Rinne number retirement perfect start to Predators' Stadium Series party

NASHVILLE -- Pekka Rinne watched his No. 35 rise to the rafters before the Nashville Predators played the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday, then waved to the roaring, adoring crowd.

He was more than a great goalie. He was more than the "best Pred ever," as Predators president Sean Henry described him for his work on and off the ice.
"Along the way," said David Poile, the Predators general manager since they joined the NHL in 1998-99, "he helped turn Smashville into a hockey town."
Rinne was a major reason Nashville became the kind of market that will draw more than 65,000 fans to see the Predators play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; TNT, SN360, TVAS2).
"He took this franchise to a new level," Predators captain Roman Josi said.
RELATED: [Rinne's number retired by Predators | Stadium Series coverage]
It's fitting that the festivities this week began by honoring Rinne, that he became the first Predators player to have his number retired, and that he will have a bronze statue outside Bridgestone Arena some time next season.
"I don't know if we are where we are [without him]," said Predators TV analyst Chris Mason, a goalie in Nashville from 1998-2008 and in 2012-13. "It's very rare to find a player and a franchise goaltender that has done what he's done, especially when you look at when he came in."
Rinne's journey represents the Predators' journey.
He was selected in the eighth round (No. 258) of the 2004 NHL Draft -- "a round that no longer exists," Poile pointed out -- when he was 20. He spent another season in his native Finland and three more with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League before he made the NHL full time in 2008-09.
At that point, the Predators had played nine seasons, made the Stanley Cup Playoffs four times and never won a series. Nashville was still considered a small, fledgling hockey market.
Well, now look.
From 2008-09 until Rinne retired after last season, the Predators ranked eighth in the NHL in wins (528) and points (1,173), made the playoffs 10 times in 13 seasons, and won seven rounds.
They made the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 2016-17 and won the Presidents' Trophy as the top regular-season team for the first time in 2017-18. Rinne became the first Predators player to win a major NHL award when he took home the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in 2017-18.
"It's still my favorite memory from Nashville," Rinne said of 2016-17 and 2017-18. "It's that whole run. It was amazing. I think for this whole city, it was pretty special."

Rinne retired as Nashville's all-time leader in wins (369) and shutouts (60), not to mention games (683) and goals (one) among goalies. Humble, classy and kind, he did so much for the community that he won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2021, and his efforts received their own video montage Thursday.
"You think, 'I'm just a hockey player,'" Rinne said. "But then once you start seeing that you can make a difference, it's amazing. That's way bigger than wins and losses."
It's no coincidence the NHL awarded Nashville the All-Star Game in 2016; Rinne represented the Predators.
It's no coincidence the Predators played in an outdoor game for the first time when they visited the Stars in the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at Cotton Bowl Stadium; Rinne got the start with thousands of Nashville fans among the crowd of 85,630, the second largest in NHL history.
And it's no coincidence Nashville will host an outdoor game for the first time Saturday; Rinne won't play but might make an appearance. You never know.
"It's very deserving that we have the Stadium Series game this weekend," Rinne said. "It's amazing. But yeah, at the same time, I'm proud. I don't think going back seven, eight years … I wasn't thinking about playing an outdoor game or having things like this happening in Nashville."
Yes. Very deserving.
The Predators handed out miniature No. 35 banners to fans as they entered and placed gold No. 35 T-shirts on each seat Thursday. The Hockey Hall of Fame sent the Vezina, King Clancy, Presidents' Trophy and Clarence Campbell Bowl to be displayed on the ice. Among the guests on stage for a 45-minute pregame ceremony were former teammates Kimmo Timonen and Shea Weber.
"PEK-KA!" the fans chanted. "PEK-KA!"
"It's one last chance for this city to show the love for him and make this night amazing," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "I truly think he's one of the most respected players to ever play this game."
Now that Rinne has helped build a tradition in Nashville, now that his No. 35 is up there forever, he can serve as an inspiration in the future.
Toward the end of his speech, Rinne talked how the Predators had gone from a small-market team to Stanley Cup contenders, and he said Nashville deserves to win the Stanley Cup.
"I know," he said, "the best is yet to come."
NHL.com independent correspondent John Glennon contributed to this report