2005 Nashville Predators

The interruption of play in the National Hockey League for an entire season may have been particularly tough on a team whose existence dates back only a few years, to 1998. But the Nashville Predators had made it to the NHL Playoffs in the season before the hiatus, and they achieved that again in 2005-06. Their regular season record stood at 49 wins to 25 regulation-time losses and 8 overtime losses, for a total of 106 points.

Seeded #4 among the eight Western Conference hockey teams in the 2005-06 NHL Playoffs, Nashville was eliminated by the #5 seed, the San Jose Sharks, in the first round.

On June 25, 1997, the Predators joined the NHL when the league announced that four cities had been awarded expansion franchises: Nashville; Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Ohio; and Saint Paul, Minnesota. Businessman Craig Leipold is the majority owner of the Predators and serves as the team's chairman and chief executive officer. Davie Poile, former general manager of the Washington Capitals, is the team's general manager.

Barry Trotz is the Predators' head coach. Trotz coached the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL) to the Calder Cup during the 1994-95 season. That same year he was named AHL coach of the year. The Predators played their first season in 1998-99. Trotz led the team to a 28-47-7 win-loss-tie record.

The Predators first took the ice on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1-0 at home to the Florida Panthers. The Nashville Predators play their home games at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, which is also home to special events as well as concerts.