Time for a War. 7th Man- Are You Ready?

There will be a war at the "Bridge" tonight. A team that thought they were entitled to the cup has now found itself in a desperate struggle to stay alive in the competition for Lord Stanley's chalice. The Nashville Predators have outplayed the more glamorous Chicago Blackhawks by being tougher, more disciplined, and more aggressive.

Tonight, the Blackhawks will try to be the team with those attributes.

Whether they are sucessful is dependent on our coaches preparing the players for this battle and the players themselves answering the call.

I believe they can.

I also believe that the 7th man- you and I- played an important role in the outcome of game 3. I sit where I can see the faces of the players and coaches for both teams. There were two reactions to the roaring ovation that the Predators got during the second period TV timeout.

On the Predators bench, you could see some smiles and an acknowledgement that the 7th man was into the game and was willing to sacrifice their vocal cords to will their team to victory.

On the Chicago bench, there were looks of dismay as the volume swelled. Coaches struggled to be heard. Hawk players looked around in astonishment as they had never been a part of something like this.

Kudos to the Predators 7th man for a job well done.

But that was then, this is now.

As I said, it will be a war tonight. And in a battle, you bring all your resources to bear to secure victory. For the Predators, they have to be hard on the puck and disciplined. They have to hit and shoot the puck. The coaches have to adjust to the ebb and flow of the game.

And for you and me- the 7th Man? Tonight, we bring it like we have never brought it before. We make our 17,000 roar like the United Center in Chicago has never roared. We intimidate with the sound and the fury of Predator fans rising as one to exhort our team to victory.

7th Man- this is your time.