For the first time in franchise history, the Nashville Predators have a retired jersey hanging in their rafters.
There’s only one Pekka Rinne, so it’s only fitting that no future Nashville Predator will ever wear No. 35 ever again.
The 39-year-old recently retired goalie, who is the Predators’ all-time leader in games played (683), wins (369), goals-against average (2.43), shutouts (60), saves (17,627) and total ice time (39,413:29), gave a heartfelt speech thanking his former teammates, General Manager David Poile and the fans who followed him during his 15-year NHL career.
“Growing up in Finland, playing in the NHL was just a distant dream for me,” Rinne said. “I grew up idolizing my hometown team Karaput, the Finnish National Team, and my cousin Jari, who was a goalie. … My goal was to play for my hometown team one day. The NHL felt like something that was so far away — way out of my league. It wasn’t until I got drafted by Nashville in 2004 that I started thinking maybe there’s a chance.
“I was drafted in the eighth round; there’s not that many rounds in the draft nowadays. I played three years with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL, but once I finally got my opportunity, I never let go. Since 2008, until last season, it was an honor to put a Preds jersey on and compete against the best players in the world.”
Below are a few highlights of Rinne's jersey retirement ceremony:
Predators retire Pekka Rinne's No. 35
No. 35 to the rafters
Greeted by the team
This article originally appeared at our sister publication the Nashville Post.
