Nashville Predators billboards near Raleigh spark phone-a-thon from Hurricanes fans
Nashville, Tennessee-based Realtor Gary Ashton gathered his team Wednesday for one of their first big meetings since the COVID-19 pandemic when he received a call from the front desk.
Things were getting crazy.
There are six phone lines in the office and three staffers who field calls, and they were all being overrun by people who had no interest in seeing his properties. But they may have seen his signs.
Ashton, whose company is the official Realtor of the Nashville Predators, purchased three billboards that said ‘Let’s go Preds’ around Knightdale, Rolesville and Youngsville. He wanted to have them positioned so that the team would see them en route to PNC Arena for their NHL Stanley Cup playoff games against the Carolina Hurricanes, but that was the closest he could get.
The Predators Twitter account tweeted out its approval of the signs. But once the Canes account got a hold of it, that’s when things changed.
They Canes account instructed fans “not” to call the number on the billboard and flood the phone lines.
“I really wasn’t expecting the Preds to tweet it, so that was huge,” Ashton said. “But then the funny part is when the Canes tweeted yesterday. Our main phone line was blowing up with calls, which is fun. I mean, if it goes on for the next month, it’s gonna be annoying. I’m gonna have to change the number.”
Carolina fans call to say ‘Go Canes’
Ashton said it’s all been in good fun. Most of the calls were just fans saying “Go Canes,” and hanging up. A few people asked for Gary, but he said there are two other people with his first name on his realty team.
None of the calls got through to him personally. What the front desk couldn’t handle, calls went through to their answering service.
“There was nothing bad, nobody was rude or obnoxious, I didn’t get any death threats,” Ashton said. “The whole thing has been fun really, that’s the best way to look at it. That’s the good thing about hockey fans they can have good banter and nobody takes it personal.”
Ashton said he is from England and moved to Nashville in 2000. Back then, he was in full pursuit of his music dreams because he’s a “pretty good drummer, which makes you average in Nashville.” Ashton was more of a soccer and rugby fan before his arrival in the U.S., but soon took to the Tennessee Titans (he’s their official Realtor, too) and the Predators.
“All hockey fans pride themselves on the level of support or the loyalty,” Ashton said. “So you can obviously see that with Cane fans and then you’ll see that on Friday with the Preds. It’s gonna be a good battle.”
Carolina heads to Nashville for a 7 p.m. game on Friday armed with a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven series. Should the series return to Raleigh for game five, it will be played on Tuesday in PNC Arena.
Hurricanes vs. Predators
What: Game 3, Stanley Cup playoff first-round series.
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: BSSO (Bally)
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 2:04 PM.