Nashville Live

ROAD TRIP | Preds lose in shootout, get shutout 

The real purpose of the trip earlier this week was business, but I was able to sandwich the newspaper stuff in between a couple of much more enjoyable treats: a pair of Nashville Predators hockey games.

It’s the fourth straight season I’ve hit the road to see former Carolina Hurricane Martin Gelinas (above right, #23), who plays for the Predators. Nashville lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout Sunday night but won 3-0 Tuesday over the Calgary Flames behind Chris Mason’s shutout and great energy from the Predators, including Marty, who had five shots on goal and an assist. It was a great trip and always a pleasure to spend time around Marty and his wonderful wife, Jane, and their kids, plus Jane’s mom, Judy, who was visiting from Calgary. Judy’s a real hoot and she knows as much about hockey as anyone; in fact, her brother-in-law, Bill Hay, is chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Nashville is music city, of course, and the Predators organization does in-game entertainment right, with local singing sensations doing the anthems before the games and signed bands performing during intermission. The team – like the Hurricanes, in their 10th season – has struggled with attendance and ownership issues, but they put on a good show. They’ve struggled a bit in the standings this year as well, but they’ve got a lot of talent and, like the Canes, if goaltending is good, they’ve got a great chance to make the playoffs.

Marty’s in his 19th NHL season, which is extremely rare. Fewer than 60 NHL players in the league’s history have played more than his 1,250 (and counting) career NHL games, and if he stays healthy he’ll be in the top 50 by the end of this season. He’s got a one-year contract with Nashville but hopefully can extend that and finish his career there.

Nashville doesn’t play in Carolina this season, so I’m planning a return trip with some family members for later in the year just in case this is Marty’s last year. Hopefully, it won’t be…

Lotta Buck for That Puck

CROSBY’S SHOOTOUT PUCK | Yours for $7,505

The auction is over now, and you won’t believe the price.

Someone paid $7,505 on the NHL Auctions site on Thursday night for this little piece of history: the puck Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby scored with in the shootout to win this year’s “Winter Classic.”

Here’s the description of the puck from the auction site:

One thrilling shootout. One storybook finish. One historic puck.

This is the actual puck, the only puck, used throughout the shootout that decided the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic, in front of the largest crowd in NHL history, 71,217.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby fired this puck between Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller’s pads for the winning goal in the Penguins’ 2-1 shootout victory over the Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

All six shootout attempts were taken with this puck:

Ales Kotalik snapped a wrist shot past goalie Ty Conklin, giving the Sabres a 1-0 shootout lead.
Erik Christensen fired a wrist shot wide of Miller’s net.
Tim Connolly was stopped by Conklin.
Kris Letang slipped a backhander past Miller, tying the shootout 1-1.
Maxim Afinogenov’s backhander was stopped by Conklin.
Crosby snapped a wrist shot behind Miller, giving the Penguins the 2-1 shootout victory.

This 2008 Winter Classic Goal Puck is registered into The MeiGrade System as No. 131585.

The three goal pucks from the Winter Classic, and eight game-used pucks, were all handed directly from the ice by an on-ice official, to an off-ice official or an NHL-MGG Authentication Program director during or after the game. Every puck was immediately authenticated, identified and secured by an NHL-MGG Authentication Program director.

The pucks used in the Winter Classic all featured the unique Winter Classic logo for this game only.

Paula’s Peter Falk-her Stalker

If you’re an American Idol fan – and like me especially like the bad tryouts – you have to see this. It’s the creepiest of the creepy tryout videos but hilarious…it’s not for the faint of heart…