At one of our recent store events, staff member Lauren C. had a chance to interview Big Ben Preds on his love of the Nashville Predators.
Since the January 15th game against the Blackhawks, Big Ben has become a Preds game presence. The Murfreesboro Preds fan has a growing notoriety for his bare all sense of Predators hockey pride.
Despite his crowd rallying performances at the Bridgestone Arena the Man in the Red Jersey is not the rabble rouser you might expect. “I still get nervous”, the nights that ideas have been harder to come by for the game. He wants this to be family friendly. He is clear about his messages: He wouldn’t ever have anything on his stomach that he wouldn’t want his son to see, like the word “suck”. “I’m just trying to have fun.”
Inspiration for Big Ben came thanks to the think tank of Cell Block 303. His JumboTron worthy stomach bearing the attendance number 17113 for the sold out game between Chicago’s Blackhawks and the Preds was to be a one time event. Little did he know that he would soon become, “The most popular belly in Bridgestone Arena”.
Two events rival for his favorite moments during the last few months of Preds games. The first and most personal moment was his 3 yr old son’s first game, March 12th, against the Colorado Avalance. With an arrow painted across his stomach he pointed to his son who, keeping with family tradition, had 1st Game written on his belly. He really looked forward to the first time he could take his son to the game and it couldn’t have been better. Secondly, the noted series win for the Preds against Anaheim. Just being in the arena for the win was an experience.
Overall the reaction he’s received has been positive and seems to be getting bigger and bigger. “We weren’t really sure,” some have said to Ben about when he first got started, “but now we look for you.” He loves the Preds crowd. “It feels like I’m with 17,000 family members.” And after the game, “That’s just my favorite part-the interaction.” Recently, Ben and Carrie Underwood got a chance to talk on during an intermission. Nashville’s Preds fans are always excited to see what will be the next game’s show from their local Big Ben.
You can follow Big Ben on his Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bigbenpreds) or on Twitter: @BigBenPreds. Also be sure to check out his new blog at http://bigben.section303.com/
