I swore I would never write one of these posts again.

You know the ones. There is a reason “Why I Joined The Athletic” became a meme. (Mine included multiple references to the show “Nashville,” which is cringeworthy in hindsight.)

And yet here I am, explaining why I am joining Lower Broad Hockey (this time without any mention of Connie Britton).

My reasons are simple. When my time reporting on the Predators ended in June 2022, I was content to close that chapter of my life after more than seven years on the beat. When Braden Gall asked me during intermission of a Predators-Canucks playoff game if I was interested in contributing to Lower Broad Hockey, however, it piqued my interest. I was an early part of the 440 Media team, and Braden has worked tremendously hard to build an impressive network of content. As sappy as it sounds, I believe in him.

Also, as fate would have it, the week before Braden approached me, Sportsnet published my feature on Barry Trotz’s first season as Predators general manager. That story reminded me how much I enjoyed writing in-depth profiles, which is what I am going to be doing here as often as I can. A lot has changed since I last wrote about the Predators on a consistent basis. That newness should lead to interesting stories.

In addition, Braden and I will record one podcast per week (probably on Monday mornings) for subscribers, so rejoice, OG listeners of The Gold Standard.

National interest in the Predators — especially at the start of the season — will be higher than it has been in several years. (The closest comparison might be the fall of 2016, when P.K. Subban was preparing for his first season with the team.) 

I look forward to watching it all unfold.

Follow Adam on “Twitter” @AdamVingan