What a year in Nashville hockey! Local hockey teams made waves at the national and international levels with winning teams in tournaments and end of season championships. It was a season of shift for the Nashville Predators, jettisoning older players, developing the younger corps of prospects with no degradation of results. On ice, despite the way the season ended, you can look back and call this a successful season.

Off the ice you could call this the franchise’s most successful season, the highest attendance numbers average per game (16,690) , the highest capacity achievement (97.5% of arena capacity), most sellouts in a season (25), all playoff games sold out… and now, word comes out of some simply astounding increases in television ratings across Middle Tennessee.

TV ratings have been growing in Nashville for the last few seasons, there was a 25% jump in the 2010/11 season over 2009/10… that’s pretty good no matter where you are, however, the 40% increase in this year’s ratings over last season is really amazing. Given that the number of games on television continues to grow, this year 68 games were telecast including all away games for the first time in franchise history, expect this trend to continue.

Kudos to the Predators broadcast team led by the Senior Director, Broadcasting Bob Kohl who has done an amazing job… the production quality continues to go up and it is being rewarded. Credit also needs to be given to the Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Color Analyst Terry Crisp, both have simply become Nashville institutions and are identified closely as a key connection between the team and their fans. Most new Nashville hockey fans have learned the game through their entertaining banter and deep knowledge.

The expansion of broadcasts to Memphis, Knoxville and Atlanta are more signs of growth as improved ratings were noted in these markets as well… the outreach to former Thrasher fans showed great success as well. As the disappointment fades from the second round loss, you can start looking for positives, this is a big one for the long term success of this team.

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Ron’s Diabetic Assist Dog Update

As 7am this morning, pledges stand at $6,000. We are 75% to goal… Pred Nation has been awesome in this… please keep spreading the word.

Social media is driving this effort, and the generosity has been amazing! Click on the link to contribute.

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Random Notes…

- Pekka Rinne has made the round of eight in the NHL 13 cover vote contest… it is a tall order for Rinne as he is up against Henrik Lundqvist in the next round. Voting begins on Friday.

- Parents, mark your calendars for May 22nd. That is the next registration date for the Nashville Predators very popular G.O.A.L. program, a free beginner hockey program designed for 5-8 year olds with no prior hockey experience. Check out the Preds website for more details.

- I will be very curious about ice conditions at Staples Center this weekend. Four basketball games and two hockey games in the same building between May 17 and May 20…

- The New Jersey Devils may look back on last night as a golden opportunity blown. The Rangers had no legs and the Devils could not take advantage.

- It will be interesting to see how Phoenix reacts tonight after being dismantled in game one. I do expect a better effort... but LA is proving to be awesome on the road.

- A change in the TV broadcast team for the Minnesota Wild is causing some uproar among the Wild faithful. Dan Terhaar’s contract was not renewed. This could get interesting…

- The Memorial Cup is getting ready to crank it up and a couple of high-profile Predator prospects seem to be right in the thick of it. Charles-Olivier Roussel of the Saint John Sea Dogs and Austin Watson of the London Knights will figure prominently. The tournament starts Thursday and is being hosted in Shawinigan, Quebec.

- You may want to set your DVR… Mike Fisher will be appearing with Carrie Underwood on “Oprah’s Next Chapter this Saturday night at 8pm CDT. The show is on OWN.

- Only one night without hockey this week… both conference finals are dark on Friday.

- The Washington Capitals have let it be known that Alexander Semin and Tomas Vokoun will not be back with the team next season.

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On the next SlapShot Radio

This week’s show is taking shape, we will be talking to hockey reporter Howard Berger and much more as guests confirm… please tune in at 6pm Wednesday on 102.5 the Game.

Click here to download or listen to our current or previous podcasts.

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