Pekka Rinne's Message to Young Hockey Players

NASHVILLE — Pekka Rinne's path to the Predators wasn't exactly conventional. The 2018 Vezina Trophy winner became the fourth Nashville Predators player and the first goaltender out of Finland selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame by being inducted as part of the Class of 2026, but it almsot didn't happen for him.

Rinne revealed during his Hall of Fame speech that he nearly gave up on hockey to play Finnish baseball, but his youth coach, Harri Hautamäki, pushed him to continue playing and even encouraged him to leave his junior-level team for a spot with Oulun Kärpät. He spent three seasons with Kärpät before the Nashville Predators drafted him in the eighth round in 2004 with the 248th overall pick.

The four-time NHL All-Star led the Predators to the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, going on to win 369 games with 60 shutouts, but it took him three seasons of development in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals before he earned significant NHL action in 2008.

He highlighted his unusual journey to hockey stardom during his Hall of Fame speech, encouraging athletes in all sports to run their own race and not to be discouraged when setbacks come.

"If there's something that I want to pass on to any young athlete who's watching tonight, it's this," Rinne said. "You don't have to be the most highly touted prospect. You don't have to have everything figured out when you're young. Your path doesn't have to look like anyone else's. Mine certainly didn't. There will be setbacks. There will be moments when you doubt yourself. That's part of the journey. What matters is that you love what you do, that you're willing to work for it, that you learn from the people around you and never give up."

Rinne highlighted other outstanding Finnish players during his speech, but he stands alone as the only Finnish goaltender in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He played 27 games for Team Finland, winning 14, with eight shutouts on the international stage.

His legacy in Nashville speaks for itself, as the franchise's greatest goaltender to date. He continues working in hockey, helping coach the Predators goaltenders and advise his successor, fellow Finnish goaltender Juuse Saros. Nashville drafteds Saros in the fourth round in 2013 and he currently has 230 wins with 46 shutouts under his belt on Broadway.

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