Fans Pack The Bridgestone Arena Plaza For Pekka Rinne Statue Unveiling

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Pekka Rinne statue unveiling at Bridgestone Arena. Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators unveiled the statue of former goaltender Pekka Rinne on the Bridgestone Arena Plaza on Saturday (March 25) with a ceremony to honor Rinne’s legacy. Rinne, along with Mike Maguire from Best Buddies and eight patient ambassadors from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, helped reveal the statue.

“Pekka Rinne left a lasting legacy on all of Smashville,” said Nashville Predators President & CEO Sean Henry. “This is an exciting day for our organization as we honor a franchise leader and prominent figure in the community. It’s even more special that we get to share this historic moment with those who have meant so much to Pekka – our fans, Best Buddies and patient ambassadors from Vanderbilt.”

Rinne’s statue was commissioned through Scott Wise, a renowned sculptor and Preds Season Ticket Citizen based in Clarksville, Tennessee where he also works as a firefighter. Rinne’s actual gear including stick, glove and leg pads were used to make the statue’s bronze casting. The statue was installed by Hunt Memorials, a fourth-generation family business that has been serving Nashville since 1928, and the stones were supplied by Mid-Tenn Sand & Stone. The statue was placed over a time capsule that the Preds buried on Tuesday, March 21. The time capsule, which includes over 100 handwritten letters from Season Ticket Citizens, Best Buddies and 365 Fund patients, will be opened in 35 years.

“I am super excited and honored to have been selected to create this bronze sculpture to honor both Pekka and the Predators,” Wise said. “I’ve been a longtime Preds fan and this has been a dream of mine since the Predators first called Bridgestone Arena home. I hope that Pekka, the Nashville Predators hockey club and all the hockey fans of Smashville enjoy the statue as much as I have enjoyed making it.”

Originally drafted by the Predators in the eighth round (258th overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Rinne was a staple of the Nashville community during his time with the organization. He won the 2021 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the “player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in their community,” the result of a career spent dedicated to the Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities and the Predators Foundation empowered by SmileDirectClub.

“This experience has been surreal and something I will never forget,” said Rinne. “When I first found out about the statue, I was very surprised and incredibly honored. It really is a dream come true seeing the finished statue standing on the Bridgestone Arena Plaza, and I am so grateful for the Nashville Predators organization, the city of Nashville, and most importantly, the fans. I feel extremely lucky to have played all 683 games of my NHL career with the Predators.”

Rinne was, and still is, committed to the Nashville community, and has done amazing charity work through the 365 Pediatric Cancer Fund presented by Twice Daily, which he launched alongside former Predators Captain Shea Weber during the 2012-2013 season. The fund works with the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Since the establishment of the fund, donations totaling more than three million dollars have been made to the hospital and its programs. On Friday, March 24, Rinne presented Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with a $400,365.23 check from last season’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiatives.

Steven Boero
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