Former Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne wins in first game in nearly four years
Rinne, who signed a one-game contract with Kiekko-Ketut earlier in the week, started for his former youth team against Haapajärvi Kiilai at Kempelehalli in Rinne's hometown of Kempele, Finland. In a ceremony before the game, Kiekko-Ketut retired Rinne's jersey, which bears the same No. 35 he wore for 15 seasons with the Predators.
According to the Finnish website Jatkoaika, 801 fans were in attendance to watch Kiekko-Ketut - which roughly translates as the "Hockey Foxes" - beat Haapajärvi Kiilai 7-2. The Foxes led 3-1 at the end of the first period, then broke the game open with three more goals in the second period and one in the third.
That gave Rinne his first win since his final game with the Predators on May 10, 2021.
Rinne, who played for Kiekko-Ketut as a youth player, was drafted by Nashville in the eighth round in 2004. He holds the Predators franchise record for saves (17,627), wins (369) and shutouts (60) and playoff wins (45).
Rinne won the Vezina Trophy in 2018 as well as the King Clancy Award in 2021, which is given "to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."
Rinne is currently a development coach and scout for the Predators. In January, Rinne was inducted into the Predators' Golden Hall, along with general manager David Poile and defenseman Shea Weber.
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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators: Pekka Rinne wins in first game in nearly 4 years
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