The father and son participated in drills with the Predators and got to hang out in the locker room afterward.
"The funniest part is coming off the ice and signing a bunch of autographs," Bentley said. "It's like Predators fantasy camp day for me. It's a chance to skate with the guys and then sign autographs wearing a Predators jersey. I feel there's something really wrong about that. If you've seen me skate, you know that's really not a good thing. It was really fun, man."
A special bond between the Predators and the country music community was formed during Nashville's run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Several country music stars, including Bentley, sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before playoff games at Bridgestone Arena. There also were concerts in the area surrounding Bridgestone Arena before Stanley Cup Final games.
"Last year I just watched other fellow country singers come out of the woodwork that had never even been to a game before," Bentley said. "And then at the end there, I remember seeing Brad Paisley. It was amazing, just all-in right away with the hat on and his jersey. Everyone is just so excited."
The Predators, who lead the Western Conference and Central Division with 111 points, have clinched a playoff berth and home-ice advantage in the first round. In last season's playoffs, the Predators were the second wild card in the West and did not have home-ice advantage in any of the four series they played.
"It's like now is the time to jump on the bandwagon and be a part of this experience because it'll probably be a great team for years to come, but right now it's the most fun because the city feels so new in a lot of ways," Bentley said. "There's just so much happening. New buildings and new people moving here all the time, and to have that all coincide with these guys not just going to the playoffs but being the Stanley Cup, probably, favorite this year. It's going to be fun to watch downtown transform into the spring and the sea of gold down there. It's going to be awesome."
Bentley has played in adult hockey leagues in Nashville for years but gained an appreciation for the work that goes on behind the scenes in the NHL.
"It reminds me a lot of the music industry where people see our show for an hour and a half every night and think that's the main thing," Bentley said. "It's about 10 percent of what we do as a band. The crew, the road, the atmosphere backstage, the hang, they've got a pingpong table back here and we've got a pingpong table backstage at our place. There's so much that goes on behind the scenes other than just the game or just the concert."
