Borrowing the neighbor's house across the Cumberland River for a bash of these proportions seemed far-fetched not so long ago.

The notion that the Nashville Predators would play host to an outdoor game at an NFL stadium in a non-traditional hockey market, against a team from South Florida, probably seemed improbable.

Yet, there Nissan Stadium is, nearly eight years after the idea was hatched, all dressed in Predators gold and blue, a rink plunked on top of the same field where Titans running back Derrick Henry earns a living. There Nissan Stadium is, ready for the Predators to face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night (6:30 p.m., TNT) as part of the NHL's Stadium Series.

"There was time people questioned whether or not NHL hockey could work in Nashville," Predators president and CEO Sean Henry told The Tennessean.

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Ten years before their only Stanley Cup Final appearance, the Nashville Predators came close to packing their bags for Hamilton, Ontario.

How did we get here?

The answer began with a question in 2014, when Nashville was awarded the 2016 NHL All-Star Game.

"Almost immediately it was, 'All right, now what do we do?'" Henry said. "'The stadium game, whether that be the Winter Classic or a Stadium Series game.'"

Henry would send people across the league emails about his excitement to showcase games and events, then follow up with complimentary notes about his experience. Those notes always included the same, not-so-subtle suggestion.

"I always put in there, 'Can you imagine that event in Nashville?'" Henry said.

Kick-the-tire conversations began between the Predators, the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Sports Council, before the 2016 All-Star game in Nashville pretty much assured those talks weren't just all talk. The experience all but sealed deal that one day there would be an outdoor show in the Music City. The Predators' appearance in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final didn't hurt, either.

The NHL has had its eye on having another showcase event here. It just wasn't supposed to be this soon. The Carolina Hurricanes originally were scheduled host an outdoor game in 2021 but decided to postpone those plans until 2023 because of COVID-19 concerns.

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That opened the door for Nashville about a year ago, leaving little time to spare and prepare.

"Nashville has been on our radar for a bunch of years," NHL chief content officer and executive vice president Steve Mayer said. "The All-Star Game was incredible. We got to put on a Stanley Cup Final in Nashville. Just the way the city responds to a big event, the way the fans are into the Predators. This was a no-brainer."

The Predators have not been strangers to the big stage in recent years. Along with the All-Star Game and the Cup Final, they played in the 2020 Winter Classic in Dallas and were scheduled to open the 2020-21 season in Prague, Czech Republic, against the Bruins as part of the Global Series.

Mayer said the league receives bids from many organizations who want to host outdoor games. He said it's not uncommon, either, for NFL teams to inquire about hosting outdoor games.

"There's a variety of ways we get into different places," Mayer said. "When it came to this city ... it was just a matter of when we could fit it into our schedule.

"We're happy that it's here now."

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The NHL had a team of more than 250 people to work on every detail of the game, in collaboration with the Predators, Titans and the city.

The game, though, is about more than who wins on the ice.

It's about the salute to country music. More than 20 artists will be featured during the festivities, headlined by Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley.

Jessie James Decker will sing the national anthem and be joined by Heather Olmstead, a Nashville Sign Language Club performer. Dustin Lynch will be there, too.

The game also is about the fan-fest that will take place outside Nissan Stadium in the hours leading up to the game, when fans will have a chance to take a photo with the Stanley Cup, mingle with former players and test their hockey skills.

"It's our hope that when ... somebody tunes that game in, they look at the field and know in five seconds we're in Nashville," Mayer said. "This isn't the worst place to be, I'll tell you that. We think we're going to put on a show."

With so many stars of the show, even the stars who will wear the special uniforms and perform on the biggest stage have been in awe of the whole spectacle.

"It's a massive process," Predators forward Colton Sissons said at the start of the stadium conversion. "A lot of construction going on now. From what it looks like to what it will be like when we're walking out there for warmups, it's going to be quite a difference."

And quite a road to get there.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Here's how Nashville Predators got the 2022 NHL Stadium Series game