Nashville Predators Foundation Celebrates 25 Years with Annual Weekend of Giving

The Nashville Predators Foundation empowered by SmileDirectClub raised more than $200,000 and welcomed roughly 1,500 participants to four of its largest annual fundraising events over the weekend.

The Foundation’s “Weekend of Giving” included the Nashville Predators Fishing Tournament sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and the Filip Forsberg Hockey Clinic presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee on Sept. 9, the First Horizon Petey’s Preds Party on Sept. 10 and the First Horizon Brent Peterson Golf Classic on Sept. 11.

"The Foundation looks forward to launching a new season with these four events that attract and connect different parts of our community, from those that fish to young hockey players to golfers and those that have been impacted by Parkinson's Disease, all with a goal of having fun sharing time while raising important resources for two great causes--the Predators Foundation and Peterson Foundation for Parkinson's,” said Predators Vice President of Community Relations Rebecca King. “We celebrate an amazing 25 years of Foundation impact in our community and look forward to helping even more people and organizations in the next 25 years."

Nashville Predators Fishing Tournament sponsored by Bass Pro Shops

The weekend commenced with the 7th Annual Nashville Predators Fishing Tournament sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, benefiting the Preds Foundation.Over 40 boats, composed of two-person teams, enjoyed a pre-tournament dinner at Bass Pro Shops at Opry Mills on Friday, where they had the opportunity to mix and mingle with pro anglers Mike McClelland and David Walker, as well as bid on time to fish alongside the three the following morning through the Fishing with the Pros auction.

The tournament kicked off early Saturday morning at Old Hickory Lake, with teams competing to reel in the highest combined catch weight by day’s end; this year’s tournament winners, Terry Campbell and Ron Perry, brought in over 13 pounds of fish and took home a $2,200 prize.

Preds forwards and avid fishermen Cole Smith and Yakov Trenin even joined in on the fun, along with Broadcaster and Preds alum Hal Gill, to help raise money for the Preds Foundation while enjoying one of their favorite pastimes.

“It was a fun experience,” Smith said. “Fishing is something that I grew up doing, so it’s always fun to get involved in stuff that you like to do and give back to the community in that way. I know it’s a big weekend for us for fundraising, so anything that we can do to give back is very important; being able to do it through something I enjoy is pretty fun.”

Filip Forsberg Youth Hockey Clinic presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee

While Smith and Trenin were hitting the water, some of their Preds teammates were hitting the ice at Ford Ice Center Bellevue for the annual Filip Forsberg Youth Hockey Clinic presented by Delta Dental on Saturday. Forsberg and the Preds Foundation partnered up to host the annual event to connect with the community and grow the game of hockey in Middle Tennessee, providing 100 local youth hockey players the opportunity to sharpen their skills and learn from the very best.

The event was geared toward recreational, intermediate and advanced Mite, Squirt, Peewee and Bantam skaters and goaltenders ages 7 to 14, and players were grouped by ability to enhance their learning environment. The clinic focused on skill stations and small-area games in a fun environment as supported through a set of guidelines designed specifically to help kids reach their full potential through the USA Hockey American Development Model.

Coach Forsberg enlisted the help of Preds teammates Cody Glass and Tommy Novak, who taught skills alongside instructors from the Ford Ice Center and Preds Amateur Hockey Development staff. In addition to on-ice instruction, the event also featured a Hunt Brothers® Pizza Party, an autograph and Q&A session, and photo opportunities with Forsberg.

“[The clinic] just keeps getting better and better,” Forsberg said. “These Ford Ice Centers have been great for hockey in general. They’re really nice facilities, and it gets all the kids out here skating. The staff working here are unbelievable at teaching the kids to play hockey, and it’s been really cool to just be a small part… Being able to brighten a day for a kid is pretty awesome.”

First Horizon Petey’s Preds Party

Saturday’s events were followed by the 12th annual First Horizon Petey's Preds Party Sunday at Bridgestone Arena, where over 800 guests enjoyed happy hour, dinner and photo ops with players as they bid on rare hockey items up for auction and enjoyed a performance from nationally acclaimed comedian Jon Reep. Live auction included a road trip for two to the Preds game in New York.

Petey’s Preds Party is one of two annual events benefiting both the Nashville Predators Foundation and the Peterson Foundation for Parkinson's (PFP). Brent Peterson, who coached with the Predators from 1998 until he was forced to retire due to the advancement of Parkinson's Disease in 2011, founded PFP in 2009 with a mission to support and enhance lives of people with Parkinson's, their care partners and families to achieve their highest possible quality of life through awareness, education and programs within a caring community. He is still heavily involved with the Predators organization to this day.

This year’s programming was highlighted by a video tribute celebrating 25 years of the Preds Foundation and a panel discussion featuring Larry Playfair, Peterson’s former teammate with the Buffalo Sabres and Portland Winterhawks who is also battling Parkinson’s; Rip Simonick, former Sabres Equipment Manager; Preds Assistant GM and Director of Player Development Scott Nichol, one of Peterson’s former players in Portland; and Peterson himself.

First Horizon Brent Peterson Golf Classic

The next morning, Preds players, alumni, executives and local celebrities hit the links at the Brent Peterson Golf Classic. Hosted at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, the annual golf tournament benefiting the Preds Foundation and the PFP paired participating foursomes with one of the Preds special guests as they competed in a scramble tournament - 25 teams in the morning and 25 teams in the afternoon.

The golf tournament, which included several individual competitions, such as the longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests, is considered by fans and players alike to be an unofficial kickoff to the hockey season. It  works in tandem with Petey’s Preds Party to benefit both the Preds Foundation and PFP.

“It’s great getting the community together,” said Novak, who played in the Golf Classic along with several of his Preds teammates. “All the players coming together to support a good cause is a really great thing, and we love being able to interact with the fans at events like this.”

For more information on the Nashville Predators Foundation, click here.

For more information on the Peterson’s Foundation for Parkinson’s, click here.