On Tuesday, Nashville Predators long-time goaltender Pekka Rinne announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. Rinne, 38, is hanging up the skates after a decade and a half of being Nashville’s premiere goaltender.
Following a 15 year stint in the NHL, Rinne finds himself engraved in Nashville’s record books with 369 wins, 60 shutouts, and 17,627 saves (all of which are franchise records).
Alongside some franchise accolades, Rinne’s illustrious career has earned himself league-wide honors as well. In 2018, Rinne claimed the Vezina Trophy (reserved for the top goaltender in the league that season). In a state where hockey isn’t as well known a sport, Rinne helped put Nashville on the hockey map by spearheading a deep playoff run in 2017.
Rinne plans to Nashville in the fall to help lead his 365 Fund- a program he cofounded with former Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber- that has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.
From the day Pekka Rinne was drafted in 2004, he’s proven himself not just a hockey player, but an icon of Tennessee.