This I Used to Believe: Part 1 – This is OUR Time!

Introduction

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Let me take you back.... The date is December 22, 2009.  Christmas is right around the corner; cheer and merriment abound.  If you are a Nashville Sports fan, life is pretty good.  The Titans have righted the ship to make their season respectable... and the Predators. 

Oh, those Predators.  Fresh off of winning streaks of 7-0-0 and 6-0-1, the Preds could do no wrong.    The national media was calling our praise in the weekly power rankings, which had us as high as 5^th.  ESPN’s Scott Burnside praised the following:

“No money? No problem. The best story in hockey continues to amaze after a statement win in Calgary on Saturday. We bow to you, Coach Trotz.”

Life was good.  Very good.  PredNation cheered as a four year old proclaimed: This is OUR Time!

New Year, New You

As we closed on the first decade of the new millennium, something changed in PredNation.  This change was not for the better.  Outside of the confines of the Sommet Center Nashville Arena? Sommet Center* Bridgestone Something? Sommet Center? Bridgestone Arena, the Predators fortunes had turned. 

We had some positive stretches here and there, but a devastating 5 game losing streak at the end of January dropped the Predators from 5^th in the power rankings to 16^th, in two short weeks.  We spent February trading blows, wins, and losses with opponents, but were never able to get on a streak.

The snows came... and went.   The trade deadline came... and went.  The Predators needed scoring, and found none.  The Predators found themselves in a familiar position... fighting for a final playoff spot.  Collectively PredNation thought, “I’ve seen this movie... and I know how it ends.”  Humbled and seemingly forced into playing a one-and-done type-cast role, many in PredNation slumped their shoulders, sank their head and resigned to a familiar fact, “This... this is our time.”

If Winter Comes, Can Spring be Far Behind?

March 8, 2010 marked, IMHO, the first spring day.   How can life be bad when it is that nice outside?  Will it mark the change in our hockey fortunes as well? Only time will tell.

The Predators need a winning streak.  Whatever the magic was that driving the Predators ship at the beginning of the year (scoring by those who are paid to score goals, strong play from every line, truly solid goaltending) needs to return to form.  I’m not sure what the answer is, but I know that it starts in Atlanta tonight.  There are not enough games left to waste, or give away like Sunday.  For the Predators to make the playoffs, let alone get in a position to move past the first round, the winning ways need to return, now.

Put Simply: It’s Time.