Petey's Preds Party Was a Huge Success and Was Capped by A Carrie Underwood Surprise Visit

The third annual Petey's Preds Party Benefit for Parkinson's Research and the Predator's Foundation was a overwhelming success by any measure. The event was moved from The Factory in Franklin to the Bridgestone Arena where an over capacity crowd of 940 folk were in attendance.

As the festivities started, there was a moment of silence for Wade Belak as well as the KHL Lokomotiv team that perished on Wednesday. Throughout the evening there was a Belak #3 jersey illuminated to the side of the stage as a fitting tribute for the beloved Predator.

George Plaster was Master of Ceremonies and led a host of folks to the stage including Predator coach Barry Trotz, who he claimed "got screwed" in Las Vegas for not winning the Jack Adams Award.

Comedian Jeff Allen entertained the audience and promised that Barak Obama would soon provide free cell phones and cars for all.

The real heroes of the evening were the host Brent Peterson and his guest speakers, ex-NBA player Brian Grant and former MLB player Ben Petrick, who all have led the fight for Parkinson's research and awareness.

Peterson honored the victims of  the 9-11 terrorist attack that occurred ten years ago this Sunday and then said that his "personal 9-11" was nine years ago when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

His commitment toward finding a cure for the disease that "took away my chance to be a head coach in the NHL and his career as a coach with the Predators" is unrelenting. Peterson vowed to fight "with his last breath and last step to work hard to find a cure" for Parkinson's.

The evening was capped off by a surprise visit by country star Carrie Underwood who was introduced as "Mrs. Mike Fisher" in a turnabout is fair play moment after her husband has carried her moniker since their marriage last year.

The two-day event will continue tomorrow with another sold out event at the Legend's Golf Course when 60 teams will hit the links to compete for prizes and enjoy the fellowship with Predator players and coaches.

More Later...

Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass