Bad news for the rest of the league. I’m afraid the NHL just let Nashville get as hot as their chicken. Don’t ask me how, but the Preds signed Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. If you’re one of those folks who “doesn’t really do hockey” well, let me hit you why this is massive for the Preds.

Who Are These Guys?

First off, let’s meet the newest Nashville transplants. The only one’s who moved to town for something other than country music.

Steven Stamkos: Picture Tom Brady on skates. Or at very least John Elway on skates. Stamkos is a two-time Cup champ and has a knack for scoring goals like it’s his day job – which it is, but like he’s really good at it. Dude, can light the lamp like a clap-on. And after he does, you’ll get your clap on.

Jonathan Marchessault: Think of him as the underdog from your favorite sports movie. He might not have been a household name, but boy, does he also know how to light the lamp. He’s the kind of player who sneaks up on you and before you know it, he’s scored a hatty.

Brady Skjei: Pronounced “Shay” (yeah, hockey names, man), he’s the guy who stands between the puck and the net. A solid defenseman with the grace of a dancer but the toughness of a linebacker. Should the Titans look to sign him to sure up their linebacking corps? Look, people are asking.

Why Is This a Big Deal?

This is your favorite band adding three more rockstars overnight. Like if Chad Kroeger from Nickelback, Scott Stapp from Creed, and whoever the lead singer of Hinder is all decided to join forces with your favorite band Imagine Dragons. This is the Dodgers grabbing Freeman, Ohtani, and Betts. But in hockey. Three of the top 5 free agents this summer will now be rocking gold. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Goals Galore: With Stamkos and Marchessault, it’s like adding extra hot sauce to your already spicy chicken. Imagine a top line with them and Fil Forsberg, who is coming off — oh yeah, just the franchise record for goals scored in Preds history. Frankly, we might see the puck in the opposing team’s net more than we see it out of it.
2. Solid Defense: Brady Skjei is like that friend who always has your back. His job? Stop pucks, hit hard, and look cool doing it. Solid defenders is nothing new to Predators lore, but expect to add his weird-ass name to the long list of Preds defensemen greats.
3. Star Power: These are household names for a team that’ll be just 8 years removed from a Cup run that rocked Lower Broad, people are still talking about it.

The Barry Trotz Effect

Now, let’s not forget the mastermind behind this wizardry – Barry Trotz, the Predators’ General Manager. He’s the king Midas of hockey. Everything he touches turns to gold. I don’t want to get out ahead of my skates here, but every move he has made has worked. And worked well. If hockey were a cooking show, Barry Trotz would be the chef whipping up a Michelin-starred meal out of a few basic ingredients and a lot of magic. And we should all just stand back and watch Chef Trotzy cook. And this triple signing on the first day of free agency, just before a long holiday weekend is like your dad stepping back from the grill and saying “Hold my beer,” while he puts another steak on the grill. Or three of them.

What’s Next for the Preds?

Now that the Predators have assembled the Avengers, I’m sure there will be a bit of a learning curve. Your top line has 120-plus goals between them, and last I checked, they still only play with one puck. But the fire on 5th and Broadway is most certainly back. I just hope the Preds don’t continue to outprice the diehards. But I know I’ll be watching closely from Chicago.

So, Why Should You Care?

Even if you’re just here for the nachos, beer, and intermission bands, the Predators’ new signings mean more fun for everyone. More goals, more wins, and more reasons to high-five strangers and chant “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” at opposing goalies.

Just let me warn the NHL one last time: do not let the Nashville Predators get hot!

The post I’m Afraid The NHL Let The Nashville Predators Get Hot appeared first on Korked Bats.

Oh boy. The Canucks done and messed up. They let the Preds get hot. You’re not supposed to do that. Look, am I over reacting to one win in a playoff series? Probably. But this is the first playoff win the Preds have seen since 2021, so you know I’m going to enjoy it. Especially with the series returning to the 615. That Bridgestone barn better be creating more hostility than Morgan Wallen on Lower Broad. (Let the record state: This is NOT me condoning throwing patio furniture.) Are the Preds back? People are asking.

