On Saturday, tornadoes ripped through Middle Tennessee, killing six people and leaving a path of destruction in their wake, and Sunday morning Nashville sports fans woke up to the news that beloved Titans star and Predators fan, Frank Wycheck had passed away.
It's been a tough weekend in Middle Tennessee.
An hour before Saturday's puck drop in Toronto, families in Middle Tennessee were hunkered down in their interior rooms praying for safety as severe weather and tornadoes ripped through the area. Suddenly thoughts of a four game win streak, the return of Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn to the team they helped get to the second round of the playoffs, and Luke Evangelista's first time playing in front of his hometown crowd disappeared as neighborhoods braced for what was coming.
Instead of disagreeing with calls on the ice, many Predators fans were calling friends and loved ones to make sure everyone was safe. Instead of cheering for their hockey team, Preds fans were asking their neighbors, "How can I help?"
Sunday morning brought daylight that revealed the destruction along with the dreadful news that a former Tennessee Titan had passed away unexpectedly. Pro Bowl tight end Frank Wycheck, one of the most beloved players to ever don the Titans blue, was just 52 years old. Wycheck was deeply rooted in Nashville as a Titan and also as a Predators fan. Even after his playing career ended, Wycheck's popularity grew as he became a fixture in sports radio.
Wycheck threw that much dissected lateral pass leading to the Music City Miracle on January 8, 2000. Nashville sports fans can likely remember exactly where they were when that played happened. (Me? I was in a basement apartment in Pittsburgh, PA with my husband — a passionate Oilers/Titans fan even before we moved to Middle TN. My husband walked away from the television because the game against the Bills seemed all but over. I watched the play unfold, and as Kevin Dyson ran down that sideline I hollered, "They're going to win it!" My husband thought I was joking until I dragged him in front of the TV to see the numerous replays). Twenty-three years later, that play and that player hold a special place in the heart of Tennessee sports fans.
The loss of life and property and the loss of Frank Wycheck put a Predators loss in Toronto in perspective this weekend. Sports are far less — and far more — than pucks in a net. It was a tough weekend in Tennessee, but a poignant reminder that while sports certainly aren't everything, the relationships between players and the sports community can be something very special.