The Man Behind the Camera: John Russell Reflects on 25 Years Capturing Smashville History

As Roman Josi stashed the overtime-winner into the net to seal Nashville’s come-from-behind victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, behind the glass just a feet away, another Predators legend was hard at work.

It’s from that same spot - beneath the iconic Pred Head and to the left of Juuse Saros’ net - that Day One Predators photographer John Russell has immortalized virtually every moment in Smashville history - Tuesday’s thrilling overtime win included.

Of course, much like Nashville’s captain, Russell prefers to stay out of the spotlight, opting to employ a quiet modesty whenever possible.

“If you looked at my stuff early on, you'd be thinking, ‘What is this guy doing shooting hockey,’ because I was kind of new to it,” Russell said. “Bill Wippert is the team photographer with the Buffalo Sabres, and he's been doing it for something like 40 years. I shot a few games with him when I interned at the newspaper, because he worked there as well, and I learned a lot from him. But coming here and being the team photographer, I had no clue what I was doing other than just trying to take really good pictures.”

With a quarter century of Smashville memories captured by the opening and closing of his shutter, Russell has certainly succeeded in his original quest.

Curated below are some of Russell’s favorite photographs - some more recognizable franchise moments than others - with commentary on each from the photographer himself.

Note: Click the full screen button in the lower right corner of each gallery to view the original uncropped images.

Welcome to Smashville

Like all Day One Predators employees, the fun for Russell didn’t officially begin until Oct. 10, 1998.

“For the first game, I just remember the excitement, the energy in the arena,” Russell said. “And I was nervous, I’d never shot an opening night. There's so many things going on, like the red carpet walk, and I was just not wanting to miss anything and trying to capture everything. So, it was just a lot of excitement.”

Of course, in 1998 the modern conveniences afforded by digital cameras and instantaneous editing technologies simply didn’t exist.

“It was all film back then,” Russell said. “We were shooting slide film at the games. We were using strobes with 100 ISO slide film, which is very unforgiving with exposures. You have to be right on. During the game, I'd shoot 10 to 12 rolls, which each have 36 exposures, then after the game I would drive about a half mile south of here to a place called Chromatics. They'd have a deposit box, I’d put the film in a Ziploc bag, drop it in there, and they'd be ready the next afternoon. They'd put them in the little slide sheets, and I'd go pick them up and bring them here to the team and drop them off at the office. And that was the only copy. If those got lost, they were gone.” 

Rolls would indeed go missing from time to time. Fortunately, the advent of the digital camera just two years into the Predators existence would eliminate the possibility of losing precious moments, and the drawn-out development process, altogether.

“It was nice that the technology came along as quickly as it did with digital, even though the quality at the start wasn't as good as the slides,” Russell said. “But the fact that you could have multiple copies of an image that were easily shareable was pretty cool.”

We Like It, We Love It

The improved camera technology also made shooting the fastest sport in the world a far more manageable task.

Goals, and their ensuing celebrations, are now essentially captured in real time.

“When Cody Glass notched his hat trick, I was basically shooting at movie speed,” Russell said. “That game I could have taken 2,000 pictures, and I may have shot 500 just from the time Cody scored that empty net goal to the time the celebration was over. [When you’re] shooting 20 frames a second, it just comes down to editing out the moments. And that's the cool thing about these cameras compared to film cameras, where we had 36 exposures and you really had to look for those moments and be mindful of how much you had left on the roll of film. Now, you're basically unlimited.”

To Overtime We Go…

Lightning-fast frame rates and virtually unlimited storage on modern cameras have also helped tremendously in overtime, where a game-ending play can develop and conclude within seconds.

Take Josi’s goal from Tuesday or Mike Fisher’s famed triple-overtime winner, as prime examples. 

Russell didn’t miss a frame on either.

“I don't put my camera down and I don't edit anything - I'll edit when it's over,” Russell said. “I'm really just following the puck, because the puck has got to go in the net, and whoever has the puck, if they shoot it, I want to have that shot going off their stick. And hopefully, if they shoot it and they're within a certain range of the goal, then I’ll have them and the goal. You're kind of limited with the 70-200mm [lens]. If they shoot [too far] out in front of the goal, you can’t have both in the same frame… If they're skating in close, I want to make sure that I've framed it up to where you have the shooter and the goalie in the shot, and then ideally, a puck you can see in the net, because you can’t always see that puck when it goes into the net.”

Learning Mistakes

For every moment he’s photographed, Russell will never forget the one that got away, almost 20 years ago to the day.

“[Our first playoff series], I missed the first goal,” he said. “It's our first playoff game, and I was there. We scored the first goal, and I can't remember who scored it, I just remember that I missed it. I wasn't in the best position for it, but I should have gotten at least a photo of it. It was just a momentary lapse of concentration, because it happened quickly, as everything does on the ice. And you'd think at a playoff game that you’d be dialed in, but it was also my first playoff game, too. I haven't forgotten that.”

Changing of the Guard

Eight years later, Russell would more than make up for it, capturing one of the most iconic moments in franchise history.

