Josh Cooper

jcooper2@tennessean.com

Terry Crisp knew it was time.

At the age of 71, and almost one year after his wife Sheila went through the pain of a staph infection, he needed a break from the grind of 82 games of hockey travel.

He wanted to spend more time with loved ones and to be with Sheila, who has since recovered.

So he decided to step down as color analyst for Predators' television broadcasts, but he will have a "behind the desk" role during home games next season.

"The time was coming anyway in all areas. And when my wife Sheila had a staph infection last summer, it really scared us and it was very serious," Crisp said on Monday. "It brought home very quickly and very poignantly that there are things we want to do, step back, slow down and do some of those things."

Stu Grimson, who had been handling analysis on radio broadcasts, will take Crisp's spot next to play-by-play man Pete Weber, a team spokesman confirmed.

Crisp and the veteran broadcaster Weber have been the primary broadcasting team since the inaugural season of 1998-99. A Stanley Cup winning coach in 1989 with the Calgary Flames, Crisp became a favorite with his folksy approach and ability to connect with a young fan base.

He's also one of the most beloved figures in hockey, and the list of important people he knows and who respect him is long and legendary. As a player, Crisp was a Stanley Cup champion with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1973-74 and 1974-75.

"I'm not leaving (Weber), I'm just not going to be with him that often," Crisp said. "We're still the best of friends. … But I'm going to miss the day-to-day camaraderie, because we could just finish each other's sentences and thoughts. For me, it was a broadcasting job made in heaven.

"I'm not leaving the organization. I'm still going to work for them and with them and look forward to a different venue and direction with the team. But not the travel, etc., that was necessary to do the TV color analyst job."

Grimson, who is a lawyer, joined on with the Predators full-time for the 2012-13 season after several years with the Kay, Griffin, Enkema and Colbert firm. Last season he handled analysis during road radio broadcasts with play-by-play man Willy Daunic and did TV work behind the bench at home games.

"It's a great opportunity, maybe a different look for me," Grimson said. "I've had a little experience on the TV side of things – enough to whet my appetite. I step into a spot vacated by a guy who does it really well, in Terry Crisp, who has been the only color analyst on the TV side that the Preds have ever known, that Preds fans have ever known, and he has done such a great job over the years. I want to make sure folks get everything they've been accustomed to getting, just in a slightly different way."