The Chairman of the Predators ....

Much like the music great Frank Sinatra who was called by his close friends the Chairman of the board. The Nashville Predators chairman Tom Cigarran made moves Tuesday that clearly show there is new direction that the organization is taking.  Mr. Cigarran has made it clear that he will be the face of the franchise as the chairman. He seems very comfortable in this role.  With the letting go of Ed Lang and the hiring of two experience executives from other markets. It is apparent that this ownership group is committed to being winning franchise on and off the ice.  

By hiring Jeff Cogen and Sean Henry there will be a new level of energy and enthusiasm with the team. New faces bring new ideas to old challenges in this market.   An old challenge has been solving the football problem. Attendance for Predators games lags in October and November because fans are going to their favorite football teams games on Saturday and Sunday.  These new executives should have new ideas on how to attract fans during these months.  Jeff Cogen comes from Dallas despite having a team that did not make the playoffs last year. The Dallas Stars still drew an average of 17,215 and rank seventeenth in attendance.  The Predators on the other hand average 14,979 and rank twenty-sixth in attendance.    In Dallas, the Cowboys are number one and the other professional teams are a distant second. Yet the Stars still drew at a ninety-two percent capacity.  A key to the Predators moving up the attendance ranking ladder is more fans have to come to games during the football season months.


Both of these guys come from franchises that have won Stanley cups. At the end of game six, there was some fan frustration with the Predators inability to breakthrough with a series win.  Much like it takes steel to sharpen steel, a winning front office does lead to winning on the ice. The Chicago Blackhawks went from being a division doormat to winning the Stanley Cup with the simple change in the front office.

Finally, as a Predators fan I had grown tired of the "we are a small market mantra" every time the franchise could not make a move to improve itself. The culture was always one of a small market and had adopted a pessimistic view of itself.   Mr. Cigarran has moved away from this negative image.  August 10, 2010 will be a day the Predators moved to be the optimistic and vibrant franchise both inside and out.