Elite Goaltender, Better Person: How Pekka Rinne Reached the Hockey Hall of Fame

Pekka Rinne never saw any of this coming. 

Not the victories and the community impact, not the Vezina or Clancy, not the entire career spent with one organization, not scoring a goal or taking a final lap, not the statue or jersey retirement - and especially not the Hockey Hall of Fame induction. 

But now, on the eve of his official enshrinement into the sport’s pinnacle of sanctuaries, is it finally starting to sink in at all? 

Not really. 

But that’s Rinne - just a kid from Kempele, Finland, who grew up to be one of the greatest goaltenders the game of hockey has ever seen, and he did so while remaining one of the most humble humans the sport has ever known. 

Perhaps the most consistent compliment Rinne received throughout his career always arrived in some form of, “For as good of a goalie he is on the ice, he’s an ever better person off of it.”

Of course, the Hall doesn’t come calling just because an individual happens to be kind. If that was the only requirement, Rinne would have been in a long time ago. 

Instead, the accolades were carefully considered, the numbers measured against his peers and the accomplishments meticulously weighed before the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee determined that, indeed, Nashville’s favorite adopted son deserved a spot. 

So, on Monday night in Toronto, Rinne will take his rightful place among the best to ever play the game. 

And he simply can’t believe it. 

“It’s wild,” Rinne said of the honor. “I'm so fortunate. I have my jersey up in the rafters, and the statue. Sometimes you kind of have to pinch yourself, is this really happening? But in a bigger scheme of things, I'm going to be the fourth Finnish-born player inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and I’ve always looked up to so many Finnish guys. To me, a lot of those guys are heroes, and some of them are not in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and of a sudden, I’m in there. It still seems pretty - I don't know - dreamy.”

This is far from a dream, although the last two-plus decades of Rinne’s life might feel like one. 

He’s Nashville’s all-time leader in virtually every goaltending category, and he’s widely regarded as the best Finnish netminder of all time, leading the League in games played, wins and shutouts by a Finn. 

Those 683 regular-season games played, 369 wins and 60 shutouts are impressive enough, and his career goals-against average of 2.43 is fourth all-time for netminders with at least 350 NHL regular season wins. Rinne is also one of only 13 goaltenders to register 350 wins and 60 shutouts during his career.

There’s the charitable arm, too - including the co-founding of the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund that raises money and awareness to help patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Rinne still stops there, sometimes with fanfare, others by himself, just to brighten someone else’s day. 

For Nashville’s all-time leader in virtually every goaltending statistical category, the journey to this point began back in the early 2000s in a small rink in Finland. 

During pregame warmups. 

The story has been told over the years from the Predators perspective. Longtime Preds European Scout Janne Kekalainen, as well as the late Ray Shero, who was Nashville’s assistant general manager at the time, were there to see a tall, lanky goaltender in net. There was only one problem - they had to make sure they arrived early. 

Rinne was playing behind then-future NHL netminder Niklas Backstrom, an excellent goalie in his own right. Rinne didn’t start much in those days, and he wasn’t about to on that particular occasion, either. So, Shero and Kekalainen made sure they were there in plenty of time to get a glimpse. 

And Rinne heard they’d be watching. 

“I knew they were in the stands, and I remember going out in the warmups, and I gave everything I had,” Rinne laughed. “I was just trying to play the pucks out; anything I could do. I was telling Backstrom, ‘If you don't want to take the net, I'm happy to be in the net and in the warmups,’ but it's funny how things sometimes go. Afterwards, and then even talking to Janne Kekelainen, he said that he saw me play multiple times, and so it's not just that warmups. But it’s a great story, and that actually happened. I think that was the only time Ray Shero saw me on the ice [before the Draft]."

That showing, combined with a few others, was enough for the Preds to select Rinne in the eighth round - which doesn’t even exist anymore - of the 2004 NHL Draft. Little did they know, they had just added a future Hall-of-Famer to the group. 

Rinne, who wasn’t anywhere close to attending the Draft and was instead enjoying a Midsummer party at his friend’s parents’ house in Finland, got the news from his agent. 

“I was 21 years old already, and I was a few years past my draft age, so I never even thought about getting drafted,” Rinne recalled. “At night time, my Finnish agent calls me [at the party], and said, ‘Hey, congrats, you got drafted by Nashville,’ and I couldn't believe it… But in my own head, it was a big thing. It was a big confidence boost. Before that, my goals were always playing in a Finnish league and maybe one day get to wear the Finnish National Team jersey or something like that. But once I got drafted, automatically the NHL became my goal.”

Before long, Rinne made his way to Nashville - and to the United States - for the first time to attend Predators Development Camp. And Mitch Korn knew right away. 

Now serving as the Preds’ Director of Goaltending, Korn was the team’s goaltending coach at the time, and it didn’t take him long to identify what Rinne had was special. 

“We had four or five goalies there, probably all were drafted, and I put them through a bunch of drills and exercises,” Korn recalled. “All the scouts and staff are standing behind the net by the locker room, and [former Head Coach Barry Trotz is] down there. All the goalies go off, and I'm the last one coming out that door by the Zamboni gate, and ‘Trotzy’ meets me right there. We looked at each other, and we said, ‘That's the one.’ And that one was Pekka.”

