{"time":1782530702323,"blocks":[{"id":"BRbCGHFsSV","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The Hockey News has released its archive to all THN subscribers: 76 years of history, stories, and features."}},{"id":"Yowk4MKvyy","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Subscribe now to view the full THN Archives here"}},{"id":"krLZVpj8Uw","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Also, go to thn.com/free to subscribe."}},{"id":"8NzyB80tc1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Roman Empire—Feb 28, 2020 - VOL. 73, Issue. 04 - Ryan Kennedy"}},{"id":"mqvsmzfc","type":"video","data":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56/mp4","caption":"","autoplay":false,"controls":true,"muted":false,"stretched":true,"width":0,"height":0,"image":{"url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56/thumbnail"},"cdn":{"videoId":"554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56","libraryId":"372172","collectionId":"30032062-eefd-4041-a355-12ad05bc987b","cdnBaseUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net","mp4Url":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56/mp4","thumbnailUrl":"https://us-central1-deweb-519a7.cloudfunctions.net/mediaService-api/videos/554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56/thumbnail","previewAnimationUrl":"https://vz-052fc010-b27.b-cdn.net/554b094f-b695-4037-98c0-546ca07fec56/preview.webp"}}},{"id":"Ct9Hdn_9x2","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"YOU’D BE FORGIVEN IF you came out of the 2008 NHL draft in Ottawa thinking about someone other than Roman Josi. After all, this was the year of “Seen Stamkos?” when the Tampa Bay Lightning telegraphed their first overall selection of Sarnia Sting center Steven Stamkos as part of a rebranding for the franchise. And yet it was also an exciting year for defensemen, with the daring Drew Doughty, beastly Zach Bogosian and all-around excellent Alex Pietrangelo going in order after Stamkos. Heck, if you were looking for a hidden gem on the back end, you were probably intrigued by the skinny Swedish kid taken by the host Senators with the 15th overall pick – Frolunda’s Erik Karlsson."}},{"id":"MZLpu2Imve","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But over at Nashville’s table, GM David Poile and his team were pleased to land Josi early in the second round with the 38th pick. (Earlier, Nashville selected Colin Wilson seventh and Chet Pickard 18th.) Poile was happy, but a little puzzled. “His name wasn’t getting mentioned, other than by our scouts,” Poile said. “You hope he’s a guy you can swoop in and get. I realize he was a second-round pick, but there wasn’t a huge amount of fanfare about him, at least in my memory. I don’t remember anyone telling me, ‘That was a great pick,’ at the time. But we were bang-on.”"}},{"id":"rMYHC99zni","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Twelve years later, Josi is the captain of the Predators and a Norris Trophy candidate. Playing for a franchise that has made its name on defensemen, Josi is the top dog after years of learning from some of the best in the game. While Nashville is having a down season that saw coach Peter Laviolette fired and goaltending become an unusual weak spot, 29-year-old Josi is proving to be worth every penny of the eight-year, $72-million contract extension he signed last summer. And once it kicks in next season, he’ll still be paying dividends for a long time."}},{"id":"OUa1nZ2xcZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The story of Josi is the tale of development perfected. The kid from Bern, Switzerland, stayed home for two more years after the Predators drafted him, allowing him to get reps against men in his home nation’s best league and playing in multiple world juniors. He wasn’t among Nashville’s top 10 prospects in Future Watch 2009, but arrived in FW10 at fifth, then rose to third in FW11. When he came over to North America in 2010, the first thing he did was pay his dues in the AHL. “I like the way the process worked,” Poile said. “He was a young kid eager to come over, and he understood where he had to play. He went to Milwaukee, where we had a lot of good young guys at the time, then came to Nashville and played a lesser role behind guys like Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, where he learned the game and leadership.”"}},{"id":"oN3AO8_fDG","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"I DON’T REMEMBER ANYONE TELLING ME, ‘THAT WAS A GREAT PICK.’ BUT WE WERE BANG-ON– NASHVILLE GM DAVID POILE"}},{"id":"StIsc1mLaZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ah yes, Suter and Weber – they were OK for Nashville, eh? The Predators were building something special on their back end, but nothing came easy in Nashville in those days, when money from ownership was tight. Suter was a pending UFA in the summer of 2012 and ended up signing a massive 13-year deal worth $98 million with Minnesota. Soon after, Philadelphia smelled blood and tried to swipe Weber away with an offer sheet worth $110 million over 14 years. At the time, the situation looked bleak, but the Preds had a young ace up their sleeve. “Talk about timing,” Poile said. “That summer we lost Suter and matched the offer sheet on Weber. Suter was one of the top five or six defensemen in the league. People wondered how we were going to replace him, and bang, we had a replacement right there. Roman’s like a good stock. We bought low and we’re getting a very good return.”"