As Pekka Rinne said in disbelief Monday from his home in Finland, “Who would’ve thought?”
Well, it’s true, Peks.
Rinne, the greatest goaltender - and player - in Nashville Predators franchise history, and one of the top netminders the game has ever seen, will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as an Honored Member of the Class of 2026.
“I was at home in Finland, I had my kids running around, and I had this weird phone number on my phone,” Rinne said shortly after receiving the call. “I was there with my wife, and I had a blank stare in my eyes. I was just looking at her, and I tried to try to whisper. I'm like, ‘It's the Hockey Hall of Fame,’ but an unbelievable moment. Right after the call, I called my family, my mom and dad; I have two sisters, I called them, but unbelievable. I never, in a million years, thought that I'd get that call.”
The Hall of Fame made the announcement on Monday afternoon, along with the rest of the 2026 Class - fellow players Patrice Bergeron, Cindy Curley, Carey Price and Keith Tkachuk, along with one in the Builder category, Brian Burke.
Rinne joins former teammate and Predators Captain Shea Weber, as well as former General Manager David Poile, just two years after they were both inducted into the Hall - with Rinne going in as the first player to have spent his entire career with Nashville to be enshrined.
“Shea Weber and David Poile, they both had such an influence on me,” Rinne said. “Obviously, David giving me a chance to play in the National Hockey League, and then having the opportunity to play with Shea, he was a rock. Shea is three years younger than me, but he's one of those guys that I still looked up to him. It always felt like I was his little brother, even though I was older, and to this day, I always look up to Shea. He was such a good leader, and both of those guys, they made me a better player.
“But I’m so proud that I had an opportunity to play for Nashville throughout my career, and obviously I'm also representing the players before me and players who are playing for Nashville. That’s how I feel, and all of us agree that we wouldn't be here without our teammates, and that's exactly how it is. They made me a better player, and I'm just so honored to be representing myself, but also the Nashville Predators for this honor.”
Selected by the Predators in the eighth round (258th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Rinne went on to play 15 seasons with Nashville and recorded 369 victories and 60 shutouts. One year after leading his club to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, Rinne was awarded the 2018 Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender while guiding the Preds to the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top team.
In what can be described as a decade of dominance, Rinne was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy on three other occasions in an eight-year span. Over the course of 10 campaigns from 2011-20, Rinne earned the most total voting points for the Vezina Trophy, which is voted on by NHL General Managers.
From 2011-20, Rinne’s 297 wins were more than any other goaltender eligible for induction into the Hall and the second-most among all NHL goalies; his 45 shutouts during the decade were also tied for the second-most in the NHL in that span.
Additionally, Rinne is the top goaltender in the history of his native Finland. He’s the winningest Finnish netminder in NHL history, and he also represented his country at four IIHF World Championships, earning tournament MVP honors in 2014.
The native of Kempele, Finland, owns virtually every Predators franchise goaltending record, including wins (369), shutouts (60), games played (683), goals-against average (2.43), save percentage (.917) and points (15), including a goal he scored on Jan. 9, 2020 in Chicago.
In a minimum of 500 games played, Rinne’s save percentage is tied for fifth all-time in NHL history, while his goals-against average is tied for seventh.
Rinne was also honored with the 2021 King Clancy Memorial Trophy thanks to his tireless work in the Nashville community, including his founding - along with Weber - of the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. His No. 35 was retired by the Predators on Feb. 24, 2022; he is the only player in franchise history to have his jersey retired.
In 2023, Rinne then became the first person in franchise history to have a statue built in their honor with a larger-than-life sculpture of the goalie placed on the Bridgestone Arena plaza at the corner of Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way.
Needless to say, the city of Nashville and the entire Predators fanbase is quite fond of Rinne.
And on a day like this, the feeling could not be more mutual.
“All the fans, all the people in Nashville, hey, who would have thought?” Rinne smiled. “It's an unbelievable honor. I share this honor with, first of all, my family, but secondly with my former teammates, and then obviously the people of Nashville, the fans. I’ve said this already a few times today, even though I got the news only two or three hours ago, but I never thought that this phone call would come to me. I’m still just trying to take it all in, but just so proud of it. Moments like this, you think about being part of your family, the players you played with, the coaches, and also the fans, all of the people. I played all my career in Nashville and met so many wonderful people, so obviously I share this honor with them as well.”
Per the Hall, the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration is scheduled on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026 in Toronto preceded by the traditional slate of “Induction Weekend” events beginning on Saturday, Nov. 7, including the annual “Hockey Hall of Fame Game” hosted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
