DAILY BRIEFING

The Predators are headed to Europe (and so are we)

Gentry Estes
Nashville Tennessean

It's almost time for the Nashville Predators to start a new season — only they won't be doing it yet in Smashville.

Their first game will be about 4,800 miles away in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and the upcoming site of two special 2022 NHL Global Series games on Oct. 7 and 8 between the Predators and San Jose Sharks. These are regular-season NHL games. They'll count.

Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes here, and I wanted to bring your attention to those games because while the Predators are packing for Europe, I'm pleased to tell you that The Tennessean is also headed there in the coming days. You'll get first-hand coverage of the team's trip.

More specifically, I will be headed there (along with Tennessean photographer Andrew Nelles) to document the occasion with photos, videos, columns, stories, daily postcards and much more, including direct communication with fans through my subscriber-only text group.

If you aren't yet in that text group, now is a great time to join. Click here to learn more and sign up. It's free for subscribers; no one else sees your info; and I won't bug you more than a few times a day. (If you aren't already a Tennessean subscriber, you can change that here.)

The Predators will be starting out in Europe with a few days — and an exhibition game — in Bern, Switzerland, before heading to Prague.

The Preds are also being followed closely by NHL cameras for "Behind the Glass," an all-access preseason documentary series (similar to "Hard Knocks" in the NFL) that debuts at 9 p.m. tomorrow with the first of four episodes.

Meanwhile, I've examined five questions about the Preds this season, including the largest: Is the team in position again to seriously contend for a Stanley Cup?

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading. We've got more stories for you below.