Michael Cass

mcass@tennessean.com

Nashville and Bridgestone Arena have submitted a bid to host the National Hockey League All-Star Game in 2016, 2017, 2018 or 2019, a top arena executive told Metro Council members.

Sean Henry, chief operating officer of the arena and its main tenant, the Nashville Predators, said Thursday that the bid was submitted this week.

“We’re pretty optimistic that we’re going to have one in the very near future,” Henry said during a budget hearing for the Metro Sports Authority. “We should be hearing some positive news, I think, in the next few weeks.”

“That is super to hear,” said Councilman Charlie Tygard, who had asked Henry about the possibility.

In a phone interview today, Henry said the recent openings of the Music City Center and the Omni Hotel mean “we have the facilities to do it. And I feel pretty good, pretty confident.”

Bill Daly, the NHL’s deputy commissioner, said in an email that he couldn’t comment on individual applications. But he said he hopes the league “will be in a position to make an announcement on the 2016 All-Star Game” by July 1.

Daly declined to say how many cities are in the hunt for that game.

Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. President and CEO Butch Spyridon said in April that the city’s selection for an All-Star Game seemed to be “imminent” after ongoing discussions with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said it was a matter of “when, not if.”

Mayor Karl Dean told Bettman during a meeting in Nashville last year that the city wants to host an All-Star game before long, Riebeling said. Dean’s administration helped keep the Predators in Nashville by giving the NHL franchise’s ownership group more favorable arena lease terms soon after taking office in 2007.

The 2015 All-Star Game will be held in Columbus, Ohio. There was no game this year due to the Winter Olympics.

Reach Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 and on Twitter @tnmetro.