For those who do not know about @PredFans and ReTweetBot, it’s my little programming baby and the brain-child of fellow Predators fan Paul Nicholson (@pwnicholson on Twitter). The concept is pretty simple, it’s a bot that Paul conceived and I coded into reality that creates a common-interest community on Twitter proxied by a single Twitter account. I’ll use @PredFans as an example: Paul, myself, and a few hundred other Predators fans on Twitter follow a single account, @PredFans. The @PredFans bot looks for any @replies or direct messages sent to it and re-posts the @reply or direct message under the @PredFans account using “username: their twitter message #plus #some #hashtags”. If you go to the @PredFans page on Twitter, you can see it in action.

So, here are some screenshots of the tweets I’m talking about (clicky for linky):

There’s more about our ReTweetBot and how it works from a user perspective here.

That’s Leggy’s second career hat trick and the second one that I’ve been present for.  Woo hoo!

I can’t argue that having a team in Hamilton, Ontario isn’t a brilliant business plan (because it’s a great idea), but just not this team. Nashville’s team. MY team!

Sign the petition

There is also more information at SaveThePredators.com.

Edit: Looks like I got my flame-comment today.  However, I refuse to post comments by an author without a backbone enough to own up to their own words.  If you are afraid to stand behind them, then they are more worthless than you.

“I don’t know if Pete and/or Terry mentioned it on TV, but apparently the Red Wings were missing a couple of key players and tried to blame the loss on that. We Predators fans would like to point out that we are currently without a LOT of our good players. I think that just shows that we have a better and deeper team all-around that can still dish out a good ass-whooping despite who we have missing.

The game was a lot of fun, though (if you couldn’t tell). You know how we were talking about those dual Red Wings and Predators fans? Well, there’s one couple that is like that. When the Wings are in town, the husband wears his Red Wings jersey, but the wife is always in her Preds jersey. It seems that every Wings game, I wind up sitting no more than 20 feet in any direction from them. The husband, despite the loss, was a really fun guy and really good sport. He was turning around to high-five the insanely loud 20-somethings behind him (that would be us). I’m surprised that I could still talk after the game. As we were walking to the Jack Daniels club, I could barely speak, but managed to regain my voice after a couple of Sprites.

Of course, the yelling didn’t stop at the club, either. It was a great post-game show with Pete Weber and Brent Peterson. Peterson is the one that doesn’t show any emotion when he does an interview or gives the keys to the game. Tonight, he was on fire. He was laughing, smiling, cracking jokes, and everything. He probably talked by himself for a good 10 minutes straight until there was a commercial break. He was living it up! He said he didn’t want to go back down to the locker room and team rooms because he’d have to get right to work on getting ready for the playoffs and he just loved sitting in with the fans.

Oh, and I took 211 pictures at the game. Well, I took more but deleted a few right after I took them (blurry shots). I’ll probably narrow it down to closer to 100 or so once I can see them on a computer screen. There may be a few blurry ones that I couldn’t tell from the camera screen and there are some dupes from using the burst mode (I used my mom’s camera).”

If I have the time, motivation, and energy before the next game (first playoff game versus the San Jose Sharks on Friday!), I’ll try to write up a better summary. Until then, you can read the story on the Preds’ site at: Hats rain for Kariya in season finale.

OMFG!!!11oneone!11!eleventy-eleven!!!

I’m just really excited about this whole thing!

Oh, and Josiah, you better be going. I expect you at my place at 1:00 PM. You never called me back to tell me yes or know and when you say “off-chance” of not being able to make it, I presume that is slight, and it is likely that you will make it. So, either call me or show up. If you don’t show up, you’ll regret it!

I wonder if we could try a ChattaBlogs trip, too. Hrmm..

The first of the three: Predators vs. Flames. I went into this thinking it was going to be a close game. Maybe something like 3-2 at most. They’re always a tough team to play and there’s always a lot of energy during the game. After halfway through the game, it’s back and forth (starting with the Preds) up to 4-4. Then, we tally three more goals before the end of the 2nd period. And, in the third, Tootoo takes us up to 8 to tie the franchise record for most goals scored in a home game. Then, with about 3 or 4 minutes left in the period, Hordichuk hammers one home to beat the franchise record and cap us at 9 points. Every goal kept getting better and better. You don’t seem to tire out as your team keeps scoring. I somehow managed to yell loudly and go crazier with each goal. The Predators just do that for me.

Then there’s Predators vs. Blues last night. After watching Mason hold off about 10 guys trying to put the puck behind him during the pre-game skate on Saturday, I knew he was ready for a game. Sure enough, Trotz put him in as the starting goaltender for the game. Although the game wound up 4-2 (in our favor, obviously), Mason made some amazingly fanstasic incredible point-blank saves. It was hard to cheer him on because we were completely astonished. Staring blankly at the TV thinking, “What the?” Even Vokoun had to be impressed by Mason’s performance.

And, finally, the game tonight at the Joe Louis arena against the dreaded Detroit Red Wings. We got the opening goal in the first few minutes of the period only to have Detroit come back and score twice within two minutes on 5-on-3 and 5-on-4 back-to-back power plays. That’s when I started getting worried about the game. In the last couple of minutes of the period, my stomach settled a little bit after we tied it up. The 2nd and 3rd periods were scoreless but not without either goaltender facing a lot of tough shots. Vokoun and Legace had stellar performances. Then, there was the 4-on-4 5-minute overtime. I only caught about three gasps of air throughout the entire OT span. Again, lots of good chances and close calls for both teams. Shootout time. Zidlicky’s shot is stopped–this isn’t good. Then the Wings tally a point. Kariya comes back and chips one up over the glove side of Legace to give us a point. The Red Wings repond and get another. Justin and I are praying that Sullivan doesn’t try his traditional 5-hole shot. He doesn’t and puts it right where Kariya did to keep us in. Wings don’t respond. Next up, Timonen–no goal. Wings, nothing. Sillinger shoots high on the glove side and gives us another point and puts us ahead in the shootout. Wings, point. Erat follows suit with everyone else and aims high on the glove side. Ding! It hits the post…and bounces in! And, Vokoun makes his last stop of the night for the Predators to get the win. Now there’s only 8 points separating us from the number one spot in the NHL. That’s some good hockey.

I probably should have mentioned the Nichol vs. McCarty fight. It was David vs. Goliath. Nichol standing at 5’8″ on his tip-toes and weighing in at 172 lbs soaking wet paired up with McCarty at 6’1″ and 215 lbs. Nichol loses, but not without landing some solid hits and taking McCarty down with him. Then, there was Simon’s match penalty for deliberate attempt to injure against Hordichuk. In the NHL, don’t try to intentionally hit a guy in the face with the butt-end of your stick. They’ll toss you for that.

Speaking of Hordichuk, don’t pick a fight with him. Jackman of the St. Louis Blues learned that the hard way. After instigating a fight, Hordichuk landed a solid hit and broke Jackman’s jaw. Jackman was taken off the ice after being dealt a couple of penalties and went to the ER. He’s out for the rest of the season.

But, the crowning moment was when one of the Wings tried to skate through Vokoun’s crease. Vokoun stuck his leg out and send him flying. The best part about was the Wings player got a goaltender interference penalty. Don’t mess with Vokoun. He’ll beat anyone in a fight and he’ll make sure you pay for trespassing in his blue box.

And on Friday, it’s duck season!