2003 Season

Lore & Background

The club was founded in 1997, when the NHL granted an expansion franchise to Craig Leipold, with the team beginning play in the 1998–99 season. After five seasons, the Predators qualified for their first Stanley Cup playoffs during the 2003–04 season. In 2008, ownership of the team was transferred from Leipold to a locally based ownership group. The Predators advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final in 2017, but were defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. In the following season, the Predators won their first Presidents' Trophy and Central Division title. As of 2026, the Predators, along with Nashville SC, are one of two professional sports teams in the state of Tennessee to have not relocated from another location as the Titans and the Grizzlies moved to Tennessee from Houston and Vancouver respectively.

Reader's Guide

In June 2003, the Predators hosted the NHL entry draft. Future Predators captain Shea Weber was selected by the team with the 49th overall pick. They also selected Ryan Suter at seventh overall. In the 2003–04 season, the Predators finished eighth in the Western Conference, qualifying for their first postseason berth. The Predators were eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in six games in the first round of the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Did You Know?

• The Predators' logo is a saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis), referencing a partial skeleton found beneath downtown Nashville in 1971.
• The team's first win came on October 13, 1998, a 3–2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
• In the 2005–06 season, the Predators became only the fourth NHL franchise to start the season 8–0.