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Predators prepare for Wild in wake of deadly Nashville tornado

The tornado struck Nashville about an hour after the Predators took off for Minnesota.

Joe Nelson

Predators prepare for Wild in wake of deadly Nashville tornado
Predators prepare for Wild in wake of deadly Nashville tornado /
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Arguably the biggest game of the season for both the Wild and Predators, Tuesday night's game in St. Paul will be played less than 24 hours after deadly tornadoes and severe storms ripped through Tennessee, including the Predators' home city of Nashville. 

So far, 22 people have been confirmed killed in the Middle Tennessee severe weather outbreak, which produced a damaging tornado that moved through Nashville just after the Predators departed Minnesota following an 8-3 home loss to the Edmonton Oilers. 

"The team had departed for Minnesota about an hour before the tornadoes hit, so we are all safe. Heartbroken to see the damage back home. Tough to think about hockey on a day like this. Stay strong, everyone, be home soon," said Predators communications coordinator Brooks Bratten. 

As a gesture, the Wild has announced it will be donating $50,000 towards relief efforts in Tennessee, half of which is coming from owners Craig and Helen Leipold.

The devastation comes exactly one year to the day that 23 people died in Alabama in a March 3, 2019 tornado outbreak, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Fatalities have been confirmed in four counties, while more tornado victims remained missing as of an afternoon update from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Meanwhile, the Predators must take the ice in a battle against Minnesota with big playoff implications, all while dealing with the shock and devastation of the storms. 

"As the Preds prepare for tonight's game, our hearts also remain back home with all those who have been affected by the devastating tornado," the Predators' Twitter account says. 

Entering play Tuesday, Nashville (72 points) controls the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Minnesota (71 points) is just one point back, also trailing Winnipeg and Arizona, both of whom have 72 points in a jam-packed wild-card race. 

Nashville returns to Minnesota March 15 and they meet in the final game of the regular season in Nashville on April 4. 

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17. 

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