Preds' anthem singer laments being replaced by country stars

The Nashville Predators' regular anthem singer isn't happy that he's been bumped for big-name acts in the playoffs.

Dennis K. Morgan voiced his displeasure with the Predators, who've had hugely successful country performers such as Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before games at Bridgestone Arena in the postseason.

"I'm not going to hide my disappointment and I told the Predators that I have been asked the same question over and over and it's just really getting old," Morgan told Mike Organ of The Tennessean.

"Everywhere I go - obviously at my day job (as a healthcare IT recruiting manager) and at the arena as well as everywhere else I go to church, grocery stores, on the street, in meetings and in restaurants - people want to know how I feel."

Morgan was particularly bitter about Underwood - who's married to Mike Fisher - replacing him before Game 3 of Nashville's first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"They came to me and said the captain's wife asked to sing the anthem that night," Morgan said. "It was presented to me as a one night only kind of thing and I agreed to it. Then they continued to bring in these other singers and touted them as 'A-listers,' which kind of hurt me."

He wasn't done there.

"I don't blame Carrie Underwood or Luke Bryan or any of the other acts who have performed," Morgan said. "I've been as good-natured as I can be. With my closest friends, I've certainly shared my disappointment. But most of the time I'll toe the company line and say, 'Why am I not singing? Because I don't have seven Grammys, I'm not married to the captain, she's a whole lot prettier than me,' that kind of thing and try to leave it at that."

The Predators explained their rationale in a statement of their own.

“We have always valued Dennis K. Morgan’s performance of the national anthem at Predators home games," the team wrote.

"Our arrangement with him has always allowed for nationally and internationally renowned musical artists to perform when available to further enhance our game experience while paying respect to our country through their respective awe-inspiring renditions of the national anthem.

"The reaction from our fans in Bridgestone Arena as well as from around the country to seeing and hearing world class performers such as Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Vince Gill and his daughters, Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been overwhelmingly positive, bringing national and international exposure to our community while continuing to set our game experience and atmosphere apart from others in professional sports.”

Morgan said he'll have to do "some soul-searching" over the summer because he feels insulted by what's transpired, adding that he'd love to sing at Predators games for two more seasons because that would give him 25 in the NHL.

After these comments, though, he may have to do more than soul-searching to avoid being replaced for good.