Giving Thanks

A well-crafted FanPost like this just has to go on center stage - Dirk


It may be somewhat cliché to create a series of posts to offer thanks for something around the (American) Thanksgiving holiday season. Remembering to be thankful is something I aspire to do all the time, but since the hockey season coincides with this thanksgiving season, it would seem appropriate to have the two intersect.

I tend to be an optimist in most areas, so what I wanted to do is go through the various members of the team and just mention a little something about them for which I am thankful. This is actually a good exercise to do in other areas of life, and even if a person exhibits some trait or action that I may not like, I can often find something good about them for which to have gratitude.

So here, I will start with being thankful for the NHL and hockey in general. It's provided the means for my town to have a team, and thereby to create a community of relationships that otherwise would not have been formed. Now, on to the players.

Pekka Rinne Even though you've just signed a huge contract, I am thankful that you yourself are thankful for the opportunities you have and are still down-to-earth as a person. So many other professional athletes could learn a lot from you in that regard. Thanks for being on our team, so I don't have to hate you for being part of the opposition!

Martin Erat When so many others can't or don't, thank you for having the skill to carry the puck into the zone and be as offensive-minded as you are. From the "Vowel Line" of yesteryear to now, thanks for continually being a threat to score.

Kevin Klein Kevin, you show flashes on both the offensive and defensive side of the ice, but I give special thanks for you taking shots at Corey Perry in last season's playoffs. You did what many of us wanted someone to do for a long time. Your loyalty and sticking up for your teammates is not overlooked.

Francis Bouillon I'm thankful that you have finally overcome the terrible concussion and subsequent symptoms from back in January.  I know that couldn't be easy for you, but I'm thankful that you've been able to return to the game you love and are helping stabilize the defense corps for the team.

Blake Geoffrion It's been fun following you from the draft through college and now as a member of the team. I am thankful for your success because it brings attention to the Tennessee area as being able to produce hockey players of NHL caliber. Thanks for being humble about yourself as well as an all-around great person, by all accounts.

Patric Hornqvist I'm thankful for you, Patric, for being that net-presence player that the team has needed since, oh, the inception of the franchise. I am glad you are strong and skillful enough to go to those "hard areas" and be successful - all while facing abuse from opposing players, often without cause.

Sergei Kostitsyn At first I wasn't sure what to expect from you, but since arriving you have integrated yourself into the fabric of the team, showing us that second chances, when offered, are not always wasted. Thanks for your creativity on the ice and for being dedicated to improving your game here.

Jerred Smithson I am glad you're on the ice for our team. You do so many of the things that get overlooked by a lot of folks, but your efforts and play do not go unnoticed. Thanks for giving us a great memory with the game-winning goal in the playoffs last season. A special thank you for each of your 40+ facial expressions, too!

20 Ryan Suter I have to admit that as you've grown as a player, my appreciation for the way you play has grown along with it. I'm thankful that I've been able to see you develop here as a Pred after watching you exit the stands back in the 2003 Draft. Thanks for being a nice, upstanding person for others to emulate.

David Legwand Thank you for your effortless skating and knack for defensive play and PK work. And thanks for being able to take the hard defensive assignments and do so well ... and for all the empty netters!

Jonathan Blum Thanks for not losing your mind in last season's playoffs when you got your skate stomped on in a most unsportsmanlike manner. I'm glad your play helped stabilize our defense then and now. Keep up the improvement, and we all thank you for your humorous and enlightening tweets!

Leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, I will be publishing the remainder of posts in the series, continuing next time with more words of thanks for Predators players. Check back in as I feature the rest of the team and a few others.