"Here's a guy that's one of the best players ever to wear a Preds jersey, an ultimate pro, unbelievable person, fantastic player and he means so much to the organization, to the fanbase, to the team," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "Just the fact that he comes in, and look at the way he plays tonight - he hasn't played in a while, he comes in, he's ready to go, earned a shutout, had some big saves, but I think the big thing is what you can tell about a person is the way his teammates reacted to him at the end of the game and how hard they played in front of them. It's a special night for Peks, and he's not done. He's not done here. We got a great night for him, really glad that it went the way it did tonight, well earned by him, but we're going into playoffs here, and he's a big part of our team."
And back to that final postgame celebration for perhaps the greatest player in franchise history - not surprisingly, Rinne had to be coaxed into taking some extra time to enjoy the moment. But no one - not his teammates, and especially not the fans on their feet in Bridgestone Arena, who simply wouldn't leave - were about to let him depart without a chance to show their admiration for all he has done for this organization and this city.
What a moment, what a night and what a human who deserved every part of a show of love fit for a king.
On this occasion, Rinne wore the crown.
"It was unbelievable," Rinne said. "It caught me by surprise again, and it was so cool. I don't know whose idea it was that all the players came out on the bench, but I really appreciated it. I love my teammates, and there was a time I tried to tell the boys, 'Let's go back to the locker room, we have playoffs coming up.' I don't always feel comfortable in a spotlight, but again, after a while, I think it was Brad RIcharson, he told me to take a lap. It doesn't happen too often, so I'm glad I did. It was really unbelievable, and just the reaction from the fans really felt special."