}},{"id":"plcNRCKjdJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"And so, after a lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign split between Bern and Nashville, Josi began his master class in the NHL, helped along by captain Weber. “Just watching him prepare daily for practice, for games, the way he plays the game, there were so many things I learned from him,” Josi said. “He had a huge influence on my career.”"}},{"id":"SmzOFHeQ5k","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The admiration went both ways and continues to this day, even though Weber is now with Montreal. “Really good kid, works hard,” Weber said. “I enjoyed being around him. He was very young, at the start of his career. You could see the talent there. He just needed time. As you grow as a player you get more experience and consistency and his game has grown, it speaks for itself.”"}},{"id":"biYcmxcDYR","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Looking back at the Predators’ 2013-14 defense corps is wild. Weber and Josi were joined by Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, all of whom have become fantastic NHLers and, in the case of the first three, Norris Trophy candidates, albeit with different teams. “Roman is a special player,” said Jones, the ex-Pred and current Columbus star. “Probably twice the player now than he was when I was there. He’s grown that much. His offensive instinct was one of the best I’ve seen. We were both starting to get into our careers, and he was a great guy off the ice.”"}},{"id":"UCUeG-Stc6","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Poile describes that time as “priceless” for Josi, as he could take as many lessons as possible from partner Weber and use them to grow. “Everybody learns from different guys,” Poile said. “You watch, you learn, you steal things from other people’s games, you see how they conduct themselves as a pro off the ice: how they dress, how they engage the community, what charitable work they do. Shea Weber was the man in Nashville, and now Roman is doing the same things.”"}},{"id":"m7p9i1S3l1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But Josi doesn’t just draw his mentors from hockey. Like a number of other NHL stars, he’s a huge fan of tennis icon Roger Federer. The fact both of them are Swiss surely has something to do with it, but Josi sees a true professional in Federer, and following the tennis player’s career has clearly influenced his own athletic trade. “First of all, he’s the best ever, don’t question me on that,” Josi said. “Then it’s the way he behaves. With all the success he’s had, he’s still a humble person. I’ve got to meet him a couple times, and that was definitely something that impressed me.”"}},{"id":"jgi4p8PajI","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"When Weber was traded for P.K. Subban, Mike Fisher took the ‘C’ for a season before Josi was named captain in 2017. In determining who would wear the ‘C,’ Poile and Laviolette consulted not only each other but also a lot of people in the organization, from hockey operations to trainers and equipment staff, and the feedback all suggested Josi would make a great leader. Now, Poile sees a player who has evolved into the role and someone who is a lot more vocal than he used to be in the dressing room. “You learn a lot when you become captain,” Josi said. “Shea had a big influence, Mike Fisher, too, those were two great captains. As you go on, there are so many ups and downs, and you learn to deal with certain situations. It’s been a lot of fun and a huge honor to be captain.”"}},{"id":"jp1Qq5l3vX","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"SHEA WEBER HAD A BIG INFLUENCE, MIKE FISHER, TOO, THOSE WERE TWO GREAT CAPTAINS– ROMAN JOSI"}},{"id":"Wbtu5ySb-2","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-select-forward-wyatt-cullen-with-10th-overall-pick-in-nhl-draft","meta":{"title":"Nashville Predators Select forward Wyatt Cullen With 10th Overall Pick In NHL Draft","site_name":"The Hockey News","url":"https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-select-forward-wyatt-cullen-with-10th-overall-pick-in-nhl-draft","description":"The Smashville legacy continues as playmaking forward Wyatt Cullen joins the ranks, bringing a hard-nosed offensive style and deep NHL roots to the Predators’ promising young core.","image":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/86e22dd9-fa94-454a-b5e5-c29fd5c75877.jpeg","type":"jpeg","width":"1150","height":"493"}}}},{"id":"8CJsTGHYPN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Before he earned the ‘C,’ Josi also got a taste of the ultimate prize in hockey – the Stanley Cup final. The Predators fell to Pittsburgh in six games in the spring of 2017, but the playoff run left an indelible mark on Josi, who was on the cusp of taking the next step in his career. “You realize how hard it is,” Josi said. “It’s such a long journey, but it’s such an awesome journey. The games are hard, the games are intense, there are so many momentum swings, but looking back it was unbelievable to have a run like that. It makes you want to go back and get the win this time.”"