Photo: Getty
It was a bittersweet moment for Peter Laviolette, who returned to Bridgestone Arena for the first time since becoming head coach for the Washington Capitals. The Nashville Predators honored their former bench boss along with assistant coach Kevin McCarthy and defenseman Matt Irwin with a tribute video during the first period of Tuesday’s game.
The video thanked the three of them for their time in Nashville.
Welcome back, Peter, Kevin and Matt!
Thank you for all you did for Smashville! pic.twitter.com/akUIvukotu
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 16, 2022
Laviolette racked up 248 wins in six seasons with the Predators and took them to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
#Preds scoreboard tribute to Peter Laviolette, Kevin McCarthy, and Matt Irwin in their returns: pic.twitter.com/tBlxNcOxas
— ESPN 102.5 The Game (@1025TheGame) February 16, 2022
He is one win shy from becoming the tenth coach in NHL history to reach the 700-win milestone.
The Laviolette thank you from the #Preds. Classy. And you could tell the diehards have a deep appreciation for what he did here. A LOT of empty seats kept the reaction pretty ho-hum overall. @NC5 pic.twitter.com/416d1RjZJQ
— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) February 16, 2022
By Della Young
