Predators Unveil Pekka Rinne Statue

Throngs of gold-clad fans flooded the plaza outside Bridgestone Arena in the early hours of Saturday morning as the Nashville Predators unveiled a statue of
franchise goaltender Pekka Rinne
.
Chants of "Thank you, Pekka!" resounded all the way down Broadway as the beloved goaltender arrived on the plaza, smiling and greeting fans, media members and former Predators teammates who had come to join the celebration.

Longtime Preds broadcaster Pete Weber emceed the unveiling ceremony, and President & CEO Sean Henry and President of Hockey Operations & General Manager David Poile delivered remarks before the man of the hour took the stage.
"Pekka has made a career out of defying the odds," Poile said. "It has been said that statues of great men are made of stones thrown at them during their lifetime. There is no question Pekka has had a lot thrown - or more specifically, pucks shot - at him during his lifetime. But through it all he's persevered, and SMASHVILLE is better for it."

Rinne, who played his entire 683-game NHL career in Nashville, retired in 2021 after 15 seasons. Last season, his No. 35 jersey became the first and only retired jersey in the history of the Predators organization.
"This is surreal," Rinne said. "Having my jersey retired last year was an unbelievable honor. As a hockey player I didn't think anything bigger could happen, and it means the world to me that my jersey's up there in the rafters."
Rinne is only the sixth goaltender individually immortalized in this fashion at an NHL arena. He also is the first European goaltender to have a statue erected in his honor in North America.
"It's an unbelievable honor," Rinne said. "I guess it's still sinking in. I mean, I have a statue. It's crazy."

Rinne held his son, Paulus, in his arms as Mikey Maguire from Best Buddies Tennessee and eight Hockey Fights Cancer patient ambassadors from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt helped unveil the statue. The bronze statue, sculpted by
Clarksville native and Preds Season Ticket Citizen Scott Wise
, stands 11 feet, 11 inches tall, making the 6-foot-5 goaltender look diminutive by comparison.
"In the city of Nashville there's so many icons, from pop culture to sports," Rinne said. "It makes you feel small."

With a statue towering over the most iconic street in the heart of Music City, Rinne joked that he would "keep his eye" on all the visitors to Broadway. Ever humble, he concluded by recognizing and thanking the SMASHVILLE community.
"The statute is not just representing me," Rinne said. "It's representing my family, the organization, the city of Nashville, the core values of our organization, hard work, community. It's representing the past players who have been in Nashville and players who are playing currently and players who are going to be Nashville Predators. I'm extremely proud, humbled, thankful. It's hard to put into words but again, I just want to thank everyone in such a special moment."