Hockey news

My childhood dentist, Dr. James McPherson, died Monday in Nashville of a heart attack. He was just 58. He was team dentist for the Tennessee Titans pro football team, and also the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators.

He was a friend of my family, and a few years ago he invited us to watch a hockey game from his skybox at the arena. It was a lovely time. After the game, he escorted us into the Predators' locker room and showed us his dentist's chair, in what he called his chamber of horrors. (That's Dr. Mac. Note the Predators logo on the door.) He also introduced us to Gary Roberts, then star forward with the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. (Dr. Mac is behind Roberts, and to the right is my brother-in-law, Roberts' biggest fan.)

It has been said that Nashville is the only hockey town in which the fans are missing more teeth than the players, but not if Dr. Mac had anything to say about it.