The post Do NOT Let The Preds Get Hot! Instant Reaction to Game 2 of Predators-Canucks appeared first on Korked Bats.

We put a poll out asking if we should bring our reaction videos (that we make for every bit of breaking Titans news) to the ice and break down the Preds first playoff trip since 2022, and well, we got enough of a vote for yes to do them. So here we are. And here the Preds are losing the first game of the series. Winnable game? Sure. Frutrating too? Definitely. Can the Preds still win this series? People are asking.

I do know one thing however: do NOT let the Preds get hot!

The post Let’s Do That Hockey! Instant Reaction To Game 1 of Predators-Canucks appeared first on Korked Bats.

What a heartwarming story to see the Vegas Golden Knights end their 6-year championship drought with their franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup. Their fans, who I’m assuming are all Elvis impersonators, must be so relieved to have experienced that feeling after all these years. It’s truly remarkable, and it gives other fan bases hope that some day they’ll be able to experience the same thing.

The post God Bless Vegas Golden Knights Fans For Overcoming 6 Years Of Futility And Finally Winning Their First Stanley Cup appeared first on Korked Bats.

OH HELL YES!

Whether you like hockey or you just occasionally pretend to like Justin Bieber, you should be pulling hard for the Lightning-Rangers series to go seven games. Why? Because there is a chance for all hell to break loose. Complete and total anarchy. You ever see the movie Cloverfield? It’ll be like that but without one giant monster. More like millions of little monsters roaming the streets of Manhattan. رهان المباريات Because this will create a war between two of the most defensive species on planet earth: Beliebers and hockey fans.

Frankly, I like both. Hell, I consider myself to be both. But I try to view life with a little more self-awareness than both. I know both groups think the subjects of their fanhood is the most important thing on earth. So what do you do? Do you delay the concert and piss off tens of thousands of teenage girls (and maybe a few adult male bloggers) *or* do you bump the hockey game to a different night possibly altering the travel schedules for a team and/or creating a competitive disadvantage for a team? betfinal I don’t know. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t work in event logistics like this. لعب لربح المال I merely blog about them and then root for pure and utter chaos.

The post If You Have No Skin In The Lighting-Rangers Series, You Should Root For A Game 7 At MSG… The Same Night As A Justin Bieber Concert appeared first on Korked Bats.

But I guess it’s pretty much on par for the way Nashville sports have gone this year. I mean after the Titans nabbed the #1 seed in the AFC, they went one and done in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Predators far exceeded expectations this year only to poo-poo the bed in round one against the Colorado Avalanche.

If there was ever a year where Titans fans needed a deep playoff run by the Predators to distract themselves from the Titans brutal loss to the Bengals in the divisional round, Tannehill’s hashtag ads on Twitter, AJ Brown’s deleted tweets, AJ Brown’s trade to Philadelphia, Derrick Henry’s lack of workout videos, Treylon Burks not being able to make it through the first day of rookie minicamp, Tannehill not wanting to mentor Malik Willis, the cannibalization of Titans fans on Twitter, Ryan Tannehill just being alive, etc. it was this year. But instead, the Predators were the first team bounced from the playoffs and now it’s led us to a toxic experience online among Titans fans, which leads to tweets like this.

Now, this take was quickly squashed as it is quite the reach.

See what I mean? Just been that kind of offseason this year.

Many people will want to blame Ryan Tannehill. Mainly because people blame Ryan Tannehill for everything. In fact, every day on Titans Twitter there’s a new main character who tends to take the brunt of all hate. Some days it’s AJ Brown, other days it’s Treylon Burks, most days it’s Ryan Tannehill, other days it’s media members like Jeff Schwartz, Adam Rank, or Jared Stillman, and some days it’s just one of us random Titans fans. It really makes this tweet so true… not just for Twitter, but for Titans Twitter:

So while you want to blame anyone in two-toned blue (especially those named Ryan), I prefer to blame the team in town in gold. I love you, Predators, but your timing couldn’t have been worse. Nashville needed a distraction (one bigger than soccer – no offense, MLS… but keep doing your thing, Nashville SC, you’re awesome) to distract us from the disappointment of one of the most promising playoff runs in recent Titans history. But instead, we got literally nothing, and thus, it has led to us Titans fans eating each other like the Donner Party.

