Veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne added to his impressive resume after a stellar performance on Friday night.
The Predators netminder stopped 34 shots in a 2-0 win over the team’s division rival St. Louis Blues. The shutout marked the 45th of his career and put him in sole possession of first place for Finnish goaltenders. Former Calgary Flames superstar Mikka Kiprusoiff previously held the record with 44.
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Rinne moved into 45th place on the all-time shutouts list behind Ken Dryden, who finished his career with 46. At just 35 years of age, the Predators goaltender has plenty of time to continue working his way up the list. Martin Brodeur stands as the all-time leader with 125 over 1,266 games played.
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Finland has proven to be a goaltender factory in recent years, and make up a surprisingly large amount of the NHL’s total when you consider how small the country is. There are less than 5.5 million people in Finland, yet seven of them are playing in the NHL.
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Tuukka Rask is slowly but surely creeping behind Rinne on the all-time list. The 30-year-old has amassed 38 over the years and could very well surpass him as the leader in the future. Regardless, the milestone is noteworthy and goes to show just how solid of a career Rinne has had up to this point.
Congrats, Pekka.
(H/T NHL Public Relations)
