Nashville Predators

Bridgestone Arena holds about 17,159 for hockey and sits in downtown Nashville a short walk from the Lower Broadway entertainment district. Nashville hockey culture has developed something genuinely distinctive since the Predators arrived in 1998 - the combination of the arena's proximity to the honky-tonk strip and a growing local fan base has made game nights here one of the more atmospheric experiences in the NHL. The catfish tradition - throwing a catfish on the ice during playoff games, in tribute to the octopus tradition in Detroit - started organically with Nashville fans and has become an official part of the Predators playoff identity.

Lower Broadway is within easy walking distance and the logistics of pregame are essentially solved - walk to a honky-tonk, have a beer, walk back to the arena. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Broadway is the anchor of the strip and has live country music every night. The Predators plaza outside Bridgestone Arena has food vendors and a party atmosphere on big home games. The arena district itself has bars and restaurants that function as game-night destinations separate from the Broadway tourist zone.

Nashville is one of the warmer NHL markets geographically - the city doesn't get the winter weather of its Canadian counterparts - and the fan base has grown significantly as the city itself has grown in the last decade. Playoff runs here generate genuine energy in the building and on the streets outside.

Find Predators tickets through Evil Tickets and plan your trip to Bridgestone Arena this season.