Goaltender Pekka Rinne, the Nashville Predators’ all-time leader in wins, has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was announced June 22.

Rinne will be the second Predators player, joining defenseman Shea Weber, inducted into the Hall, and the first-ever Finnish goaltender to make it.

“I share this honor with my teammates, my family, and also the fans,” Rinne told reporters after the announcement was made. “I got the news about two to three hours ago, and I never thought this phone call would come to me. It’s moments like this you think about your family, the players and coaches, and also the fans.”

Weber was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2024.

An eighth-round draft pick in 2004, Rinne won 369 games in 15 seasons with the Predators after his arrival in the 2005-06 season. In addition to wins, he’s the franchise’s all-time leader in saves and shutouts, and he won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender in the 2017-18 season.

Rinne, 43, represented Finland at four IIHF World Championships, winning MVP of the tournament in 2014, and he surpassed Kari Lehtonen for all-time wins among Finnish-born goalies in 2019.

In 2021, Rinne announced his retirement from the NHL. In 2023, the team unveiled an 11-foot statue of Rinne on the plaza of Bridgestone Arena. In 2024, he was inducted as an inaugural member of the team’s Golden Hall.

The Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Nov. 9 in Toronto. Rinne is one of five players to be elected in the 2026 class, along with Patrice Bergeron, Carey Price, Cindy Curley and Keith Tkachuk. Brian Burke will be inducted in the builder category.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. He never uses artificial intelligence when developing or drafting stories. 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: Former Predators goalie Pekka Rinne to be inducted to Hockey Hall of Fame