2017 Bridgestone Arena roar vs Blackhawks

Lore & Background

The 2017 playoff series between the Predators and Blackhawks was a watershed moment for the franchise. As the eighth seed in the Western Conference, Nashville was considered a heavy underdog against the first-seeded Blackhawks (the top seed in the Western Conference). Yet the Predators, led by a young core including Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and goaltender Pekka Rinne, stunned the hockey world by sweeping Chicago in four games. The series was defined by the relentless energy of Bridgestone Arena, where fans created a wall of sound so oppressive that Blackhawks players later admitted it disrupted their communication on the ice. The 'You Can't Beat Us!' chant, which had originated during the 2016 playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks, echoed through the building and became a rallying cry that followed the Predators all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Reader's Guide

The 2017 playoff run marked the end of the Predators' 'underdog' era and the beginning of their identity as a perennial contender. This series was the culmination of years of building through the draft and developing a defensive system that frustrated opponents into submission. The sweep of the Blackhawks, a team that had dominated the Central Division for years, signaled a seismic shift in power. It also cemented Bridgestone Arena as one of the loudest and most intimidating venues in the NHL—a place where visiting teams' power plays falter and their stars go quiet. For fans, this series is a defining memory: the night Nashville stopped being a hockey curiosity and became a hockey city, when the Predators transformed from plucky underdogs into a movement that shook the league.

Did You Know?

• The Predators became the first eighth seed in NHL history to sweep a top-seeded team in a best-of-seven series, a feat first accomplished by the 2012 Los Angeles Kings.
• The 2017 series win was the Predators' first playoff series victory since 2016, as they had lost in the second round that year.