Rinne’s first training camp in Nashville also proved to himself he could play in the NHL. Learning from established Preds netminders Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason, Rinne was able to measure himself against those he had grown up watching, and the future soon became clearer. 

“As soon as I skated with those guys, all of a sudden I noticed that, ‘Man, it's not that far away. I’m not that far behind,’ and that gave me confidence,” Rinne said. “Before that, I was collecting hockey cards. I had Tomas Vokoun cards, and those guys were my heroes. And all of a sudden, you get the opportunity to share the ice with them, and you kind of start noticing that my game is not that far off.”

Still, as most goaltenders do, Rinne needed time to develop. He spent the majority of his first three seasons in North America with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate, a period that also included his first NHL victory in December of 2005 during a call-up with the Preds. 

After a 36-win season with Milwaukee in 2007-08, Rinne was ready for the NHL spotlight on a full-time basis. From 2008 through 2019 - minus an injury-shortened season - Rinne started at least 42 games each campaign and recorded a 43-win season in 2011-12, and then 42 victories in 2017-18 to lead the Preds to a Presidents’ Trophy. 

And even when Rinne was on top of his game, he always wanted to get better. 

Ben Vanderklok knows that better than just about anyone, and after working with Rinne for the majority of his career, Nashville's goaltending coach was consistently impressed with Rinne’s desire to be the best. 

“I never took for granted how lucky I was to have an athlete like him and a person like him, because he wanted to get better,” Vanderklok said. “He cared. He did everything he possibly could to be the best that he could be… I was just so blessed to have the opportunity to work with him and spend those times together and see the growth in his game over time… He was a fierce competitor, so he was always somebody that wanted no stone left unturned that might help him. He constantly wanted to get better and find ways to gain an edge.

Rinne won the Vezina Trophy in 2018 as the League’s top goaltender, and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy came in 2021 for his leadership and humanitarian work in the Nashville community. 

Of course, a highlight was Nashville’s run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final - a postseason that began with Rinne and the eighth-seeded Preds shutting out the top-seeded Blackhawks in each of the first two games on their way to sweeping Chicago.

The Predators then defeated St. Louis and Anaheim to face Pittsburgh in the Final, and although that final series didn’t go Nashville’s way, Rinne’s memories - particularly in Games 3 and 4 of the Final at home - will never be forgotten. 

“When you think about that whole run, you start thinking about the fans and the city of Nashville, how it just erupted and how crazy it was coming to the rink for the game,” Rinne said. “I mean, it was unbelievable. For me personally, I really remember that Game 3. We lost the first two games in Pittsburgh, and I didn’t really play too well the first two games. I was nervous before the first home game, and just the way the fans reacted, they were just chanting my name during warmups, and I was getting teary eyed just trying to see the puck and just trying to get ready for the game. But I feel like that one moment was huge for me. I really appreciated that, and I feel like it gave me an extra little something.”

In 2020, Rinne scored a goal in Chicago, something he had always dreamed about doing in a game after rehearsing for years in practice. And as his career began to wind down and Juuse Saros took over as Nashville’s starter, Rinne couldn’t have been more gracious toward his fellow Finn while always putting the team first. 

“Externally, the world might see that they’ve got a good relationship, or it looks like he takes care of the young guy, but the reality is, players know players, and Pekka Rinne knew that Juuse Saros was going to be a real good goalie - and for lack of better terms, he probably knew he was going to be a threat,” Vanderklok said. “And again, to the person that Pekka was, Pekka completely took him under his wing. He would let him borrow his car, he would have him over to his house for dinner, he would take him out on the road, and on the ice, he would be there for him and help him… That’s the kind of person Pekka was, and it morphed into such a great friendship. It was real, and it's still real. They're still great friends today. But again, Pekka taking on Juuse to help him and show him the way and take him under his wing, and truly wanting the best for him, even though that might not be the best for Pekka and Pekka’s own livelihood and career, it’s just such a unique relationship, such a great relationship.” 

And on the ice, Rinne and Saros made each other better by simply being themselves. 

“They’re very different goalies,” Vanderklok said. “Obviously, one guy's taller than the other, but they played very different. I remember having a conversation with them, saying, ‘This is the best thing for both of you guys because you both need to become more like each other.’ Pekka was very energetic, and he would battle and sprawl and never be out of a play because he'd compete so hard. But sometimes he probably would have been better doing things in a more structured manner and a more predictable manner to give himself better chances more frequently and consistently. And Juuse was the opposite. Juuse was very structured and calculated and polished in his technical game, but in those desperation moments, sometimes he would get a little bit frozen or hesitant. And Pekka was so good in those situations, so they really truly helped each other become more like each other, and both guys became better goalies because they played together, and worked together, learned together. And with Pekka being the way Pekka was, building that relationship expedited all of that.”

For Saros, the chance to learn from and befriend one of his childhood heroes was almost unbelievable at times. 

Growing up in Finland, Saros would seek out Rinne’s highlight videos on YouTube. And once he was selected by Nashville in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, the young netminder knew a dream was about to come true. 

