Are you ready to celebrate a championship hockey team in Nashville? Look no further than a band of young men who just captured the 12 & Under Tier II 1A National Championship, at a USA Hockey tournament in Virginia. The Jr. Preds went undefeated at the tournament and knocked off last year's champs, the Oklahoma City Oil Kings, for the title.
Developing a sustainable hockey culture has always been one of the Nashville Predators' long-term goals, and towards that end, they have sponsored and supported a number of youth & amateur hockey initiatives over the years. The Junior Predators hockey teams are perhaps the most obvious extension of that plan, providing an opportunity for kids in different age groups to train and compete together.
FYI: As best I can gather, the "Tier II" refers to a USA Hockey classification which means that teams are comprised of purely local players, and the "1A" is how USA Hockey splits the competition between teams from areas with larger numbers of registered players (i.e. Minnesota, Michigan) from those with smaller organizations (Tennessee, Georgia, etc.).
Now all we need is another rink (or two... or three...) around town, to keep the hockey factory here in Middle Tennessee rolling. Somebody get on that, will ya?