Preds Alumni Tootoo, Hamhuis Praise Rinne, Look Back at Time in Nashville

Nashville Predators alumni Jordin Tootoo and Dan Hamhuis had plenty to reflect on after returning to Smashville to be a part of one of the greatest weeks in franchise history - Pekka Rinne's jersey retirement game as well as the 2022 NHL Stadium Series.
Tootoo was the first Inuk player to ever skate in the League and made his debut in the 2003-04 season. One of the most popular players in franchise history, Tootoo had nothing but great memories to look back upon when reflecting on his time in Nashville and playing with Rinne.

"Every time I come back here, it brings back a lot of memories," Tootoo said last week. "To be able to be a part of Pekka's ceremony, he's one of my greatest all-time teammates. That guy carries himself with a lot of pride and has been very humbled. Watching Pekka grow up to be the person he is today, I'll be forever grateful to be his teammate."
Rinne's good nature and involvement in the community is a trait that everyone aspires to possess, but not all can achieve. It's something Tootoo noticed from day one and continues to do so.
"He just had that aura around him," Tootoo said of Rinne. "He made everyone else a better player and a better person."
A soft-spoken, yet physical defenseman, Hamhuis was originally drafted in the first round by Nashville in 2001 and skated here for eight total seasons. Just like Tootoo, he had nothing but special memories to look back upon in his time playing with Rinne.

"[Rinne] was always just a really good guy," Hamhuis said last Wednesday. "Right from the start, he treated everybody well, and at the end, when he had a whole closet full of trophies and awards, he was still that same guy that had that humility and that work ethic that he had when he first came into the League."
Rinne's communal nature and his character is a testament to not only him as a person, but are traits that everyone tries to emulate. Those attributes are contagious, and Rinne showed them every day, not just in the dressing room, but outside of it as well.
"His community involvement [was exceptional]," Hamhuis said. "He treated everybody so well and he's just so deserving of having his number up there [in the rafters]."
Now retired, both Tootoo and Hamhuis played the game for so long, and not doing so anymore has been an adjustment. With how much knowledge they both have from skating in the NHL for so long, and playing with so many great athletes like Rinne, they have a strong grasp of the game. That experience is valuable, and they've been eager to pass it down to the next generation.
"I do have some involvement with Prince George Cougars of the WHL and I am a part owner there," Hamhuis said. "Hockey has been something that I've always loved. I've loved all the different aspects. Obviously the playing, but just understanding the culture and the dynamics and the development is something I kind of grew to be passionate about later on in my career."

"Yeah, I still get the itch," Tootoo said. "But I know deep down that I did what I did, and I'm forever grateful that I was able to play in the League for as long as I did. Now for me, it's spending time with my wife and my kids and, and having clarity and being able to share stories, and hopefully one day with my girls I will get them here and I'll show them around where daddy played… [In] Kelowna [British Columbia] we have a lot of ex-pros that live there. So, Thursday nights you get that dressing room camaraderie [when I still play]. I'm sure every player who's retired misses that part of the game and just being around the boys."
Hamhuis and Tootoo loved every moment of their career in Nashville and are forever grateful to have been Predators. They'll never forget that chapter of their lives, and as Tootoo said, he got so much more from this place than just the rush of the crowd chanting his name night after night.
"This organization has given me a lot of opportunities," Tootoo said. "The game of hockey has allowed me to give back to the community with my platform, and I'm forever grateful that [Preds General Manager] Mr. [David] Poile and [former Head Coach] Barry Trotz gave me numerous opportunities to be a better person and to be a better player. I'm forever grateful for the gift that was offered to me back in 2010 to change my life."