The list is short: Turk Broda and Johnny Bower in Toronto, Ken Dryden in Montreal, Bernie Parent in Philadelphia and Martin Brodeur in New Jersey.
And now Pekka Rinne In Nashville.
Before last weekend, the NHL’s over a hundred-year history only knew five goalie legends, who were commemorated with statues erected in the yard of the hall. Rintei, who entered the world from Kempele, came sixth on Saturday. In this respect, the Finnish goalkeeper legend got into great company.
A year earlier, Nashville froze Rinnee’s game number 35 and raised this jersey to the roof structures of the arena. Rinne was the first Nashville player to receive the honor at the time.
Now a more than four-meter statue of Rinne stands in the yard of the arena.
Reached by Urheilu from Nashville, Rinne was almost speechless in front of the latest honor he received.
– After all, this has already been quite overflowing. It’s a little hard to even accept so many accolades. Freezing the shirt already felt like the ultimate tribute, so at the beginning with this statue there was a bit of a feeling that help, this is already too much, Rinne laughs.
– This is absolutely incredible.
Of course, the festivities before Saturday afternoon’s game against Seattle were spectacular. In the end, the crowd that arrived in large numbers started shouting Rinnee’s name.
Rinnee, who ended his playing career two years ago, realized the whole thing only later in the evening.
– In the evening, there was a chance to take a look at the statue, when the arena and the area were empty. Yes, I got the feeling that, after all, Kempelee has been left sometime and now the statue is in the yard of the hall. It’s a really great thing.
In the next moment, Rinne, on the other hand, already wanted to bring the conversation back to earth.
– These here in America know how to do things like this and make things sound larger than life. Even now I feel like I was being talked about like a saint. I even said, If you only knew, Rinne laughs.
– Even though I have a statue, in the same way I have to visit the temple.
Bigger things than hockey
However, the tribute to the Nashville Predators was not just about hockey. Rinne has been a prominent figure in the wider city for twenty years.
Rinne has been founding charities and has been active in the community outside of hockey. Nashville as a city and the Predators, who joined the NHL in 1998, have grown as if hand in hand.
Pekka Rinne served as the face of the Predators towards the city all these years.
– I strongly feel that there is much more to this than hockey. Every time you come back here, you notice that people don’t even think of me as a hockey player that much. I’ve certainly been a good link between hockey and the rest of the community. The Predators and Nashville’s growth coincided. This was a completely different city than when I used to come here.
Rinne enjoyed the festivities on Saturday primarily through her loved ones, especially her two-and-a-half-year-old Paulus-through his son.
– He was still so small when the shirt was frozen, but now he understood better. He clapped excitedly there and has now been talking about the statue of his father and other things all the time. After all, things like this are really big things right now.
– It really meant a lot to me that my family was here, my parents, two sisters and then my own family Erika and Paulus. It was great that I was able to share such a moment with them and it is a certain kind of praise in their direction as well, Rinne pointed out.
Heading to Tampere, I’m interested in hockey
Next, Rinne and his family will move to Tampere, where the deed of sale for the new apartment has already been signed. Professionally, Rinne does not yet know his next moves.
Last winter, Rinne was part of the under-20 national team as a goalkeeper coach and still remotely consults Nashville in goalkeeping coaching according to his own time, but there is no exact plan for the future yet.
– Blood is drawn to hockey. Right after I finished, I had the feeling that this hockey thing was here, that now it was something completely different, but it didn’t take long when I realized that it is my passion. In some way, I want to continue working with hockey, Rinne concludes.