Pekka Rinne says goodbye to hockey, officially announces retirement
In a post on The Players' Tribune, Nashville Predators netminder Pekka Rinne officially announced his retirement from hockey on Tuesday.
"But today today is the end. I'm retiring from the game of hockey." Rinne said.
"This decision wasn't easy. I spent the summer in Nashville with my fiancée, Erika, and our six-month-old son, Paulus. My body still feels like it could compete at the highest level but my decision was about a lot more than that. Every time I looked at my son, at Erika � I just felt like a different person, almost, if that makes sense. My priorities had changed, and my mind knew that, even if my body didn't. And when I really thought about what it would mean to not come back to the rink at the end of the summer, it just felt like the right choice, and the right time." he added.
Rinne went on to say, "And for my teammates throughout the years. There's more than I could ever thank, but I've made friends with so many of you, and I'll cherish that forever. But most of all, as I skated around Bridgestone Arena for a final time, I was thankful for the people of Nashville. I hope that after all these years, you could see from the stands that all I ever wanted was to be a great teammate, and a player who gave everything for the city he loved."
The 38-year-old spent parts of 15 seasons in the NHL with Nashville. In 683 regular season games, Rinne had a record of 369-213-75, a 2.43 G.A.A., a .917 save percentage, and 60 shutouts. In 2018, Rinne was the recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the league that season.
Best of luck in retirement, Pekka.