Toppling their longtime rival in a playoff series for the first time, Predators Captain Shea Weber and Red Wings Captain Nicklas Lidstrom met at center ice and shook hands.

“I was just trying to get that moment, because I knew that was coming,” Russell said. “They're both big defensemen, and it was kind of the changing of the guard. I wanted to get that shot of the two of them shaking hands. And I just remember watching them come together, trying to get in the position where I could get a good angle, because that could change quickly.”

The Cup Run

As the Predators played host to the first Stanley Cup Final game in franchise history, Russell took advantage of a uniquely Nashville angle.

“The picture I got from the rooftop of Tootsie’s was one that I remember,” Russell said. “The street was literally full of people… That's only going to happen during a Stanley Cup Final. You have the arena in the background, and you can see the Stanley Cup logo on the front of the arena. That was just kind of cool.”

There was plenty of action inside the arena during Nashville’s historic run as well, though one of Russell’s favorite moments didn’t occur until after the series’ conclusion.

“Patric Hörnqvist scored the game-winner, and of course, he used to be a player here,” Russell said. “I just remember the meeting between Pekka [Rinne] and Hornqvist in that handshake line. Pekka kind of put his hand up on Patric and just the look in his eyes… It was like, ‘We beat you, but I feel for you.’”

Capturing Smashville 

While the bulk of his work focuses on the on-ice action, many of Russell’s favorite photographs don’t involve players at all.

“A lot of times when we score, I'm looking at the guy celebrating on the ice, but I'm also looking for that excitement behind them and trying to capture that,” Russell said. “Even on hits, when players get hit into the glass, a lot of times people will react with the hit and it can make for fun pictures too. Even though they're behind the glass, they’re wincing and they look like they're getting hit too.”

“Even during pregame when fans have their signs up, I’m looking for cute shots there,” he added. “I remember one shot in particular, where one of the players tossed a puck over the glass and I was up in the [catwalk] shooting down directly over them. And you could see the fan’s white eyes looking straight up. They didn't know they were looking into the camera, but they were looking out for the puck that was coming over the glass. It was just a cool kind of moment from a different angle.”

Eye in the Sky

Many of Russell’s most impressive shots have come from the very same angle, with a camera mounted up in the rafters capturing the action as it unfolds below.

“We use what they call ‘Magic Arms,’ and we have these remote controls that are plugged into the camera and it's triggered by the camera that I have in my hand,” Russell said. “So every time I'm shooting ice level, I'm triggering the remote camera. So, you get a lot of nothing… After a game, I’ll go up and pull that remote down. The card may have 3,000 pictures on it, and there may be 10 that are cool.”

Taking it Outside

Russell managed just a few more than 10 standout snaps as the Predators battled in the open air during the 2022 NHL Stadium Series game, the first outdoor NHL game in Tennessee history.

“The challenge for those two games, [the 2020 Winter Classic and 2022 Stadium Series] was just staying warm,” Russell said. “But it was cool being in that atmosphere, and the lighting for that game at Nissan Stadium was spectacular. Those pictures, if you look at the colors on all of them, it was just really nice. And I don't think I had seen any previous Stadium Series games where the lighting looked as good as that.”

Pekka’s Farewell Salute

The lighting was spectacular - some could even say heroic - during another special moment in franchise history.

Russell, of course, was there to document it.

“I just remember trying to capture the wide and the tight angles,” Russell said. “I’ve got one camera in my hand and one on my other shoulder, and usually one has a telephoto lens and the other has a wide angle. So, at that moment when he's doing that lap, I’m switching between cameras, trying to show the atmosphere and then also trying to get the emotion on his face. And you can't do that with a single lens. At least, I don't have that lens. So, the challenge was just trying to show it all, and it happened so quickly…. But it's the camera doing the work, you’ve just got to point it in the right direction.”

Josi’s Homecoming

That sentiment held true last summer in Bern, Switzerland, as Nashville’s captain received a raucous standing ovation from his hometown crowd.

“That was a trip of a lifetime,” Russell said. “I enjoyed that so much… Just seeing Roman's hometown and seeing the love for him there at that stadium. And when he skated for that curtain call after the game, that was pretty special to be able to capture that.” 

The Photog’s Favorites

Of the hundreds of Predators players Russell has photographed over the last quarter century - Josi included - there are, of course, personal favorites.

“It’s funny, Ryan Suter always had his tongue out,” Russell said. “In every one of my photos he's biting his tongue. And I said something to him about that one time. He was like, ‘No I don’t,’ and I said ‘Yeah, you do, I’ve got the proof.’

“But I always liked [Viktor Arvidsson], because whenever he scored a goal, he always made great celebration shots,” Russell added. “And [Filip] Forsberg too. They always make good celebration shots, and really, just getting good action shots is what I'm looking for. So, Arvy and Forsberg are probably two of my favorites.”

Fans will soon have the chance to see Russell’s pictures up close and in person at a special 25th Anniversary exhibit showcasing the team photographer’s iconic work. Stay tuned for more information.