In addition to extending our postseason streak to eight consecutive seasons, we threw the biggest party around with more than 68,000 fans in attendance at the 2022 NHL Stadium Series in February, just days after hoisting the legendary Pekka Rinne's 35 to the rafters of Bridgestone Arena in the first number retirement in franchise history. What GOLDen Moments those were.
We saw record-breaking performances on the ice, led by our captain, Roman Josi. In a season not seen by a defenseman in more than 30 years, he dazzled us with a franchise-best 96 points - carrying the team on his shoulders en route to being named an All-Star, a finalist for the Norris Trophy, and a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award, which is bestowed in a vote by the players to the league's Most Outstanding Player.
Goaltender Juuse Saros was equally as valuable, recording 38 victories and playing in an NHL-high 67 games, earning a spot in the 2022 All-Star Game, and being named a Vezina Trophy finalist as one of the league's top three goaltenders. Additionally, for a franchise that had never seen the mark reached in its first 23 years, we had two 40-goal scorers in Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene.
Rest assured, we are not chasing the Nashville Predators teams of 2017 and 2018. We are moving ahead, forging a new identity and we are proud to report significant progress in our competitive rebuild. We were pleased yesterday to announce two-year contract extensions for head coach John Hynes and his staff, and we are fully appreciative of their efforts in helping us develop that new identity. Our developing roster remains one of the youngest in the NHL, and we fully expect to be a postseason team again next season.
Looking to 2022-23, we are honored that the National Hockey League has selected us to take part in another one of its tentpole events, as we will participate in the 2022 Global Series to start the regular season in Prague, Czech Republic. We cannot think of a better way to start our next season than on hockey's center stage.
As we look forward to next year, I am reminded that it is you, the fans, which are the heartbeat of our organization; your passion and support driving us to achieve our ultimate goal! And we, like you, are disappointed in our early playoff exit this past season. But we remain optimistic, and we look forward to another great year of Predators hockey, another one full of GOLDen Moments and new, exciting memories.
Sincerely,
!Sean Henry Signature
Sean Henry
