Nick Saban may be done pacing the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, but make no mistake-he’s not done being part of a team. On Monday, the legendary former Alabama head coach spoke publicly about his new role as a minority owner of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, and he made it clear: this isn’t just a business move. It’s a way to fill a very real void.
“One of the biggest fears I had in retiring was that I’d been part of a team since I was 9 years old,” Saban said at a press conference in Nashville. “And when I retired, I was no longer part of a team.”
That sense of belonging, of being in the trenches with a group working toward a common goal, is what drove Saban for decades in college football. Now, he’s channeling that same energy into the Predators organization, joining forces with lead owner Jimmy Haslam in a move that’s more personal than professional.
“To have the opportunity to be partners with Mr. Haslam in a successful organization with a great brand like the Predators-it was really appealing to us,” Saban said. “An opportunity we were so excited to be able to take advantage of.”
Let’s be clear-Saban isn’t about to start diagramming power plays or breaking down penalty kill units. “I’m no expert in hockey,” he admitted with a smile. “So don’t look at me like I’m going to make some huge impact coaching around here because that’s not going to happen.”
But what he does bring is an elite understanding of what it takes to build a championship culture. And Haslam didn’t mince words about how valuable that is.
“Bringing Nick on board was the greatest no-brainer of all time,” Haslam said. “You have somebody who understands building a championship culture, who understands better than almost anybody in sports the process that’s needed to compete as a champion.”
Saban’s love of sports clearly hasn’t faded in retirement. He’s still on ESPN’s College GameDay, still deeply connected to the game-even if he’s no longer calling the shots on Saturdays.
“When I’m sitting during ‘GameDay’ in Oklahoma Stadium before they play or in Texas A&M Stadium before they play,” Saban said, “it gets me a little bit that I’d like to be playing in the game. But are you willing to do the 14-hour-a-day grind leading up to the game for the whole season? That’s what gets you when you get old.”
Still, his competitive fire hasn’t cooled. In fact, it’s starting to rub off on those around him-especially at home. He shared a telling moment involving his wife, Terry.
“To be honest, Miss Terry has never asked me who won a game,” Saban said. “Last night, I was looking at scores, and she asked me who won the Predators game. So this runs deep in our house.”
At the moment, the Predators are in a bit of a fight. With a 15-16-4 record, they sit sixth in the Central Division. Their 34 points leave them just two points out of the basement and a full 25 behind the division-leading Colorado Avalanche.
But Saban isn’t here to panic. He’s here to help instill the kind of organizational discipline and forward-thinking culture that turned Alabama into a perennial powerhouse.
“Process is just a definition of what you have to do to be successful,” Saban explained. “First, define what you want to do.
Then, what do you have to do to do it? And then how do you establish the discipline organizationally to be able to do it every day?”
That’s the Saban blueprint. It’s not about slogans or speeches-it’s about systems and standards.
And it’s not just top-down leadership, either. He emphasized that success starts with empowering individuals throughout the organization.
“My success probably was more about helping people be successful,” he said. “I wanted everybody in the organization to have goals and aspirations. I wanted to help them define what they had to do to achieve them and provide the leadership to help them do it.”
That mindset-getting everyone to “play like a champion,” as Saban put it-could be the kind of cultural spark the Predators need. And if he can help bring that edge to the front office, locker room, or anywhere in between, he’s all in.
“If there’s anything I can do to contribute to that process,” Saban said, “I’d be glad to be helpful.”
He may no longer be wearing a headset, but make no mistake-Nick Saban is still in the game.