Kneeling in the End Zone Game of the Week

The Game: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim vs. Nashville Predators, NHL, happening right now (Preds lead 4-1 in the third)

Synopsis: This game, the season opener for both the Ducks and the Preds, is only significant to those who are fans of one of the two teams playing. For me, a Predators fan, this game is hope on ice. I'll let Kneeling in the End Zone: Spiritual Lessons From the World of Sports explain:

At the beginning of each season in team sports, every team is 0-0: winless and undefeated with a winning percentage that mathematically does not exist. Each team has an opportunity to end the season by winning a championship. Christians believe that, through Christ, we also get an opportunity to start again. . . . Being re-created or reborn is a key aspect of any Christian's faith journey, whether this rebirth occurs (as some suggest) in a single transcendent life-altering experience or (as other insist) continually through the persistent prodding of God's grace. . . . Thus no one need be held captive by sin. Even if one is eliminated from the playoffs before the all-star break (in the figurative sense), by God's grace and through Christ's death and resurrection, one can leave these failings behind and look forward to a new season.

The Predators have ended five of the last six seasons with a first-round Playoff exit. They've had a lot of talent on their roster (especially for a small-market team), but they haven't been able to put together a postseason run in the NHL's deep and competitive Western Conference. I hope this year will be different. I have a lot of faith in the Preds' core of young talent—Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and goalie Pekka Rinne (who left tonight's game with an injury)—and look forward to what the season will bring.