50 free Nashville Predators trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Nashville Predators exist because New Jersey said no, their logo is a saber-toothed cat dug up beneath a downtown bank, and their fans throw catfish and make fang fingers to the Psycho theme. This Predators trivia quiz covers all of it: Craig Leipold's expansion bid, the naming vote he quietly won himself, David Poile and Barry Trotz, the 2000 opener in Tokyo, Paul Kariya's 8-0 start, the Forsberg rental, the Balsillie saga and 'Our Team Nashville', Shea Weber's record offer sheet, Pekka Rinne's rise from the eighth round and the 2017 sweep of the Blackhawks on the way to the Stanley Cup Final. It then follows the Presidents' Trophy season, the Subban trade, Roman Josi's captaincy, the Winter Classic and Stadium Series, Trotz's return as general manager and the arena on Broadway built to salute the Ryman. Questions range from easy to expert, with the hard ones aimed at fans who remember the Mustard Cats. Every answer was checked against encyclopaedic and reference sources before publishing, and each question carries a citation. For more, try our NHL trivia and hockey trivia pages.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which season did the Predators begin play?
1998-99
Nashville was the only one of four expansion cities with a finished arena, so it started first.
Q 02Which 1995 Stanley Cup champion did Nashville nearly lure to its new arena that year?
New Jersey Devils
The city offered a $20 million relocation bonus before the Devils restructured their lease.
Q 03Which Wisconsin businessman led the group awarded the Nashville franchise?
Craig Leipold
He later sold the club and bought the Minnesota Wild.
Q 04Which former Capitals general manager became the Predators' first GM in July 1997?
David Poile
He ran the club until 2023, when Barry Trotz succeeded him.
Q 05Which minor-league club was the Predators' first head coach running when Nashville hired him in 1997?
Portland Pirates
He coached the Predators until 2014.
Q 06The saber-toothed cat logo references a Smilodon skeleton found where in 1971?
Beneath a downtown Nashville bank site
The First American National Bank building on that spot is now the UBS Tower.
Q 07Which of these was a fan-culled finalist that lost the naming vote to Leipold's own submission?
Ice Tigers
'Fury' and 'Attack' were the others; the owner added 'Predators' and it won.
Q 08Which future Hall of Fame goalie did Nashville take in the 1998 expansion draft, only to lose him back to the Rangers?
Mike Richter
Tomas Vokoun, acquired from Montreal, became the real starter.
Q 09Nashville lost its first-ever game 1-0 to which team on October 10, 1998?
Florida Panthers
Their first win came three nights later, 3-2 over Carolina.
Q 10Where did the Predators open the 2000-01 season with two games against Pittsburgh?
Tokyo
The Saitama Super Arena crowds were the largest ever to watch hockey in Japan.
Q 11With which pick of the 2003 draft, hosted in Nashville, did the Predators take Shea Weber?
49th
Ryan Suter went seventh overall to Nashville the same day.
Q 12Which team ended Nashville's first playoff appearance in 2004?
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit knocked them out again in 2008.
Q 13Which free agent signed before 2005-06, when Nashville became the fourth NHL team ever to start 8-0?
Paul Kariya
They finished with an NHL-best 32-8-1 home record and 106 points.
Q 14Which five-time All-Star did the Predators rent from Philadelphia at the 2007 deadline for Upshall, Parent and picks?
Q 21Which team's 14-year, $110 million offer sheet to Shea Weber did Nashville match in 2012?
Philadelphia Flyers
It was the richest offer sheet ever; $68 million came as signing bonus.
Q 22Which franchise original, then its all-time leading scorer, was traded to Detroit in 2014?
David Legwand
He was the first player the Predators ever drafted and left as the club's career points leader.
Q 23Which forward came from Columbus in 2016 in exchange for defenseman Seth Jones?
Ryan Johansen
Peter Laviolette had been hired as coach in 2014.
Peter Forsberg
Nashville still lost to San Jose in the first round for a second straight year.
Q 15Which Canadian billionaire tried to buy the Predators in 2007, allegedly to move them north?
Jim Balsillie
A rival campaign wanted the team in Kansas City; local group 'Our Team Nashville' rallied to keep it.
Q 16Which minority owner's fraudulent loans led to a 97-month prison sentence?
William 'Boots' Del Biaggio
A bankruptcy trustee sold his stake; the local group completed the purchase in 2010.
Q 17Which goalie's 233-minute shutout streak in 2008 helped Nashville grab the final playoff spot?
Dan Ellis
It ranked as the fifth-longest such streak in league history.
Q 18Which Russian forward was suspended in 2008 for signing with Salavat Yulaev Ufa while under Predators contract?
Alexander Radulov
He returned four years later, then was suspended again after a Scottsdale bar sighting during the 2012 playoffs.
Q 19Which defenseman did Nashville trade two picks to select 38th overall in 2008?
Roman Josi
He became captain in 2017 after Mike Fisher's retirement.
Q 20Which Presidents' Trophy winner beat Nashville in its first-ever second-round series in 2011?
Vancouver Canucks
The Predators had beaten Anaheim in the first round.
Q 24Whom did the Predators receive from Montreal in the 2016 trade of captain Shea Weber?
P. K. Subban
David Poile later said he regretted the deal.
Q 25Which top seed did the No. 8 Predators sweep in 2017, a first in North American major-league playoff history?
Chicago Blackhawks
Nashville then won ten straight home playoff games, matching the 1997 Red Wings.
Q 26Which team beat Nashville in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final?
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Predators won Games 3 and 4 at home before falling in six.
Q 27Which country star hoisted a giant fish on the Jumbotron during Game 3 of the 2017 conference finals?
Keith Urban
Titans tackle Taylor Lewan had brought the fish; Marcus Mariota hyped the crowd.
Q 28Which captain retired in August 2017, then un-retired to finish the following season?
Mike Fisher
Roman Josi took the captaincy after him.
Q 29In which season did the Predators win their first division title and Presidents' Trophy?
2017-18
Winnipeg beat them in seven in the second round; Rinne won the Vezina.
Q 30Which center joined Nashville from Ottawa in a 2017 trade for Girard and Kamenev?
Kyle Turris
Colorado, which sent Duchene to Ottawa, was the third team.