I've said it before and I'll say it again. Whether you are a fan or not, sports can teach many valuable life lessons. Certainly, teamwork, discipline and practice are all proven ingredients for success in sports as well as life.

The particular virtue on my mind today is the importance of never giving up no matter what the odds tell you. To quote the lovable rogue Han Solo in response to the endless comments of the golden droid C-3PO, "Never tell me the odds."

If you've ever read any of my columns before, you probably know I'm a very big fan of the Nashville Predators hockey team. And if you pay any attention to Nashville news, you also know it's not been a great season for my beloved Preds. At one point (not very long ago) finding themselves ranked No. 32 in a 32-team NHL, it would be very easy for the team to decide this season is over and just coast the rest of the way. 

But the Preds have recently shown some fight, entering Tuesday's game against the San Jose Sharks on a season-long three-game winning streak, including wins over  the Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild, two of the league's best.

That made it all the more frustrating early in Tuesday's game as the Sharks, currently holding the distinction as the league's worst team, took a 3-0 lead only 12 minutes into the game. With over half the game played, the Preds found themselves trailing 5-1 and playing particularly terribly.

Then something happened. In the middle of a historically bad season facing a four-goal deficit which no Preds team in the 27-year history of Nashville hockey had overcome, the Preds began to fight back. With contributions from a couple of younger players who are too inexperienced to know a lost cause when they see it, the Preds entered the third period trailing 5-3. 

With a spark of hope, the Bridgestone Arena crowd came to life, as did the Predators. Only 28 seconds into the third period, Jonathan Marchessault scored to make it a 5-4 game. With the momentum solidly behind them, Nashville tied the game on a Roman Josi goal five minutes later. Less than three minutes after that, they found themselves in the lead for the first time in what had, for at least half of the game, seemed like a disastrous outing. 

Nashville ended up winning the game 7-5, extending its season-long winning streak to four games and completing the largest comeback in franchise history. With all the odds against them, the players refused to give up when that was the easiest course of action.

I think that's a lesson all of us can apply to our lives. When everything seems to be against you and nothing is going your way, sometimes the best thing you can do is hold onto your faith and keep fighting. You may still fall short, but giving up is a sure recipe for defeat. 

Standard Managing Editor Seth Wright can be reached at editor@southernstandard.com