The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1997, and played their first game during the 1998–99 season. At the end of the 2018–19 season, 280 players, 17 goaltenders and 263 skaters (forwards and defenseman), have played at least one game for Predators in the regular or post-season.