NHL's Chief Content Officer Previews NHL Stadium Series Game in Nashville

The Tennessee Titans logo was being painted onto the field at Nissan Stadium on Wednesday afternoon as Steve Mayer looked on from the club level high above the turf.
The NHL's chief content officer wasn't imagining next week's NFL postseason contest on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville, however. Instead, Mayer had a different vision in his head - one that includes a hockey rink, stages and neon to mimic the lights of Broadway.
In just over six weeks' time, Mayer's concept will become reality as the Nashville Predators host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series, the first outdoor NHL game in Tennessee's history.

In town for meetings and walkthroughs at the venue the Preds will temporarily call their home for a practice on Feb. 25 before the game arrives one evening later - perhaps the most anticipated Saturday night in Smashville in franchise history - Mayer, who puts the outdoor spectacles for the League all over the continent, knows there's nothing quite like a party in Nashville.
And while two points in the standings will still be on the line, make no mistake - the final weekend in February will be unlike any celebration the Music City has seen before.
"We're really looking forward to creating what we think will be one of the most incredible outdoor game experiences that we've ever created at the League," Mayer said. "There's a lot of big plans that we have, and we're really looking forward to this one."

Over the past few seasons, the consensus around these parts essentially morphed into not a matter of if - but when - the Predators would host an outdoor game not far from their traditional home inside Bridgestone Arena. Two years earlier, Nashville's fanbase traveled in droves - 20,000 strong - to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas as the Preds faced the Stars in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic.
That showing, combined with the 2016 NHL All-Star Weekend in Nashville and the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, confirmed again and again the League wanted - and needed - to come back again sooner than later.
Now, in less than two months, a city known for putting on a show will do so with its favorite sons as the leading act.
"Nashville just lends itself to big events, and there's been so many great events that have taken place in the city - and for us, that's a challenge," Mayer said. "How do we do something that the fans here, the people here, leave and go, 'Wow, that was unbelievable.' We're ready for that… We've got some big plans, and there's so much more to do in the next few weeks as we prepare. But we're ready and I do think the challenge of being here in Nashville is actually not a challenge. It's actually welcomed because it just will lead to what we think will be a bigger and better event."
Just as there were pig races in Dallas or cabins and firepits sharing space with the rink in Minneapolis during the 2022 Winter Classic two weeks ago, one of the goals is to make the experience unique to the host city. Music is an obvious tie-in here in Nashville, and the event's logo - made to look like the neon sign of a honky tonk, will only be amplified inside Nissan Stadium with a puck drop after dark.
Of course, Mayer wasn't interested in giving too much away when it comes to the look and feel of the experience, but as he calls it, this "bucket-list" event is not to be missed.
"Remember, these are global games - these are shown all over the world - so this is a chance for Nashville to shine, and it's our job to help Nashville do that," Mayer said. "When we get feedback, sort of after the event, like, 'Wow, that was awesome. Thank you, that was cool, you really showed off the city,' That means a lot to us… The game, the field, the look, everything will be completely different than ever before]. And that's why this is fun for us."
To hear more from Mayer on preparations for the Stadium Series, listen to Episode 157 of the Preds Official Podcast.
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