Originally published in Eishockey News in 2008 By Lucas Aykroyd J-P Dumont is one of the NHL’s most anonymous stars. He recorded a career-best, team-leading 72 points with the Nashville Predators last season, but few hockey fans could pick him out on the street. That’s not really surprising. The talented right wing was chosen third […]

Maybe the Mexican vibe in Vancouver sent the wrong message to the Nashville Predators during their 6-2 loss to the Canucks on Thursday night. A mariachi band played rinkside to promote Tourism Mexico, and in nearby Yaletown, the Tequila Kitchen restaurant was preparing for its grand opening. But surely come April, defenseman Shea Weber and […]

Back in the 1990’s, few would have tagged Jason Arnott as prospective captain material. Those were the days when the 6-3, 220-pound forward struggled to deliver consistent performances despite his talent, and even infamously once said, “I just wasn’t that into it tonight,” after his Edmonton Oilers lost a tough one to the Winnipeg Jets. […]

Originally published in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game Program By Lucas Aykroyd Traditional Southern cooking abounds with homegrown delicacies. But for sports fans in hot, dry places, hockey is often seen as an exotic new addition to the menu. Fortunately, it hasn’t taken long for the southern United States to acquire a taste for the […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 1999 By Lucas Aykroyd Finnish country music is nothing to write home about. So it’s just as well Kimmo Timonen came to Nashville to play hockey instead of wailing ditties about the cheatin’ hearts and lil’ dogies of Helsinki. The 24-year-old native of Kuopio appears to be coming into his […]

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2004 By Lucas Aykroyd One thing you can say about Tomas Vokoun is that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind. During the first round of the NHL playoffs, the 27-year-old netminder of the Nashville Predators described the Detroit Red Wings as “arrogant” and “whiners.” Some in the media and […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Nashville is where you find hot country stars like Shania Twain, Tanya Tucker and Faith Hill. In keeping with that, Tomas Vokoun has been playing some beautiful hockey for the Predators this year. The Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic native started 15 consecutive games in goal from […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Some NHL players resort to easy clichés when assessing their personal performance: “I don’t think too much about it, just gotta put the team first, take it shift by shift.” Others, like Patric Kjellberg of the Nashville Predators, take a more straightforward, honest approach. “I don’t […]

Originally published in Rinkside in 2007 By Lucas Aykroyd Aspiring country stars come to Nashville, Tennessee to hone their musical skills and get their shot at the big time. Similarly, Kimmo Timonen has paid his dues in Music City, and now the mobile Finnish defenseman is hoping for a big pay-off in the post-season. Since […]

Originally published on EuroReport.com in 2000 By Lucas Aykroyd Few players on the Nashville Predators qualify as household names, and Karlis Skrastins isn’t one of them—yet. But since he scored his first NHL goal on 26 December against St. Louis, the 25-year-old Latvian defenseman has shown he’s ready to take a regular NHL shift. In […]