And sure, the Preds not only bringing back head coach John Hynes, but giving him a two-year contract extension after the franchise has gotten worse every single year in the playoffs for the past 5 years will help with the Titans fan disdain a bit – because it causes Predators fan disdain – but disdain is still disdain.

Nashville needs something good to distract us like a laser pointer distracting a cat. At least until Week 1 of the NFL season. But instead, we’re still more than 100 days away which means, this long offseason will only continue to get longer. Here’s hoping Ryan Tannehill doesn’t go on any more fishing trips.

The post Titans Fans Have Been Overly Feisty This Offseason And I Blame The Nashville Predators appeared first on Korked Bats.

After reaching a historic seven-year deal with the Walt Disney Company and ESPN last month, the NHL’s new secondary broadcast partner is expected to be TNT, The Post’s Andrew Marchand confirmed.

Turner will be getting rights to some Stanley Cup Finals as part of the deal.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the NHL will conduct a Board of Governors call later Monday to update the upcoming US TV picture. Four of the next seven Stanley Cups will be on ESPN, with the other three on Turner, per Friedman.

If the deal with TNT is finalized, next season will mark the first time since the 2005-06 season that NBC will not carry NHL games. The network reportedly pulled out of the bidding for the league’s second TV package.

First off, just having hockey on the mothership is great. Not just for the coverage of the sport, but for the popularity of it. When NHL left ESPN in the mid-to-late 2000’s it was legitimately sad. They floated around on like Versus for a while (pour one out for Versus), and then ultimately landed on the newly rebranded NBC Sports Network.

And it’s not that NBC Sports didn’t do a great job with hockey coverage. They did awesome. But it was never easy to find. Remember watching playoff games on CNBC sandwiched in between reruns of Shark Tank? Yeah, well, it’s for that reason, I’m out.

But now that it’s on ESPN, we won’t have to check our TV Guide for what channel ABC or ESPN 2 is on – and since Turner isn’t the primary station, we probably won’t need to go hunting for TruTV either. Hockey will be easily accessible on our televisions. Kids these days have never known what that feels like.

If Turner’s NHL coverage is anything like their NBA coverage, then it’s going to be so bad ass. TNT kills it with NBA to the point where I legitimately get sad after the conference finals every year knowing every Finals game will be exclusively on ABC/ESPN. Plus, TBS’s baseball coverage is just as good – and even better in some parts – than FOX’s. So this should be awesome news for not just NHL fans but just straight-up sports fans.

Plus, if this means more Ernie Johnson, then SIGN. ME. UP. Ernie is the man and we could all use a little more of him on our TV screen. Plus, we’re all but guaranteed at least one video clip of Charles Barkley trying to skate. He’ll fall. We’ll all giggle and the clip will go viral. Is as sure of a thing as Charles slurring his R’s.

Meanwhile, Turner will be on our TV’s pretty much year-round: March for NCAA Tournament, April through June for NBA and now NHL playoffs, October for MLB postseason, and November through March for watching Family Guy reruns and The Dark Knight.

UPDATE: With this new deal, some games will be featured on HBO Max as well. So we decided to make an intro for it.

The post Is That A Hockey Stick In Your Pants Or Are You Just Happy The NHL Will Be On ESPN (And Now Also TNT)? appeared first on Korked Bats.

EW has learned exclusively that most of the stars of the original Mighty Ducks movies are returning for an episode of the upcoming Disney+ revival series. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers will feature the massive reunion in episode 6, featuring characters from all three films including Elden Henson as Fulton, Matt Doherty as Averman, Vinny La Russo as Adam Banks, Marguerite Moreau as Connie, Garret Henson as Guy, and Justin Wong as Kenny Wu.

via Entertainment Weekly

Look at Disney just casually dropping the ultimate WANNA FEEL OLD? meme of all time. As we all know Disney+ is getting ready to milk this (mighty) duck for all it’s worth by rebooting the franchise into a TV series. At first thought, I felt like it was going to be a lazy attempt at a cash grab, with nothing other than the mom from Gilmore Girls now being a mom in this show. No thanks.

