Throughout the 2023-24 season, the Nashville Predators will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary in SMASHVILLE.

As we prepare to kick off the most important Preds season yet, let’s take a look at how we got here. We are looking back at some of the top moments in SMASHVILLE’s 25-year history, one month at a time.

How many of these September events do you remember?

1997

September 25

Craig Leipold and Jack Diller unveiled the saber-toothed tiger logo at the downtown First American building (now known as the UBS Tower), the site of a saber-toothed tiger discovery in August 1971.

September 27

The Ice Breaker Bash kicked off season-ticket sales at Bridgestone Arena and attracted more than 12,000 hockey fans for three hours of hockey demonstrations, displays and interactive games.

2007

September 12

Jason Arnott is named the fourth captain in franchise history. Arnott, who signed with Nashville as a free agent in 2006, led the Preds to a playoff berth in 2008 – the same year he earned an All-Star appearance. Arnott ranks 10th in Predator history in goals scored with 107, and in 2008-09 he tied his career best in goals with 33.

2014

September 12

Eleven months after the Nashville Predators and the Metro Nashville Government broke ground on the new recreation center and ice rink development at Global Mall at the Crossings in Antioch, Tenn., Ford Ice Center officially opened to the public. Ford Ice Center, named in partnership with the Mid-South Ford Dealers, is a component of a public-private partnership between the Nashville Predators and Metro to help continue the growth of hockey and all forms of recreational ice skating in Middle Tennessee.

2016

September 8

Mike Fisher is named the seventh captain in franchise history after previous captain Shea Weber was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman P. K. Subban. Fisher led the Predators to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals eventually losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. On August 3, 2017, Fisher announced his retirement from the NHL, becoming the first Predators captain to retire with the team. He came out of retirement prior to the 2018 trade deadline to help the Preds make another Stanley Cup run but retired for a second time on May 12, 2018, a few days after the Predators were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Winnipeg Jets.

2017

September 19

Roman Josi is named the eighth captain in franchise history; Ryan Ellis was chosen as associate captain, while Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Mattias Ekholm were selected as assistant captains.

2019

September

In an ongoing effort to give fans, players and performers the best possible facilities and atmosphere, Bridgestone Arena completed another renovation of $10 million, which included a new, center-hung scoreboard and Hap & Harry’s Taproom, a new premium suite area. The renovation total in a nine-year span was nearly $85 million.

September 29

Bridgestone Americas, Inc., and the Nashville Predators jointly celebrated the beginning of a new hockey season by announcing an extension to their naming rights agreement for Bridgestone Arena through 2030.

2020

September 10

The Predators named Dan Hinote, a Stanley Cup champion as a player with Colorado in 2001, as an assistant coach. Later in the month, Todd Richards, who won the 2020 Stanley Cup as an assistant with Tampa Bay, was added to John Hynes’ staff as an assistant.

September 21

Josi won the 2020 Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best defenseman. Josi won the Norris Trophy after posting 65 points (16g-49a), becoming the first player in Predators history to win the award. Two days later, the Predators surprised Josi with a celebration event at Bridgestone Arena, and the City of Nashville and State of Tennessee declared Sept. 23, 2020 as “Roman Josi Day.”