On ESPN’s NHL Power Rankings, the Nashville Predators are now #1 – we were #2 last week.

So, would some of you all start going to the games? To paraphrase Samuel Johnson…if you tire of live hockey, you tire of life!

ESPN is expecting the Predators to win their division, and finish as a third seed in the West. Nice.

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The Predators continue to do the unimaginable, and have started the season 8-0-0, beating the Blackhawks 5-3 last night and putting our young franchise in the books of hockey lore, becoming only the fourth team to ever start a season this well.

And we can thank one man in particular – Tomas Vokoun. And it doesn’t hurt to have a patient owner, Craig Leipold, who hasn’t shaken the team up despite some lacking years, and has stuck to the original game plan – that of developing the bulk of the team’s talent from within. Since the expansion draft, Paul Kariya is the only player I would characterize as a major acquisition. The additional cap room the team enjoys from this strategy makes roster filling a snap, and a serious playoff run this year all but inevitable.

Blake Wylie notes the feat as well over at NashvilleFiles.

The Predators are 2-0 in the preseason, not that it means all that much. Still, it’s good to see them playing somewhat well. I actually intended to go to the game last night, but had a last-minute change of plans.

Talk about a huge acquisition, David Poile did what I never thought could be done and brought a truly prolific scorer to Nashville.

Kariya, 30 (10/16/74), has posted 705 points (311g-394a) in 657 career NHL games over 10 seasons with Anaheim and Colorado, the most points by active NHL players age 31 or younger. The Vancouver native has been named to the NHL First All-Star Team three times (1996, 1997 and 1999) and the NHL Second All-Star Team twice (2000 and 2003).

That says it all.

I haven’t talked too much about hockey – there’s not been much to talk about up until about two weeks ago, but both Sarah and I are rabid Preds fans, and can’t wait to until the season starts. So, if you like the fastest game on earth, I hope you’ll like the posts.

If you don’t like it, call me, and we’ll go to a game.

UPDATE ESPN has the update. Kariya was signed for two years at $9 million. Quoth Kariya

“They have great goaltending, great work ethic, and if they lacked anything, it was some scoring punch up front. I looked at that as a big role I could fill, and I was really excited to come here and do that,” Kariya said.

Good. Let’s score some goals!

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I was slack and didn’t get any in time before they sold out. I’m not averse to buying them on the street, but would like to save myself the trouble. If anyone has two tickets for the opener tonight who does not want them or cannot go, please email me and I’ll meet up with you, wherever.

UPDATE Found some. I’m so glad Nashville is a hockey town. The crowds are amazing here, and we look like we’re going to have a good year. I can’t wait until Saturday night.