But now that Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the original cast will make an appearance in the show, you have my attention.

So when this photo dropped, you knew we were going to blog about it. From Goldberg’s return from drug addiction to Chris Nester’s 9-part Mighty Ducks 4 proposal, we cover all things Quack Attack.

That was so lame.

Let’s just break this thing down from left to right.

Connie

Ahhh, Connie. Gotta love Connie, right? I mean, what a babe. Not just in this trilogy, but in Wet Hot American Summer too.

Guy

Interesting to see Guy not only appear at the same reunion as Connie but stand right next to her. If you remember, Connie and Guy dated through most of the franchise, and I’ll admit, the sexual tension remains strong in this photo. But it’s surprising to see, especially after this photo surfaced.

Yup. You’re seeing that correctly. Connie getting handsy with Dwayne. And… hold up… Kenny Wu tied up in the back so he wouldn’t spill the beans of this immoral affair?!

As soon as this photo surfaced, I’m sure Guy was pissed and wanted to immediately call things off with Connie, but didn’t. He probably decided to keep things civil at least through the end of high school at Eden Prairie Academy for the sake of the team and only that. That’s why things seemed so normal in D3: The Mighty Ducks. Then right after high school, Guy went to a small private college, on a partial scholarship. Dwayne moved home to work on his family’s ranch. And Kenny couldn’t even stand close to Connie at the reunion. Probably because he was terrified of being tied up again.

Fulton

Compared to what he used to look like, Fulton now looks like one of those albino deer.

Fulton back in the ’90s:

Fulton today:

Coach Gordon Bombay

More like Coach Gordon Filet.

Look, I know everyone gets thicker with age, but it appears my man took too many trips to that botox well. And this is photoshopped! All I’m saying is this former junior hockey disappointment is not doing much to dispel my theory that he’s actually just Ellen Degeneres trying to come back after being cancelled last year.

Adam Banks

Ok, damn Adam Banks. I see you. This is the only Duck who looks like he can still lace ’em up. Hell, I know the Nashville Predators could use him. They need an elite goal scorer. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s switched teams either. It’s just ironic how he was originally bullied for being a cake eater, and now he looks like the only Duck who hasn’t eaten cake in years.

Kenny Wu

Woo, woo, woo, Kenny Wu! Love the fact that this dude shows up in the second movie, and yet he’s rocking that O.G. throwback as if he knew Gordon Bombay was he was still an alcoholic lawyer. But I respect it. Hell, the Ducks don’t win the Junior Goodwill Games without Kenny Wu’s figure skating prowess.

Les Averman

Yup. Les Averman is the only guy who looks exactly how I expected him to look at this age. A lot of people think Greg Goldberg was the comedic lead in this franchise, but the real ones know the best zingers and one liners came from Averman.

Also, gotta respect the bold choice to rock cargo shorts in 2021.

People I’m bummed didn’t make the photo..

Julie “The Cat” Gaffney

I mean, if you want to play, you gotta show up. How does she even expect to beat out Goldberg by not even being present?

Goldberg

The last year of Goldberg’s life have been pretty well documented on this blog.

Obviously, we didn’t expect him to be ready for an acting comeback. But we’re just stoked to see him making a comeback in life. This guy was legitimately close to dying and now here he is over a year sober and kicking ass. Nobody can stop Goldberg The Goalie.

Young Gordon Bombay

Can’t believe one of the Mighty Ducks nearly died from a meth addiction and yet, he didn’t have the weirdest 2020 of the movie’s cast.

Enter young Gordon Bombay:

Oh, and he’s still running for president.

Charlie Conway

Pretty sure he’s the only one who went on to have a successful acting career after this franchise. Probably only because he was the coach’s (step) son.

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Here are some other photos from the reunion to wet your pallet.

Look, allow this blog to be a painful reminder that we all get older, fatter, and sometimes still wear cargo shorts 20 years after they went out of style.

The post Let’s Break Down That Mighty Ducks Reunion Photo appeared first on Korked Bats.

After getting a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Deer Rebels setup. It got me thinking about how fun this would be. So Austin and I took to our weekly IG Live show: Family Lunch to discuss what we thought the best place to sleep in the arena would be.

