From eighth-round pick to Hall of Fame, Pekka Rinne looks back
The longtime Nashville Predators goaltender will be inducted Monday in Toronto.
Pekka Rinne will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto. The former Nashville Predators goaltender told the team ahead of the ceremony that even after his jersey retirement and the unveiling of his statue, he still finds it hard to believe he is going into the Hall.
Rinne was 21 when Nashville drafted him 258th overall in 2004. He said he learned of the pick when his agent called during a Midsummer celebration in Finland. Nashville’s European scout Janne Kekalainen and then-assistant general manager Ray Shero had watched him in warmups while he was playing as a backup in Finland. Rinne said reaching the NHL became his goal once Nashville picked him.
Rinne spent all 15 of his NHL seasons with the Predators. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2018 and finished with 369 wins, 60 shutouts and a 2.43 goals-against average in 683 regular-season games.
