Alright, so I normally start these offseason posts with some fun pop culture references from whatever summer we’re discussing. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge how difficult the summer of 2011 was hockey as a whole, especially in the Nashville Predators community.
In August, we lost Wade Belak, a man beloved by practically everyone in Smashville—players, coaches, and fans alike. His death came just mere weeks after Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien, two other players well-liked and respected across the league, lost their lives as well. Just weeks later, we’d be forced to cope with another tragedy, as the plane carrying the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team crashed in Russia, killing 44 people.