Rinne to have No. 35 retired by Predators on Feb. 24

Pekka Rinne
will have his No. 35 retired by the Nashville Predators on Feb. 24 before a game against the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena.

The goalie, who will be the first Predators player to receive the honor, announced his retirement from hockey on July 13 after playing 13 seasons with Nashville. Rinne, who turned 39 on Wednesday, will be honored two days before the Predators host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, home of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
"Being the first Pred to have a jersey retired, it's a huge honor," Rinne said Wednesday. "The franchise has been there since '98, but it also goes to show that I was fortunate to play for the same team for such a long time. ... I consider myself very fortunate that I got to play for the Preds for so long."
Rinne is Nashville's regular-season leader in games (683), starts (667), wins (369), shutouts (60), goals-against average (2.43) and saves (17,627) and had a .917 save percentage. He is first among Finland-born goalies in NHL regular-season games, starts, wins and shutouts, is tied with Tom Barrasso for 19th in NHL wins, and is 19th in shutouts.
"As the face of the Predators for more than 15 years, it is only right that the first number to be retired in franchise history is Pekka Rinne's," Nashville general manager David Poile said. "He is one of, if not the, primary reasons our franchise has grown into what it is today. It's going to be an incredibly special night not only for Pekka, his family and friends, but for our entire organization."
Selected by Nashville in the eighth round (No. 258) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Rinne played his first NHL game and got his first NHL win Dec. 15, 2005, making 35 saves in a 5-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"In a moment like this, you start reflecting back and thinking about the players you've played with, the coaches you've had and all the people that have helped me along the way," Rinne said. "Even though it's going to be celebrating me at Bridgestone in February, it's a team effort and that's how I look at it.
"When you skate in some of the older buildings … you see all the great players, their retired jerseys and it's a pretty unbelievable feeling. After that, thinking my jersey will be retired … it was a total surprise when David called me even though people talked about it when I announced my retirement. I never really thought that it would actually happen. Very proud, very thankful and grateful."
Rinne started 89 games and won 45 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, each the most in Predators history, and had a 2.49 GAA and .914 save percentage. He helped Nashville advance to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, when it lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
Rinne won the
Vezina Trophy
voted as the best goalie in the NHL in 2017-18, and was awarded the
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
for his leadership qualities on and off the ice and humanitarian efforts in his community last season. He was 10-12-1 with a 2.84 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games (21 starts) and shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 5-0 on May 10, the final game of his NHL career.
"Obviously I've always been a hockey player and I'm sure people will remember me from the ice but I hope they also remember me off the ice," Rinne said. "I've never wanted to be recognized off the ice, I never seeked publicity or anything like that but I've been fortunate enough to work with some of the charities that are really close to me and hopefully that work will always be there and is going to continue. That's my dream."
Nashville qualified for the playoffs in 10 of Rinne's 13 seasons, and he played every game in each of the first eight appearances. He did not play a postseason game the past two seasons, when Juuse Saros took over as Nashville's No. 1 goalie.
"Pekka Rinne defines what it means to be part of the Nashville Predators," Predators president Sean Henry said. "From how he trained and played; to how he put so much into so many community-changing programs, from Best Buddies, to the 365 Fund to Feeding the Frontlines; to always being there when 'Smashville' needed a friend, Pekka was always there, doing more than anyone thought a person could.
"While he is the greatest player to wear our jersey, he was even better as a neighbor and friend to all. His career on and off the ice will take center stage when we raise his sweater to the Bridgestone Arena rafters, but we know that he will be celebrated time and time again, as his impact can't be contained to just one event."
Rinne, who is currently in Finland, said he expects to travel to Nashville prior to the ceremony in February.
"My plan is to come in the next couple of weeks and come to the games, but can't wait to see everybody especially the February night. It's going to be awesome to see the best fans in the League."