The team was named after the fossil skull of a saber-toothed cat, a species extinct for at least 10,000 years, was found in a cave during the excavation for the AmSouth Center in August 1971, in Nashville. The fossil is only the fifth of its kind found in North America.

When awarded a franchise, the Predators got a very lucrative deal. The city of Nashville paid 31.25% of the $80 million fee to join the league. The city also absorbs operating losses from the arena, despite the fact that the Gaylord Entertainment Center is operated by a subsidiary of the team.

The Predators first took the ice on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1-0 at home to the Florida Panthers. Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 for their first win. Forward Andrew Brunette scored the first goal on a play that was reviewed by the video goal judge.

2004 playoffs

In the 2003-04 NHL season, the Nashville Predators, under coach Barry Trotz, made their first trip to the playoffs, as the eighth seeded team in the Western Conference with a franchise record 91 points. However, they were left with the daunting task of facing the heavily-favored and top seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round, eventually going down in a tough-fought 6 games. They did, however, win their first two home playoff games.

Their best performance prior to their breakout season in 2003-04 was in 2000-01, when they finished with 80 points, 10th place in the Western Conference.

2005-06 season

In 2005-06, the Predators set an NHL record by winning their first four games by one goal each (although two of those were shootout victories, which would have been tie games in previous seasons). They also became only the fourth NHL franchise to start the season 8-0; the last time a team did so was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who set the mark with a 10-0 start in 1993. The Predators set the franchise mark for wins in a season with a 2-0 shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes on March 16, 2006. By the end of the 2005-06 season, the Predators had accumulated 106 points and clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in team history. They also finished the season with an NHL best 32-8-1 record at home.

2006 playoffs

The Predators began the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the 4th seed and faced the 5th seeded San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Game 1 of the series went to the Predators, who scored four power play goals downing the Sharks 4-3. The first star of the game was Paul Kariya, who had led the Predators in regular-season scoring and assisted on all four goals in that game.

In Game 2, Sharks goaltender Vesa Toskala posted his first postseason victory and shutout, and the Sharks defeated the Predators 3-0. In Game 3, the Predators fell to the Sharks 4-1. The Predators rallied from a 5-2 deficit, scoring their first even-strength goals of the series, but again fell to the Sharks 5-4 in Game 4. Finally, despite a flurry of shots in the final minute, the Predators were defeated by the Sharks 2-1 in Game 5, which eliminated Nashville from the playoffs. Regular season back-up Chris Mason, who was forced into the starting position after the Predators discovered starter Tomas Vokoun had a rare blood disorder, could not easily keep the Sharks at bay, least of all Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo, who, on April 19, 2006, were described by the Associated Press's Greg Beacham as "the Sharks' scoring engine".

On July 18, 2006, long time fan favorite and team leader Scott Walker was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Josef Vasicek. Walker left as the franchise's all time leading scorer. This was immediately followed on July 19, 2006 by the trading of another fan favorite Adam Hall. Hall was sent to the New York Rangers in exchange for Dominic Moore, and then Moore was immediately shipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Predators prospect Libor Pivko in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft.

Legend of the catfish

Fans of the Nashville Predators have created their own unique tradition to show their support: on occasion, a fan will throw a catfish onto the ice. The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville cites the first instance of this on October 30, 2003. The Predators were facing the Detroit Red Wings at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, and a fan managed to toss the raw fish over the glass and onto the ice in celebration of Nashville's first goal of the contest, which the Predators ultimately won. The fan's fish-toss set a precedent, and fans smuggle the catfish into the arena (likely by keeping them up against their skin, as security searches bags but doesn't frisk fans) and fling the fish onto the ice, often in celebration of the Predators' first goal of the game. In fact, at least four catfish wound up on the ice after the first Nashville goal in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on November 13th, 2003. Fans who get caught throwing anything onto the ice are escorted out of the arena, yet it doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent—this tradition continues on occasion even now.

The reason for choosing a catfish is not entirely clear. It is possible (though unlikely) that the fish referenced the Predators' status as "bottom-feeders" in the NHL's Western Conference for much of the team's early existence. It may also have had something to do with the Catfish Out of Water art festival which took place around the time the tradition began; this festival resulted in over 50 fiberglass catfish sculptures being placed throughout Music City, including one painted in a hockey scheme located on the GEC plaza.

The most plausible theory regarding the smelly fish regards a rivalry. The biggest rivals of the Nashville Predators are the legendary Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings have a similar tradition where fans fling octopuses onto the ice, with the creature's eight legs symbolizing the eight wins it once took the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup. With the deep dislike of the Red Wings, it is likely a fan decided to create a Southern answer to the long standing tradition, and the catfish--a Southern trademark--was a fairly logical choice.
Nashville's alternate logo; a more detailed, three-quarters front view of the team's saber toothed cat logo.

Sometime around 8:34pm Central time on Wednesday, February 8th, 2006 (with 13 minutes and change left in the 3rd period), the Predators and their foul-smelling tradition made history again. The Preds were playing the Red Wings in Detroit, and the Joe Louis Arena got its first known taste of catfish. Nashville was down 4-0, and a fan calmly approached the glass and heaved the fish to the ice--the very same ice which has seen so many octopuses in the past. After chucking the catfish, the fan removed his jacket to reveal an autographed jersey of Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun, who had been pulled after two periods, giving up the four goals. According to the Predators' announcers (Pete Weber and Terry Crisp) the fan known as Catfish Kenny likely was waiting for Nashville's first goal of the game, but whether due to impatience or the likely growing odor of the catfish, decided to throw the fish early. His actions - including revealing his jersey and thus, his allegiance, earned him a hasty exit from the game. The Predators had no luck on that night, however, as the Red Wings and their historically octopus-flinging fans would enjoy being the 6-0 victor in that contest. Catfish Kenny also struck again in the season finale April 18 vs the Red Wings shortly after Paul Kariya's Hat Trick.