}},{"id":"5wTbHA8zbf","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That Cup run also threw a huge spotlight on Nashville itself, where the party scene on Broadway and the car-smashing fun outside of Bridgestone Arena helped many an outsider fall in love with the city. It’s something Josi was already privileged to know about. “The fans have always been great in Nashville,” he said. “I remember the first time I played at home, I was like, ‘Wow, this is loud and the crowd is awesome.’ With us going to the Cup final, it took it to another level, and it’s definitely a hockey city. The support we get is unbelievable.”"}},{"id":"U-j4tROCcJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"And the city’s cultural DNA is seeping into Josi’s life as well. Coming from Switzerland, he knew nothing about country music when he arrived in Tennessee, but after years of meeting some of the genre’s biggest stars at Preds games, he’s taken a shine to it. He also found the love of his life in Nashville. Ellie Ottaway is from the suburbs of Detroit, but the fashion model moved to Nashville to study music at Belmont University. Josi and Ottaway were engaged at Christmas of 2017 and tied the knot last summer (and just to make the story even more Nashville, their venue used to be Reba McEntire’s house)."}},{"id":"G-Bou1RV1r","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Of all the growth that has come to Josi, settling down is right up there in terms of impact. “I definitely feel like I’m at a different point in my life,” he said. “You’re married, two dogs, living a little bit outside the city, things definitely change. I love spending time at home with my wife and my dogs, it’s good.”"}},{"id":"bXTaR-TTy3","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"So the off-ice component of Josi’s life is locked in. On the ice, hope is not lost for a playoff spot. The West is wide open, and Nashville still has their solid array of blueliners who can change a game at either end. While Subban is now struggling in New Jersey, three of the D-men from the Weber era are still hanging around, making more of an impact than ever. “Most of us, Ellis and Ekholm and me, we’ve been playing together a long time,” Josi said. “We grew up together in Nashville…We have such a great group of guys and some really good defensemen.”"}},{"id":"Ul7oG8_fGD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Josi is having the best season of his career, averaging about a point per game and playing more than 26 minutes a night – putting him among the NHL’s leaders and opening eyes league-wide. “I’m a big fan,” said Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele. “He’s unbelievable. He skates really well, he’s got a good stick, thinks the game really fast, and his offensive talent is pretty special. He’s not just offensive, he’s not just defensive, he does it all. He skates so well, it makes it tough to beat him.”"}},{"id":"zx8mb12ffZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"While Washington’s John Carlson will have something to say about it, Josi is in the conversation for his first Norris Trophy. And with years of productive hockey left, he has found his sweet spot both on and off the ice. So what advice would he give to Young Josi, that eager kid from Bern? “Enjoy it,” he said. “It goes by so quick. I remember the day I came into the league and played my first game. Now I’m 29 turning 30 in my ninth season.”"}},{"id":"Z2DlE-Wr08","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Thinking back to those early days, Poile can still picture the fresh-faced Josi, full of potential and positivity. “Always a smile on his face, upbeat, someone who loved to play the game,” Poile said. “You felt right away that this kid could be really good. His skating, his personality, every game I’ve ever seen he’s got the puck all the time, and that’s not exactly the norm for a defenseman. I don’t think any of us had the foresight to see how the game would change in 10 years, but if we did we wouldn’t have taken him in the second round, we would’ve taken him in the first.”"}},{"id":"5BiZNCMpBq","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"HE’S UNBELIEVABLE. HE’S NOT JUST OFFENSIVE, HE’S NOT JUST DEFENSIVE, HE DOES IT ALL– MARK SCHEIFELE"}},{"id":"jNJMv9iRjV","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That certainly would have caused a lot of chatter on the draft floor, but the result would have been the same: Roman Josi, captain of the Predators, here to pleasantly exceed your expectations – even if those who were around at the beginning could see the future. “Nashville knew,” Jones said. “We all knew how good he was going to be.”"}},{"id":"mfeKfJWdG4","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-select-defensemen-tommy-bleyl-after-acquiring-pick-31-from-hurricanes","meta":{"title":"Nashville Predators Select Defensemen Tommy Bleyl After Acquiring Pick 31 From Hurricanes","site_name":"The Hockey News","url":"https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/nashville-predators-select-defensemen-tommy-bleyl-after-acquiring-pick-31-from-hurricanes","description":"Nashville bolstered their thin prospect pool by trading back into the first round, securing a high-scoring, mobile playmaker poised to become the future anchor of their blue line.","image":{"url":"https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/3019d8f9-d7f0-48cc-9bf2-90d63a8f064d.jpeg","type":"jpeg","width":"1150","height":"493"}}}}],"version":"2.31.6"}

Nashville's 5-3 Loss to Tampa Bay: Predators Need to Do More and Less