Saban trades Crimson Tide for Predators' den, bringing winning culture and championship ambition to Nashville's hockey scene.
Nick Saban has always been interested in hockey.
It started when he was Michigan State's head football coach in the mid-90s. He said he was close with Spartans hockey coach Ron Mason, who led MSU to a national title in 1986 and seven Frozen Four appearances.
Later, after becoming Alabama's head coach and establishing a dynasty there, he looked to get involved in sports team ownership in Nashville.
Predators chairman Bill Haslam approached Saban about bringing a WNBA team to Nashville, but Saban left the door open to take an ownership role with the Predators.
On Dec. 17, the Nashville Predators announced that Saban and business partner Joe Agresti purchased a minority stake in the franchise through Dream Sports Ventures LLC, a venture they own.
On Friday, Saban joined Haslam to introduced himself to local media.
"One of the biggest fears I had when retiring was that I was no longer going to be a part of a team," Saban said. "When Mr. Haslam gave us the opportunity to be a part of this team...with a great brand like the Predators was really something that was appealing to us and an opportunity that was so exciting to take advantage of."
"It's exciting as hell to be a part of this organization. The couple of games that we've been to in the past, the fans, the enthusiasm, the passion, and the organization were tremendous. The brand is really outstanding. I think hockey is one of the sports that's growing the fastest."
A lot of the conversation centered on what Saban's role as an owner would look like compared to being a coach. Saban was straightforward in saying that there was more he needed to learn about the sport, but wanted to help build a "championship culture" in Nashville.
"I don't know much about hockey, so don't look at me like I'm going to have some huge impact coaching around here, cause that's not going to happen, but I do have a pretty good idea of what it takes to have successful organizations," Saban said.
"They (Predators ownership) want to be successful and so do the town and the fans that support it."
Haslam hammered home the point that Saban knows how to create success, as evidenced by his 297 wins as a head coach, the sixth most in college football history.
"When I talk to the coach, we both understand we're not going to coach this team. We're not going to decide who we draft. We're not going to decide what's going to happen at the trade deadline," Haslam said. "But he does bring a history of winning, I'd argue, almost like no one else. I love it that he wants to be involved here."
Saban was asked how often he would be in Nashville and said it all depended on what Haslam wanted. Haslam responded, saying Saban would be on full-time.
Saban then talked about one of his most recent visits to the team, which was during rookie camp in late June. He spoke to the team and challenged them to be champions.
"I challenged them to be a team that nobody wants to play against. That was always our goal at Alabama," Saban said. "That's how you compete, the toughness you play with and the disposition that you go out there and compete with."
When asked about his interactions with General Manager Barry Trotz, Saban said he was a "good guy" and that he was there to support Trotz and the team's success.
Saban said that he is making an effort to learn the sport more through his own experiences, which include finding ways to bring the best players to teams, the best people into the organization, and how to get all those factors to contribute to overall success.
As for a coaching change, Saban is staying far away from the ice as much as he can, as he revealed that he knows how to skate but isn't a skater.
"I'm from a coal mine town in West Virginia. We didn't have any ice. We didn't have any ice skates and there was nobody playing hockey within 100 miles," Saban said. "I have skated, I wouldn't know I'm a skater. I don't know if you're going to see me on the ice or not."
"That was not a prerequisite for the job," Haslam joked.
Up next: Nashville Predators (15-16-4, 6th in Central) at Minnesota Wild (22-10-5, 3rd in Central) on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. CST at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minn.