“That was pretty surreal,” Saros said. “I remember the first time meeting him, my hands were shaking. It was a pretty nerve-wracking moment, but obviously it was pretty special. Then to be able to play with him, and then becoming friends, I was lucky, and it’s still special.”

Saros may have been nervous in that first meeting, but from the very start, Rinne never made him feel like he didn’t belong. Instead, the established netminder gave Saros reason to believe that he too could make it in the NHL, just like Rinne did all those years ago. 

“How down to earth he is, he never acts like he’s above anyone else, just kind of treats everybody the same way,” Saros said of Rinne. “He’s just relaxed, too… It’s always easy to be around those people, and you enjoy being around those kinds of people.”

Good luck finding someone who doesn’t enjoy being in Rinne’s orbit. 

That was particularly true for those inside Bridgestone Arena on a spring night in 2021 - an evening that ended up delivering one of the most memorable moments in franchise history. 

No one really knew for sure at the time - not even Rinne - but his final game arrived on May 10 of that year, the regular-season finale against Carolina. Rinne started, and he recorded a 30-save shutout, of course. 

Following the game, after Rinne was recognized as the game’s No. 1 star, there was a feeling inside the budding that this might be it. His teammates felt it too, especially Ryan Johansen, who quickly hatched an idea. 

“It’s a movie ending for sure,” Rinne recalled after shedding tears during warmups when he saw his newborn son on the glass for his first game. “It was actually ‘Joey,’ Ryan Johansen. After the game, he was like, ‘Peks, I'm not going to let you go in the locker room. You’ve got to take a lap and take it all in.’ And I’m like, ‘I don't want to make a scene. I don't want to make it about me.’ And he's like, ‘No, you're not going anywhere. Take a lap.’ I thank ‘Joey’ that he actually forced me to do that, and afterwards, I was really happy that I did it. I got to say goodbye. I got to thank the fans, and I feel like I always had such a special relationship with the fans, too. I remember a lot of them. I got to meet a lot of our fans, and I feel like there's always been a special bond. That’s a really special memory.”

Rinne officially retired two months later, and it wasn’t long before the Preds made him the first player in franchise history to have their jersey - No. 35 - raised to the rafters. Years later, Rinne became the first figure in team history with a statue outside of Bridgestone Arena. 

Now 44, Rinne still works for the Preds as a European development coach and scout in search of the next star netminder, and there’s very much an aura around the building when Rinne is in town. 

Look no further than Nashville’s win over Carolina last Tuesday that saw Saros lead his club to a 4-1 victory on Rinne’s birthday. 

The Preds honored Rinne during the game with a Hall-of-Fame sendoff, and while five years have already passed since he last strapped on the pads in Nashville, his presence looms large. 

“Pekka is one of the all-time best goalies, but also human beings and teammates,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following the win. “To see when he's around, to see Roman [Josi], [Filip Forsberg], [Saros], the guys that played with him, it just kind of uplifts them. It's almost like they don't want to let him down, which is pretty cool to see, and that's the impact that Pekka has had for this organization. That's why he's a Hall of Famer, and he's a Hall-of-Fame person, too.”

Now, he’s about to officially carry that moniker for the rest of time. 

Every once in a while, an athlete comes along who makes an indelible impact on a team, an organization, a city. 

For Rinne - who could barely identify Nashville on a map two decades earlier - this Tennessee town became his second home. He fell in love, and the city reciprocated tenfold. 

And while his Hall-of-Fame honor will take place in a city over 600 miles away, there’s still a feeling around these parts that he’ll always belong to the Music City.

What Rinne did on the ice was enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame. But what he did off of it led to that line. 

“We all know how exceptional he is,” Korn said. “We've all probably used the same quote: "As great a goalie as he was, he is a better person." And it's absolutely true. Sometimes my dad used to have a saying, "Nice guys finish last." I don't think that's the case here.”

Not even close. 

Instead, Rinne is set to take his rightful place among hockey’s greats, his accomplishments never to be forgotten. 

Those of us Nashville weren't about to forget anyway - and Rinne will always remember those who chanted his name no matter what. 

“To the fans, I'm just so grateful,” Rinne said. “I just want to thank everybody for the support and the love and everything over the years. Nobody talks about it in a moment like this, but I wouldn't be here without the fans and the support and the love. I don’t say it lightly. I mean it. But I just want to thank everybody. I know in my heart that everybody is supporting me when I go to Toronto and they're proud of me. I'm really grateful for that.”

No, he never expected any of this - but life has a funny way of delivering the unexpected. 

For Rinne, that came in the form of stopping pucks in Nashville, Tennessee. And now, he can add Hockey Hall of Fame to his list of credentials. 

How’s that for a kid from Kempele? 

“He’s just a world-class human being all the way around, from the athletic side to the human element,” Vanderklok said. “For me, that's his legacy. It isn't the statue that's out front of the building, or now going into the Hall of Fame, or the Vezina Trophy that he won, that's just part of who he actually is and some of the accomplishments he's gotten along the way. It's the person that's behind those things.”