Nick Saban spent decades building championship-caliber football teams, but when ESPN’s College GameDay crew chatted about the Winter Olympics on Saturday, the former Alabama coach revealed a growing appreciation for a different team sport.

With Salt Lake City, the backdrop of this weekend’s show, set to host the Winter Olympic Games once again in 2034, host Rece Davis asked the panel what their Olympic sport would be.

When it was Saban’s turn to answer, the seven-time national champion did not hesitate.

“Hockey!” Saban exclaimed. “Team game, got a little association with the Predators and Nashville and Smashville. So I have kind of learned the game a little more, how to build a team. And I thought last Olympics, hockey was fantastic.”

Saban’s enthusiastic reply offered insight into his growing connection to the sport through his minority ownership stake in the NHL’s Nashville Predators, which was announced in 2025. Since then, Saban has frequently expressed admiration for hockey’s team-oriented nature and has drawn parallels between building successful football and hockey organizations. 

The discussion was spurred by Saturday’s show location: Salt Lake City, for a top-15 showdown between Houston and Utah. The Olympics will bring the world’s top winter athletes back to Utah more than three decades after the city’s first games. The first time hosting was in 2002, when the United States took home silver in both men’s and women’s ice hockey.

Fellow panelist Pat McAfee chimed in after Saban’s answer, showing excitement for the United States’ success at last year’s games in Milan and Cortina, Italy. 

“We own your sport, Canada,” McAfee said, drawing laughs from his colleagues and cheers from the crowd.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter was obviously referencing the United States’ clean sweep of Canada in both men’s and women’s hockey. The achievement was momentous for the men’s team especially, as the win marked USA’s first gold medal in the sport since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team.

The exchange as a whole gave fans another glimpse into Saban’s post-coaching life. While football remains his expertise, the College Football Hall of Fame coach made it clear that his involvement with the Predators has turned him into a hockey fan.

As previously stated, ESPN's College GameDay is a weekly program previewing Saturday's slate of matchups. No. 13 Alabama (5-2, 3-2 SEC) will host Texas A&M (4-3, 1-3 SEC) for its annual Homecoming game on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

The Crimson Tide has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since 2013. Alabama is now treating every game as if it's the College Football Playoff, as no three-loss program has ever made the current 12-team field.