Tom Fitzgerald was the first captain in Nashville Predators history.
He spent four seasons in Nashville before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks midway through the 2001-2002 season.
Fitz was never a big scorer and had to rely on his work ethic and intangibles to carve out a 17-year NHL career.
That leadership has translated into a career in the front office, with Fitzgerald named the GM of the New Jersey Devils in July of 2020.
Fitz’s white set preseason gamer is an intriguing one.
The NHL wore NHL2000 patches in the 1999-2000, but interestingly not every team wore them in the preseason. Some did and others did not, and unfortunately the Predators were one of those teams which did not.
Despite it being a preseason only sweater, this thing has a nice amount of wear.
The right sleeve has staining and marks throughout, as well as a mark on the sleeve #2. The left sleeve has two holes that have been glued, as well as a nice amount of stick marks. The front of the sweater has a stick mark below the crest, the “C” on the left breast, and of course the lack of an NHL2000 patch on the right breast.
The back of the jersey has an unrepaired hole on the right shoulder, some loose threads in the nameplate, and a stick mark on the back #1.
It’d be hard to count out Tom Fitzgerald when discussing Predators legends.
Fitz helped usher in hockey in the Music City, and was one of the primary ambassadors of the team to a populace that was just learning to embrace the greatest sport on Earth.