Pekka Rinne announces retirement after 15 NHL seasons

It’s the end of an era in Nashville.

Veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne is calling it quits after a successful NHL career. He announces on Tuesday his decision to retire from hockey.

“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” said Rinne via the Players Tribune.

“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. I still feel that now. It’s the right time.”

The 38-year old, who was selected 258th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft, amassed a 369-213-75 record, 2.43 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and 60 shutouts over a span of 683 career regular season games with the Nashville Predators organization. He was also selected to four NHL All-Star games, and a recipient of the Vezina Trophy in 2018 and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy this past year.