Scott Walker can still feel it, the “nervous excitement” inside what is currently known as Bridgestone Arena but back in 1998 was plainly Nashville Arena.
Crammed into a restaurant space, the Nashville Predators’ original members — the franchise’s first players, coaches and managers — congregated for a meet-and-greet at the to-be-christened rink.
Some scanned the room with an inquisitive eye. Others exchanged pleasantries. Walker remembers running his internal calculator, thinking, “OK, how do I fit in here?”
“We’re in this together and we’ll figure it out,” someone from the team’s brass, probably general manager David Poile, said at some point, according to Andrew Brunette.