STOCKHOLM — The Predators take on the Penguins Friday in game one of two NHL Global Series games this weekend in Stockholm and former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam will be proudly watching from the stands.
Haslam is majority owner and chairman of the Predators Board of Governors. He says seeing the team on the global stage and seeing Preds fans from Nashville and all over Europe embark on Sweden has been a neat experience.
“This is obviously a gorgeous city and it’s a great experience for the organization and the players,” Haslam said in an exclusive interview to Newschannel 5’s Steve Layman Friday in Stockholm. “We have two players from Sweden and several Fins and being back in their home is cool for them. It’s fun to see people in gold. You know, we did this three years ago in Prague and it was the same thing then. It’s just fun to walk the streets in their Preds’ garb.
Haslam’s brother Jimmy is owner of the Cleveland Browns of the NFL, but despite being a lifelong sports fan Bill says he never really dreamed of owning a sports team himself.
He joined the Predators ownership group in 2022, beginning a process of which he continued to buy shares of the franchise until he became majority owner on July 1st.
“The organization was really well run long before I got here in terms of community involvement, how we run as a business, how we treat the fan experience,” Haslam said. “I go around to the different cities in the NHL and our in-game experience I’ll match up with almost anybody. What’s the experience (been like) taking over? It’s been pretty non-eventful, to tell you the truth.”
When he bought his first shares three years ago the Predators were coming off an eighth straight postseason appearance, matching, ironically Pittsburgh, for the longest streak for consecutive playoff appearances in the league. But Nashville has missed the playoffs two of the past three years and the hope for a bounce back season this year has so far not materialized.
The Predators come to Sweden having lost five straight games. They sit last in the Central Division and tied for the second fewest points in the league with just 14 through the first 18 games.
“Last year was disappointing,” Haslam said. “We feel like we’re a better hockey team this year but, at the end of the day, you are what your record says you are and I would put that in the disappointing category. I do think there’s a couple of things to remember. Because of this trip, we’ve had a lot of games squeezed into the last two weeks, and to play back-to-back nights, to play one night in Nashville and the next in Minneapolis is tough. Second, we’ve been without our captain and star defenseman Roman Josi and who knows how much difference that makes? We’re not here to make excuses but missing Roman is a real thing for this team. So we’re hoping this trip can be a little bit of a turnaround.”
Haslam says his focus as owner is on making sure the Predators improve upon what is already one of the best fan experiences in the NHL and on continuing to do good work in the community.
While he is informed with what is going on with the team on the ice, he does not want to interject himself into hockey decisions.
So, for now, it is first time general manager Barry Trotz and third-year head coach Andrew Brunette in charge of turning this season around.
“You definitely want the hockey people to be the hockey people,” Haslam said. “It’s a little bit like being a doctor and first do no harm. I’m comfortable on the business side. I’m comfortable with what I want the Preds to look like in the community. I’m certainly not going to tell you who should play on what lines or who we should draft. It’s an interesting role as an owner, right? Because you’re the person ultimately responsible for the product you put on the ice and yet you don’t want to mettle in things you aren’t supposed to mettle in.”
Despite the slow start to the season, Haslam remains bullish about the future of the Predators and sports in general in Nashville. Shortly after he took on majority ownership this summer the Preds and Bridgestone Arena announced a $750 million facelift to the team’s home at the corner of 5th and Broadway.
The renovation will add a new entrance to the plaza, a retail center with shops and restaurants overlooking Broadway and eventually a hotel. The goal is to extend the life of the 28-year-old arena and cement the Predators place in the heart of downtown Nashville for decades more to come.
“If you could’ve picked an exact spot where you’d want to be (for) an arena, you would pick the exact spot we’re in,” Haslam said. “We’re on Broadway. We’re right next to the Convention Center and the Country Music Hall of Fame. I picture it being the sport and entertainment center for one of the great entertainment towns in the country and maybe even in the world. So we’re going to have a world class arena, we’re going to add some great retail and restaurant experience along Broadway and hopefully, ultimately, a hotel as well. So, again, I think of it as being the dynamic heart of (a) really dynamic city.”
Haslam also spearheaded Nashville’s bid to land a WNBA franchise. While the league ultimately awarded franchises to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia – bids placed by current NBA owners – Haslam is proud of the efforts that went into the bid for the Tennessee Summitt and won’t rule out another bid in the future.
“The league was very excited about us,” Haslam said. “We’ll see. You never know, but are we still interested? Yes. Do I think the league still wants to have a team in Nashville? Ultimately, yes, I do.”
As Haslam prepares to watch the Predators play on the global stage this weekend, he’s most concerned about what’s best for Predators fans back in Nashville. He is confident the in-game experience is one of the best in the league and he wants to make sure the product on the ice matches that.
Haslam has seen firsthand what Smashville is like when the Predators are winning and making runs in the playoffs. He wants to bring that back and, ultimately, bring that elusive Stanley Cup to the city and state that he loves.
“There’s an incredible history here of hockey, starting with a franchise and a team in a place where nobody thought hockey could make it, now becoming this great fan attraction,” Haslam said. “I think now we have to build on that. We have to put a product on the ice that is commensurate with the love that our fans have for the game. That’s not intimidating to me, that’s actually really exciting. We’ve shown that we can come close (to winning the Stanley Cup). I think we can do it.”
