Debacle, then instead of a U2 concert, hard work. Predators raise their heads after cancelled trip to Vegas

We know it more from the movies, as today’s times are a bit more benevolent. First the hard work, the results and then the fun. The Nashville Predators, after a week off forced by the All-Star Game, got back on the NHL merry-go-round on the wrong foot. So a strong message came from the organization’s management. Instead of a trip to Vegas for a U2 concert, a hard practice followed.

Quite an interesting story has been written in recent days by one team in the NHL. The Nashville Predators are dancing on the edge of making the playoffs late in the regular season, each game potentially fatal for them towards the end of the season.

At the end of January, the Predators weren’t having the best of times. Ten days off for the All-Star Game came in handy. But Nashville didn’t return to the game in an ideal frame of mind. They managed to get two points against Arizona in overtime, but then came two more home defeats.

The peak of the miserable season came in the home game against Dallas, when the Predators fell 2: 9. Even more than the result, the Nashville players were blamed for their performance on the ice. Is this how you fight for the playoffs? No way, they all knew. Including head coach Andrew Brunette.

Instead of a fun practice for Predators

The Nashville coach was not spared from criticism in his post-game press conference. He made it clear that this team has no interest in playing in the playoffs. “We’re having trouble focusing on hockey. Our minds have to be on hockey, and that can’t be on our vacation,” Brunette was quoted by The Tennessean website. “In the last three games, that hasn’t been us,” he added.

At the time, few realized what kind of vacation the coach had in mind. At first, it appeared he was alluding to the long layoff during the All-Star Game. But now it’s known what the country town boss had in mind.

Nashville was scheduled to leave in a few days for a long road trip that included a stop in Las Vegas. However, the team was scheduled to leave for Sin City a little early to attend a big U2 concert. There’s nothing unusual about this kind of “cab-stuffing,” after all.

But Andrew Brunett, along with general manager Barry Trotz, cancelled the early trip to Vegas. After a tough debacle, instead of fun, it was a tough practice. This momentum should have initiated a clear message towards the players, but also the fans, that the current situation is not a free for all.

The result? Quite convincing. The Predators have won five games in a row at their opponents’ stadiums without losing a single point. All games won in regulation time. That puts them back in the playoffs. The old school still seems to be working.

Source: NHL, The Tennessean