Pekka Rinne

Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne (born November 3, 1982) plays for the NHL's Nashville Predators. He is seen here in an advertisement at the team's home arena.

As a teenager in northern Finland, he didn't get much playing time, serving as the backup to future NHL goaltender Niklas Bäckström. Predators scout Janne Kekalainen noticed Rinne in pregame warmups and liked what he saw. Despite having not seen him play in an actual game, Nashville selected Rinne in the 8th round of the NHL draft in 2004. It proved to be one of the best picks made in team history.

Rinne honed his skills in the minor leagues with the Milwaukee Admirals from 2005-08. In his rookie year, he led the Admirals to the AHL's Calder Cup Final. He won his first NHL game in December 2005, filling in for other injured goaltenders. Rinne has played full-time with Nashville since 2008.

Pekka's breakthrough year was 2010-11, when he finished second in the league in save percentage (.930) and third in goals against average (2.12). In 2011 and 2012, he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, the NHL's goaltender of the year award.

Standing at 6'5" tall, he was the tallest goaltender in the league as a rookie. In recent years, a few taller goaltenders have since emerged. Despite his height, Pekka is down to earth and very fan-friendly.

He has one of the most mispronounced last names in hockey. Even after he became one of the league's best netminders, most NHL TV commentators, including the Nashville broadcast team, have been lazy to learn how to properly say it (REEN-nay).