| Pekka Rinne | |
| |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 191 lb (87 kg) |
| NHL Team | Nashville Predators |
| Nationality |  Finnish
|
| Born | November 3, 1982, Kempele, FIN |
| NHL Draft | 258, 2004 Nashville Predators |
| Pro Career | 2001 – present |
Pekka Rinne (born November 3, 1982) is a Finnish professional hockey goaltender currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Overview
Rinne was developed in Kärpät playing predominantly for their junior team between 2000–2003 and after that, for their men's team in championship-winning years 2004 and 2005, mostly as a backup of Niklas Bäckström.
Rinne was drafted 258th overall in the 8th round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators. He was signed by the Predators on August 23, 2005 and began his North American playing career with the Predators' top minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Initially Rinne was slated to be the backup for Brian Finley but, with Finley's disappointing play, Rinne was able to take the starting goaltending job. But, during the summer of 2006, Rinne was "roughed up by a couple of unknown assailants" and dislocated his shoulder. As a result, he had to have surgery and missed the first four months of the season.
Rinne appeared in two NHL games with the Nashville Predators during the 2005–06 season. He compiled a record of 1–1–0 with a .900 save percentage and a GAA of 3.80.
Following Dan Ellis's stellar performance in the 2007-2008 Nashville Predators campaign, starter Chris Mason was traded to the St. Louis Blues and Rinne was called up to serve as back-up to Ellis for the 2008-09 season.
On December 1, 2008, Rinne became only the second Predators rookie goaltender ever to record a shutout. In February 2009, Rinne recorded nine wins in twelve games and had a 0.944 save percentage and a 1.72 goals against average. He was selected as the NHL rookie of the month. On March 14, Rinne set a Predators franchise record with his seventh shutout of the season.
Rinne stand's for Finland's goaltender in 2009 World Championship hockey, with the other one being Karri Rämö. Rinne started the tournament with a shutout in his first game in the Finnish national hockey team, saving 30 shots.
Career statistics
Regular season
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Kärpät | FNL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 60 | 7 | 0 | 7.00 | .788 |
| 2003–04 | Kärpät | FNL | 14 | 5 | 4 | 4 | — | 824 | 41 | 0 | 2.99 | .897 |
| 2004–05 | Kärpät | FNL | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1 | — | 572 | 16 | 0 | 1.68 | .927 |
| 2005–06 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 51 | 30 | 18 | 2 | — | 2960 | 139 | 2 | 2.82 | .904 |
| 2005–06 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 63 | 4 | 0 | 3.80 | .900 |
| 2006–07 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 29 | 15 | 7 | 6 | — | 1670 | 65 | 3 | 2.34 | .920 |
| 2007–08 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 65 | 36 | 24 | 3 | — | 3840 | 158 | 5 | 2.47 | .908 |
| 2007–08 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| 2008–09 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 52 | 29 | 15 | — | 4 | 2999 | 119 | 7 | 2.38 | .917 |
| NHL totals | 55 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 3092 | 123 | 7 | 2.39 | .917 | ||
Playoffs
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Kärpät | FNL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| 2005–06 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 14 | 10 | 4 | 734 | 35 | 3 | 2.86 | .905 |
| 2006–07 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 4 | 0 | 4 | 247 | 12 | 0 | 2.91 | — |
| 2007–08 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 6 | 2 | 4 | — | 15 | 1 | 2.51 | .923 |