Nashville Predators announce “major” press conference for tomorrow

It looks like it could be the end of an era in Music City.

The Nashville Predators have announced a "major" press conference has been scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM EST, and according to The Athletic's Adam Vingan, it likely involves goaltender Pekka Rinne: 

The 38 year-old Finnish goaltender is the greatest player at the position in Predators history, having racked up 369 career victories, good for 19th place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Additionally, his 60 shutouts are tied for 14th most in NHL history. 

He was drafted 258th overall in 2004. Not surprisingly, he holds franchise records in virtually every category, including goals against average, minutes played, save percentage, and shutouts. 

In what was likely his final NHL game, Rinne earned a shutout in a 5-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at Bridgestone Arena on May 10. He then took a lap around the rink acknowledging the fans, who showered him with cheers. 

“Here’s a guy that’s one of the best…the best to ever wear a Preds jersey,” Predators head coach John Hynes said afterwards. "He means so much to the organization, to the fan base, to the team…I think the big thing that you can tell about a person is the way his teammates reacted to him at the end of the game and how hard they played in front of him and how the fan base reacted to him. It was a special night for Pekks.”

“His jersey is going to get retired here,” Hynes continued.

That's certainly not debatable, and it's simply a matter of when, not if. 

“I’ve played about 100 games here now and he’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had,” center Matt Duchene added. 

It isn't often that an NHL player who is among the best at his position can spend his entire career in one city. For Rinne, he appeared to recognize that it was the end for him, and he certainly took in every moment following what could be his last appearance on the ice as a member of the Predators. 

“I mean, overwhelming, I guess is the right word,” Rinne explained following the game. “I don't know if I can find the right word (for) how much I appreciate our fans. My relationship with the fans, this city, it means the world to me. I never want it to be about me; this team is going to playoffs and we have big things ahead. But I truly appreciate what happened tonight and it goes very high on my on my personal list [of] my experiences in hockey.”

If tomorrow is indeed the official end of Rinne's career, we wish him the best moving forward.