
Posted by D town in Bubbaville on 04/10/08 at 03:28 PM ET
Predjoe, posting on Eklund’s site doesn’t make you a traitor, although it probably makes you the smartest blogger on that site. What makes you a traitor is the fact that you “used to be” from Michigan, and you “used to be” a Wings fan. I’ve seen you post this fact myself. There is no “used to be” with being a Wings fan. If you really were a Wings fan at some point in time, you still would be, regardless of your current geograpical location. So now, to you the Red Wings are the “Hated Red Wings” just because you live in Tennessee now? In my eyes there’s something wrong with that. You can root for whoever you want, but I think that changing sports allegiances just because you move is ridiculous. So THAT, to me, makes you a traitor, and deserving of any ridicule you WILL endure here.
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 03:33 PM ET
I disagree, most Wings fans would not like to go back to the Original Six days. I think the old timers have fond memories of those days, but I don’t think they’d go back. As far as taking the league to a ‘state of nonrelevance’ the league is doing a good enough job of that as it is. I appreciate the parting jab, as I’m sure we all do, but you can not argue Wings fans up north don’t love their hockey. Call it recession, call it whatever you want, people who live there aren’t going in droves anymore. Can’t deny it, but there are still more Wings fans in one county than there are Preds fans in the entire state of TN. And the inbred thing? I live in TN and while there are things I love about the state, we got inbred yokels, dude. Develop some thicker skin and enjoy the playoffs.
Posted by AndrewB from TN on 04/10/08 at 03:33 PM ET
Posted by O-Joe on 04/10/08 at 03:34 PM ET
Couldn’t agree more with Chirs and Dtown. Sniffle, sniffle-’hated wings’ fans in tn got to stick together on these boards.
Posted by AndrewB from TN on 04/10/08 at 03:39 PM ET
The guy on the right in that picture works with me, O-Joe. LMFAO!!
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 03:43 PM ET
What makes you a traitor is the fact that you “used to be” from Michigan, and you “used to be” a Wings fan. I’ve seen you post this fact myself. There is no “used to be” with being a Wings fan. If you really were a Wings fan at some point in time, you still would be, regardless of your current geograpical location...You can root for whoever you want, but I think that changing sports allegiances just because you move is ridiculous. So THAT, to me, makes you a traitor, and deserving of any ridicule you WILL endure here.
Let me tell you where my allegiance to the Wings went. When the Preds began I was one of the Pred-Wing fans...loving both teams but rooting for the Wings when they came to town. Over time I grew to love the way the early version of the Preds played...lots of grit, a ton of energy and 100% effort each night. That love of the style of play coupled with the tons of arrogant Red Wing fans that would flood the then GEC to see them play soured me towards the Winged Wheel. At a certain point the team that I was able to watch in person 41 games a year and on TV locally became my team.
Let me say this...I know that all Wing fans are not loud and obnoxious. Many are probably like me...they sit quietly and enjoy the game yelling at the refs and cheering your team on. Even today while at Best Buy (yes we have electronics stores here in Tennessee...we call them ‘stores of the future!’)a Michigander stopped and said ‘ugly jersey.’ Seriously...would I EVER tell someone in their own hometown that the jersey of their local team is ugly? I wouldn’t do that in Motown, San Jose, Toronto or Atlanta.
Let’s put all this behind us and just look forward to some great hockey. Regardless who wins I hope it’s an exciting series!
Posted by PredJoe from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 04:05 PM ET
Predjoe, your “truce” is accepted lol. I love this time of year and all that it brings out in all of us. I love Best Buy by the way.
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 04:09 PM ET
Even if there were 3000 tickets left, that would still be more than what a Predators game draws on a regular night. If there is a sellout at Sommet for Game 3 and 4, its partially because of the Wing fans who are coming down for the games. I’m not going to call anyone a name, but Eklund is a joke and why people pay him in exchange for made up rumors (Ovechkin to Nashville for one) is beyond me.
Posted by Yzerman19 from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 04:11 PM ET
Lets stop with the “Wing fans are bad” routine. The Predator fans are just as bad, or even worse. I’ve been hit with beer bottles, spit on, just because im a god da** redwings fan. I expect to catch hell going into the enemy rink wearing my wings stuff, but these people go beyond the line. It would be nice if most of them would actually watch a game from the Eastern Conference, or just ANY game that the Predators arent involved in. Last week I was told that Tootoo was the equal of Draper, and Weber was better than Lidstrom. Still looking for Tootoo’s Selke.
Posted by Yzerman19 from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 04:23 PM ET
I love Best Buy by the way.
It wasn’t you was it?
Posted by PredJoe from Nashville on 04/10/08 at 04:29 PM ET
No, Predjoe, wasn’t me. I’ve been at work all day, how do you think I have all this extra time to spend on this site lol.
Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 04:43 PM ET
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Posted by Chris from Columbia, Tennessee on 04/10/08 at 12:30 PM ET