Jordin Tootoo Sober for a Year

One year ago Tuesday, Tootoo was in a different spot. He had a problem. He knew it. The Predators knew it. Those who cared for him knew it.

But nothing had been done to alter it. That all changed on Dec. 19, when Tootoo decided he didn’t want to drink anymore. And one year later he has morphed into a stronger hockey player, a diligent member of the Nashville and hockey communities and a role model for multiple people.

“He was in a lonely place,” Predators coach Barry Trotz said. “He’s not so lonely anymore.”