Here are the power rankings:

5. Box Office

Probably the quietest place in the arena. Especially when you consider the fact that no one other than you and your 25 best buds on the team is the only ones allowed in the arena. I’d have to imagine you’d see all the food (most important part) travel through the box office, so perhaps you would get first dibs? This is all speculation, of course. I have no idea as to the true inner workings of a professional sports arena. You also have the most computers per capita in this area. However, the major downside to the box office: lack of televisions. Then again, maybe you’re one of those people that needs complete silence and darkness when you sleep. In which case, the box office is your move.

4. The Ice

Hear me out. This is for the people that eat, literally sleep, and breathe hockey. The type of guy that sleeps in his skates. The type of guy that lives in the rink, quite literally. The type of guy that would take his skate off and try and stab someone. The type of guy that has a beautiful head of lettuce. The type of guy that’s cold-blooded.

Or just for those people who like their room cold and run the fan in the middle of winter.

3. The Main Arena

Not only does this room have an abundance of seating, but it’s also got so much room for activities.

And I’m not joking when I say that.

2. Concession Stand

The concession stand, to some, may not be the most ideal place to sleep, but hear me out. First off, you’ll never go hungry. Actually, that’s the only reason. Food is important.

1. The Box Suites

This is clearly the best place to sleep in the arena. Just imagine waking up, grabbing a fresh batch of stale arena popcorn from the popcorn machine that’s in every arena suite, a cup of coffee, and stepping out to the seats connected the box and waving good morning to your other buds on the team. It’s grabbing the paper at the end of your driveway when you live on a culdesac with your best friends. I would have to assume that the box life comes equipped with a fully stocked fridge and buffet-style food. And one of those attendants in a vest asking if you’re good every 5 minutes or so. And what box experience wouldn’t be complete without the dessert cart rolling around post-dinner? That actually seems like a pretty decent couch next to the bed, which I’m sure is facing a TV. Even if there isn’t a TV in the box, you just have a direct view of the jumbotron. Imagine you and your boys watching a movie before bedtime on the jumbotron. Something like Sudden Death starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. That movie’s great for arena watching. Thanks to some insider info from a cool kid during Family Lunch, we discovered that the box suites DO have wifi. And now obviously, a lack of privacy going on, but when you’re sleeping in an arena, is there really any privacy anywhere?

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In conclusion, after extensive research and deep thinking, I’ve determined that it would be a grade-school sleepover every single night staying in a hockey arena. From shooting hoops to playing video games, to watching movies on the jumbotron, and oh right, I guess playing hockey too. It would be like going away to summer camp except it’s cold and you’re all extremely good at hockey. My main concern would be food, however. Imagine if there was a Chick-Fil-A in the arena and you wanted it on Sunday. Would be torture. Right, Falcons fans?

The post A Power Ranking Of The Best Places To Sleep In A Hockey Arena appeared first on Korked Bats.

Former NHL defenseman, mega Canadian, and very hilarious Jamie Rivers took time out of driving his truck to hop on Instagram LIVE for a chat. The whole interview is worth your time because Jamie is hilarious, but in this day and age of short attention spans, here are a few highlights of our chat:

• (0:22) His life as a TikTok star
• (2:28) The Lightning and Blue Jackets playing FIVE (5!) overtimes.
• (3:58) What’s the longest game Jamie ever played in?
  • This turns into an epic story about Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr
• (7:24) Which goalie had the best looking 5-hole?
• (9:05) Who’s winning the Stanley Cup this year?
  • and if the Blues can overcome their 0-2-1 round robin
• (13:42) Was the NHL Draft Lottery rigged?
• (15:17) What was it like being dead and then coming back to life?

Special thanks to Jamie Rivers for taking the time to pull over his truck for this chat. This is the third in our series of KB Chats. To check out the rest, click here.

Also, if you’re here as a St. Louis Blues fan, I highly suggest you check out our exclusive look at A Night With Towel Man.

The post This Story About Former NHLer Jamie Rivers Dying (And Coming Back To Life) Is Insane! appeared first on Korked Bats.