The Voice of the Predators isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Literally.
That much was made abundantly clear as Pete Weber got on the phone Tuesday to discuss the next chapter in his career, a chapter that will see the Nashville Predators broadcast legend put away his suitcase and step back from calling games on the road.
“This represents a time in my life where I am scaling back, not because I don't like what I do, but maybe because I like it so much and it will help to prolong my career,” Weber said. “I am not saying goodbye, but instead stating that I want it to last as long as it can.”
Weber’s storied NHL career has already lasted longer than most, the bulk of it spent with the same team he helped lift off the ground at 501 Broadway more than a quarter century ago.
“Whether he was calling games for them on the TV or on the radio, generations of Nashville Predators fans have grown up with Pete Weber in their lives,” Predators CEO Sean Henry said. “Parents who grew up going to Predators games are now bringing their kids, and the commonality between them has always been the Voice of the Predators. So, as an organization we could not be more supportive of Pete’s decision to step back from the road, a decision that will allow him to remain a central figure in Smashville and carry on that generational tradition for years to come.”
Entering the 2024-25 campaign with 26 seasons and 2,181 Predators games under his belt, Weber will continue his work calling all of Nashville’s home regular season and postseason contests from his perch from the 300 level of Bridgestone Arena, alongside the fans who have become as close as family over the many years and memorable moments.
“So many of them have walked up to me out in the hallway during the last few years, especially after Crispy retired telling me to please not retire,” Weber said. “I guess in a way, I kind of am, but it's only part way, and it's not a full time retirement. So, to the fans, I want to say thank you all so much for boosting my spirits up over the years, and I'm very grateful for the experiences we've had over the years.”
There’s his own immediate family to spend more time with too, though Weber isn’t sure how well his better half has taken the news.
“I don't know if Claudia is high on it,” Weber joked. “Let’s check in with her again after this season.”
Perhaps to Claudia Weber’s relief, the Voice of the Predators will still travel on occasion. After all, there are countless friends to visit on the road in the places close to Weber’s heart - Chicago, Los Angeles and Buffalo chief among them. There’s a new NHL rink to add to his list too, a list that will grow to 66 strong once Weber sets foot in Salt Lake City’s Delta Center this April.
As for the road games Weber will miss moving forward, the Predators have lined up a more than suitable successor.
ESPN 102.5 The Game’s Max Herz, who filled in for Weber on a temporary basis as the Voice of the Predators underwent surgery to remedy a normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis in January of last year, will step up to the plate once again as the new voice of Predators road hockey.
“Pete and Claudia have been so incredibly kind and welcoming to me over the past three seasons, whenever I’ve had the honor of filling in for him, and they’ve truly become two of my biggest supporters,” Herz said. “I’m overjoyed to split this season on play-by-play with Pete and am looking forward to another incredible year of Predators radio with our fans.”
In Weber’s eyes, there simply isn’t a single person more deserving of taking the mic.
“It’s been fantastic, just seeing Max work and how professional he is and how he goes after the task, which he makes look like no task at all,” Weber said. “It's exactly like me. It's something you love to do, so you just do it. And it makes me feel much, much better about passing at least half of the baton onto him without any question.”
Though the job will look different starting this year, the many stories and laughs shared on the road missed moving forward, Weber is simply eager to go full steam ahead in Smashville.
“I'm just looking forward to this season, and that was the case even before July 1,” Weber said. “I'll never forget a book report I did as a freshman in high school that was all about ‘Great Expectations.’ Well, here we go again.”
