The team was named after the fossil of a saber-tooth cat that was found in the city in 1971 at the site of the AmSouth Center. The Predators play their home games at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Their team colors are Silver, Navy Blue, Light Blue and Gold. The team is owned by Craig Leipold. The general manager is David Poile and head coach is Barry Trotz.

The First Few Years

The Predators played their first game on October 10, 1998, at home where they lost 1-0 to the Florida Panthers. After three days, the Predators had their first win when they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. The first few years they were almost at the bottom of the Western Conference. In December 2001, they had their hundredth win as a franchise. In 2002, Head Coach Barry Trotz broke the record for coaching the most number of games, as the original coach of an expansion team with 392 games. The team stood fourteenth in the conference that season.

The Playoffs and Some Records

The Predators made their first playoffs in 2003, under Barry Trotz. They lost in the quarterfinals to the Detroit Red Wings. The 2005 season saw a few more records. The team set a record by winning the first four games of the season by one goal each. They were also the fourth NHL team to start a season 8-0. In 2006, Chris Mason became the ninth goaltender in the NHL to score a goal in a game against the Phoenix Coyotes. That was the first 100-point season for the Predators, as they got 106 points. They made the playoffs for the second time in team history that year. They lost to the San Jose Sharks in the quarterfinals though. They finished the season with 100 points. In the 2006-07 season, they acquired Jason Arnott and Peter Forsberg. In the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Predators suffered the same fate as the earlier year, by losing to the Sharks in the quarterfinals again. Owner Craig Leipold considered selling the team, which would mean its relocation but a local group has the right to negotiate to buy the team and keep it in Nashville.

Jason Arnott was made the team captain of the Predators for the 2007 season. They do not have any player in the Hockey Hall of Fame and neither have they retired any jersey numbers. The number 99 of Wayne Gretzky was retired throughout the league.