A nearby water main break flooded Bridgestone Arena and postponed both Friday’s Nashville Predators game against the Colorado Avalanche and Saturday’s against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Friday’s game was slated to begin at 1 p.m. A makeup date for both games will be determined soon, according to a tweet from the NHL.
The event level of the arena was ‘significantly impacted’ by the flooding. Bystanders spotted flooding inside the arena as water rushed down the stairs outside around 7 a.m. Friday.
The water main break happened on 6th Avenue South just outside the arena and sent water flooding into the main concourse and event level, Nashville Predators chief marketing officer Bill Wickett told The Tennessean. ‘The water main got shut off, but I think it ran for about two hours,’ Wickett said.
Wickett said the water was receding inside the building and cleanup efforts were underway.
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All lighting systems appeared to be functioning Friday morning, Predators CEO Sean Henry said in a news briefing. Water flowed from the concourse into the event level. Electricity and water was shut off as crews worked. Henry said anywhere between a few inches to three feet of water gathered in different parts of the arena.
Henry said they are working to get things dried out and taking down damaged tiles, walls and ceiling panels before calculating repair costs.
‘The focus for us right now is assessing the building and getting it ready for events as fast as possible,’ Henry said.
The Music City Hockey Classic, a college hockey event set for Friday night, is being moved to Ford Ice Center Bellevue.
