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WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
The puck dropped Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena for the first time this fall but the players weren't the ones most hockey fans would expect.
As the NHL lockout drags on, the Preds organization is opening the ice to some lesser known skaters.
All the pieces were there: the face-offs, the hits and everything hockey fans love.
"Just the speed and the fun that goes with the whole environment of the sport," said Brent Hooper, a fan of the Predators.
Bridgestone Arena finally had a taste of hockey Saturday night, when the minor league Knoxville Ice Bears took on the Huntsville Havoc.
"Any hockey that's coming into the area is an absolute blast for any fan," Hooper said.
The game capped off a full day of hockey at Bridgestone that included a Vanderbilt alumni game and an adult skills clinic where average Joes got a crash course in hockey taught by the same coaches that work with Martin Erat and Pekka Rinne.
"Trotzy was on the ice," said 66-year-old participant Rick Oliver. "He was riding me a little bit or giving me some good instruction, so that was fun."
Saturday night was originally scheduled for a game between the Penguins and the Predators, and while fans say they enjoyed Saturday's community events, what they would really like to see is the NHL lockout come to an end.
"We're all hoping that it will get solved real soon and that it will be back," Oliver said.
On Friday, the NHL announced games would be canceled through November 1st, which means the Preds organization has to work even harder to keep the fans engaged.
"That for us is a challenge as an organization," said Stu Grimson a Predators broadcaster. "We need to be out there, connect with people at every possible opportunity and this was, in my opinion, a prime example of that."
But the fans say, those efforts only go so far.
"It's extremely difficult as a fan because you're sitting on pins and needles really waiting for a good word from the players and the league," Hooper said. "It's just completely unfortunate for everybody."
A Predators spokesperson said 6,021 fans attended Saturday's minor league game and part of the proceeds of will go to the Vanderbilt Children s Hospital.
As the NHL lockout drags on, the Preds organization is opening the ice to some lesser known skaters.
All the pieces were there: the face-offs, the hits and everything hockey fans love.
"Just the speed and the fun that goes with the whole environment of the sport," said Brent Hooper, a fan of the Predators.
Bridgestone Arena finally had a taste of hockey Saturday night, when the minor league Knoxville Ice Bears took on the Huntsville Havoc.
"Any hockey that's coming into the area is an absolute blast for any fan," Hooper said.
The game capped off a full day of hockey at Bridgestone that included a Vanderbilt alumni game and an adult skills clinic where average Joes got a crash course in hockey taught by the same coaches that work with Martin Erat and Pekka Rinne.
"Trotzy was on the ice," said 66-year-old participant Rick Oliver. "He was riding me a little bit or giving me some good instruction, so that was fun."
Saturday night was originally scheduled for a game between the Penguins and the Predators, and while fans say they enjoyed Saturday's community events, what they would really like to see is the NHL lockout come to an end.
"We're all hoping that it will get solved real soon and that it will be back," Oliver said.
On Friday, the NHL announced games would be canceled through November 1st, which means the Preds organization has to work even harder to keep the fans engaged.
"That for us is a challenge as an organization," said Stu Grimson a Predators broadcaster. "We need to be out there, connect with people at every possible opportunity and this was, in my opinion, a prime example of that."
But the fans say, those efforts only go so far.
"It's extremely difficult as a fan because you're sitting on pins and needles really waiting for a good word from the players and the league," Hooper said. "It's just completely unfortunate for everybody."
A Predators spokesperson said 6,021 fans attended Saturday's minor league game and part of the proceeds of will go to the Vanderbilt Children s Hospital.
Monday, October 22 2012, 05:59 AM CDT
Tennessee News
Man pleads guilty to Memphis officer's murder
May 21, 2013 22:22 GMT
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A former death row inmate is set to be released from prison after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of a Memphis police officer.
Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich said Tuesday that she has accepted Timothy McKinney's guilty plea.
McKinney was convicted of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Officer Don Williams. The officer was killed outside a comedy club in December 1997.
McKinney appealed and won a new trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury. A third trial earlier this year also ended in a hung jury.
The Commercial Appeal reports that McKinney was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Since he's already served more than 15 years -- including 11 on death row -- McKinney will be released this week.
Williams' family opposed the settlement.
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