In His Own Words: The Voice of the Predators Reflects on 25 Years & 2,000 Calls

In recognition of the Voice of the Predators Pete Weber’s 2,000 games called and 25 years in Smashville, the Nashville Predators recently asked Weber to recount his “most unforgettable” moments.

There’s just one problem.

Weber, as those who meet or converse with him quickly come to find out, does not forget much - especially when it comes to his beloved Predators.

With that in mind, below are just a few of the countless memories Weber has amassed over the last 25 years and 2,000-plus games, with insights into each from the Voice of the Predators himself:

Oct. 10, 1998 - Nashville's Inaugural Game

“That was a special night, to be certain. But what I remember more than anything else is the standing ovation for the first faceoff. People stood as the puck was dropped at center ice - and we should keep in mind that this was the first time that the Predators had ever performed for the home crowd, because we didn't even play the preseason games there… So, the enthusiasm was absolutely genuine, and it was the best way to measure how they felt about having this team for the first time. But there was one thing I made sure of, because of what I had learned from Buffalo when they started their franchise in 1970. Seymour Knox went down to the ice to drop the ceremonial first puck and he didn't have a puck with him. So, I made sure Craig Leipold had a puck so he could do it properly.”

April 11, 2004 - First Home Playoff Game, Win in Franchise History

“According to many, we should not have had a sellout crowd. We're in the Bible Belt, it was Easter Sunday afternoon and it was sold out. And it was louder than any church possibly could have been… When David Legwand stole the puck away from Darien Hatcher and scored shorthanded, the place was really up for grabs, and I was very happy that I was wearing a headset so that my hearing was somewhat protected from the noise level in the building.”

April 24, 2011 - “Yo Adrian, they did it!” First Playoff Series Win in Franchise History

“Rocky II was my favorite of the Rocky flicks. And I couldn't think of anything more appropriate after all those frustrations and all those first round losses than to bring up, ‘Yo Adrian, they did it.’ Of course, that was as Rocky walked out of the ring that night with Mick, and I was at the filming at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. I was working for the Kings when they did that, and that line really hit me.”

April 20, 2012 - First Playoff Series Win Over Detroit

“The image that is still burned in my mind is the handshake line and Nicklas Lidström shaking hands with Shea Weber. I always considered that to be the passing of the torch… ‘To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high.’ That’s what occurred to me right now, and I can’t draw stick figures, but I think artistically, I could put that out there.”

May 5, 2016 - “Go ape!” Mike Fisher Scores in Triple Overtime

“It's a school night. The stands are still packed. It's 1:05 or 1:06 in the morning when that goal goes in, and even my nieces in Knoxville were jumping up and down like banshees. It was just incredible to observe. And that part of it, for me, was an out-of-body experience… You could hear Brent Peterson exclaim rather loudly - which is not his regular approach to life. There was no television broadcast for the Preds that night, because it was the second round of the playoffs, and Crispy was up hanging around in the booth with us. And after Fisher scored, Crispy squeezed Brent to the point where he lost all the oxygen out of his lungs, and that's why Brent exclaimed as he did.”

June 5, 2017 - First Home Stanley Cup Final Game, Win in Franchise History

“That whole Cup Final, my god. The news conferences were a lot of fun. And so many of us who were with the franchise from the beginning got together and posed for pictures. It was Crispy, me, [Head Equipment Manager] Pete Rogers, Brent Peterson… But that was so much fun for all of us. We really were able to soak it all in, though we would have liked to have soaked in a little bit more, like the booze coming out of the Stanley Cup.”

Jan. 9, 2020 - “Rinne takes a long, elevated shot…” Pekka Rinne’s Goalie Goal

“It was tremendous. I'll never forget that. And I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw him practice that at [Centennial Sportsplex]. Matter of fact, he and [Juuse Saros] would take shots at each other at the end of practice. And so I had no doubt that he was capable of doing it… It was just absolutely amazing. It was a great show of force, a great show of finesse, and the look on his face when we zoomed in for a closer look was something special.”

May 10, 2021 - Rinne’s Farewell

“There were a lot of tears in these eyes, and I think since then I've gone to the eye doctor for dry eye - probably because Pekka emptied my tear ducts doing what he had done that night. So, I enjoyed that and I was happy to see that he was able to drink it all in. And it was clear that that's what he was doing. He enjoyed it immeasurably, and he deserved it.”

April 17, 2022 - Crispy’s Farewell Broadcast, Blues vs. Predators

“It was not a good game. It was a horrendous game. And not unlike some of what we had in the first couple of years… But working with Crispy was an absolute dream. And I've got to give full credit here to [former Predators Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Relations] Gerry Helper, who had the foresight to put us together from what he knew of me in Buffalo and Terry in Tampa. He figured we would be of a like mind, and we are.”

Nov. 28, 2023 - Weber’s 2,000th Call

“Well, number one I'm not doing a simulcast anymore, and I just concentrate on the radio, which is much more fun for me. I'm not worrying about morning production meetings and going over what I might say if such and such happens. It’s just about painting the picture as it pops up to me. But nothing much has changed, other than the hockey savvy of the fans, which has increased greatly over the course of the years.”