Bridgestone Arena

Bridgestone Arena sits right on Nashville's Broadway, smack in the middle of honky-tonk row, and serves as the home of the Predators. Known as "Smashville," it's built one of hockey's loudest and most distinctive atmospheres, with catfish routinely thrown onto the ice and a country-music pulse running through every game night. Its downtown location makes it a natural extension of the bars and live-music venues surrounding it, so the party often spills outside well before puck drop. Beyond hockey, it's one of the busiest arenas in the country for concerts and awards shows.

Opened in December 1996, the arena became the Predators' home when the franchise joined the NHL in 1998 and has hosted the NHL Draft twice, in 2003 and 2023, plus the 2016 NHL All-Star Game and three games of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. It's also become a country-music institution, hosting the CMA Awards annually since 2006 and the CMT Music Awards for much of the 2000s and 2010s. The building has drawn arena tours from Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and Garth Brooks, among others. "Smashville" and its catfish-tossing tradition have made it one of the most recognizable atmospheres in the NHL.