Pekka Rinne, Nashville’s leader in games, starts, wins, shutouts, goals-against average and saves, announced his retirement earlier today. Accompanying his announcement was a heartfelt article he penned - err…typed (maybe a ghostwriter?) - for The Player’s Tribune.
Now…I’m not a Nashville fan, nor will I ever be, but I respect Rinne and his career. What I appreciate about this article is the stories - particularly the fashion sense one - and the credit he gives to the guys around him.
But what I liked most was the introduction. If you don’t plan on reading the piece (it’s kind of long) let me save you some time and share the intro below:
“Somewhere in Sunrise, Florida, way back in 1996, there was a mailman. And in his sack of mail, along with hundreds and hundreds of envelopes, there was a letter — from me.
It was addressed to my favorite goalie in the world: John Vanbiesbrouck. I was pretty much obsessed with him when I was 13 years old. I’d send him letters and cards and pictures and all sorts of stuff. And he’d always return them with his autograph. So to me, a tall, skinny street hockey goalie from Kempele, Finland ... man, it was just about the coolest thing in the world.
Even from 5,000 miles away, every time I got a letter back, I’d feel like I was a small part of that Panthers’ Cup run. I’d mimic John’s saves in the driveway with my friends, I’d count down the hours until Sunday morning when the 30-minute NHL highlight show came on. And I’d let myself dream that maybe, maybe, one day I’d play for the Stanley Cup like John.
That, in a way, was the start.…
So how did Rinne stack up to his hero? Let’s take an abbreviated look…
Beezer: 1981 - 2002 GP: 882 GS: 841 W: 374 L: 346 SA: 24,705 GA: 2,502 GAA: 2.98 SV%: .899 SO: 40 MIN: 50,455
Rinne: 2004 - 2021:
GP: 683 W: 369 L: 213 OT: 75 SA: 19,225 GA: 1,598 GAA: 2.43 SV%: .917 SO: 60 MIN: 39,414
Lots of other factors to consider (era played, teams/defense in front of them, etc.), but I have to run to a men’s league game!
Who gets the win? ____________________
Go Panthers!