Hawks have some history with Music City's hot spots

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Music City.

If you love country music, then this is definitely the place for you.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum sits across the street from Bridgestone Arena, where the Blackhawks and Predators are playing this week, and a block away is the historic Ryman Auditorium, the "Mother Church" of country music, as it is called here.

The Ryman was built in 1892 and was home to the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-74 and is where all the greats of country music have performed.

Bridgestone Arena is on Broadway, the most famous street in town littered with Honky Tonks, such as Legends Corner and Tootsies Orchid Lounge. Most of these establishments feature live music starting at 11 a.m., until the wee hours.

If Tootsies Orchid Lounge sounds familiar it's because it has a tiny place in Hawks history.

That's where former Hawks coach Brian Sutter made headlines by physically engaging one of his players, Tyler Arnason, late in the 2003-04 season.

Sutter denied he got physical with Arnason, at the time the Hawks' second-line center who often lacked the motivation to live up to his considerable skill level.

"I was explaining to him how he needed to be a better player and he was explaining to me how he thought he was," Sutter told the Daily Herald a few days after the incident. "He was standing there with a few other guys, and I was trying to make Arnie understand what it takes to be a good teammate, and he was there saying he believed he was.

"Let's put it this way: These are the types of conversations we have with Arnie over and over this year."