NASHVILLE – Before the question could be asked in its entirety, Barry Trotz was fired up.
Four years ago, Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was snubbed from the Finnish Olympic team. It was the season that he took over for good as the Predators’ starter, when he emerged as a household name among hockey enthusiasts. It could have been Rinne’s first-ever Olympic bid.
Depending on who you ask, he should have been in Vancouver for what was a memorable 2010 Winter Games.
“He should have been. Absolutely. They (Finland) made a mistake there. The Finns should have had Pekka Rinne on their team,” Trotz said when asked if the 2010 omission adds motivation for Rinne this season.
“And they should this year.”
Rinne underwent off-season hip surgery on May 9 and is inching closer to being 100 per cent. He’s been cleared by doctors, but the team is being extra cautious as he prepares to be fully healthy for opening night. He expects to be 100 per cent by then.
Like the rest of the Predators, Rinne had a down season in 2012-13. He played through the hip injury en route to a 2.43 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, numbers that are not Rinne-like. The 30-year-old goalie won’t use his hip ailment as an excuse, but one has to think it at least affected him a little bit.
It also didn’t help that the team in front of Rinne couldn’t stay healthy and struggled mightily in the goal-scoring department.
“It was a difficult way to end the season, but it’s a fresh start and that’s all you can ask for,” Rinne said of the upcoming season.
This season is a unique one, as it’s an Olympic year. That adds any motivation to players in the mix for a spot to represent their country, but for Rinne a trip to Sochi, Russia next February would be extra special.
The Kempele native was very disappointed to be left off Finland’s roster in 2010, and Trotz mentioned a year later that Rinne tried so hard just to make the team that it added disappointment with the national team’s decision. Rinne spent the two-week break in Finland and returned to Nashville with a chip on his shoulder and was better than ever.
Fast forward three and a half years later and Rinne has become one of the league’s best netminders.
“I’d be absolutely flabbergasted if he’s not there,” Trotz said. “I’m putting a lot of pressure on the Finnish team. I see him on a night-to-night basis; they don’t. He’s – he’s good.”
Rinne took a more humble approach when asked about the prospects of playing in Sochi this winter.
“I’m sure if I do my job and play to my abilities, I’m sure I’ll at least be in the mix,” he said.
Miikka Kiprusoff, Antero Niittymaki and Backstrom were the goaltending trio for Finland in 2010. The Finns could be taking three new goalies, without any Olympic experience, to Sochi.
Rinne is in the mix, for sure, but it’s a good enough mix that a poor start to the season could affect his status for the Olympics. Also in the mix to be in net for Finland is Tuukka Rask, Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, as well as Backstrom.
But if Rinne doesn’t have any complications with the hip and returns to his usual form, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be making a trip to Russia next February. He may even be considered the favourite to start for Finland.
“It’s always been my dream to play in the Olympics,” Rinne said. “As an athlete, the Olympics is the biggest thing you can experience. There are all different kinds of athletes from different sports, all the best athletes in the world. Just to be one of them, that would be something you would remember forever.”
Even though the Olympics are admittedly in the back of his mind, Rinne is focused on a bounce-back season in Nashville – not only for himself, but for the team as well. The Predators were left with a bad taste in their mouths last season, finishing 14th in the Western Conference. They are determined to return to the playoffs, and Rinne is an integral piece of that puzzle.
“I’m still trying to get back to 100 per cent … but I’m super excited,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to a fresh start or back to the normal routine and a normal season.”
