Former Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne to be inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Pekka Rinne will soon have a Hall of Fame plaque to go with his statue outside Bridgestone Arena.

On Wednesday, Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne learned he will be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Brad Willis, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, surprised Rinne with the announcement at the conclusion of a scouting department press conference at Bridgestone Arena.

Rinne becomes the third Predators player to be inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, joining Mike Fisher, who was inducted in 2023, and David Legwand, inducted in 2022.

The 2024 Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held July 20 at the Omni Nashville Downtown.

Selected in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL Draft, Rinne took over as starter in 2008, quickly becoming one of the top goaltenders in the NHL. His size and athleticism helped him to eight 30-plus win seasons, finishing with a career .917 save percentage. He was a four-time Vezina Trophy finalist, winning the award as top goaltender in the league in 2018.

Rinne retired from the Predators in 2021, finishing his career with a franchise record 369 wins and 60 shutouts. In 2019, Rinne became the all-time winningest Finnish-born goalie, surpassing Miikka Kiprusoff. In 2020, he became the 12th goalie in NHL history to score a goal.

In 2023, Rinne was named European Development Coach and Scout for the Predators, working with all goalies in the organization and goalie coach Ben Vanderklok. That same year, the Predators built a statue in his honor on the plaza outside Bridgestone Arena.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Pekka Rinne to be inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame