Pekka Rinne became the first player in Nashville Predators history to have his number retired on Thursday night.

The organization retired Rinne’s No. 35 during a pregame ceremony before the Predators hosted the Dallas Stars. Rinne watched from the ice as a banner was lifted to the rafters displaying his name and number.

The Predators also announced plans for a bronze statue of Rinne to be placed outside of Bridgestone Arena, where he played for all 15 of his NHL seasons.

Rinne announced his retirement last summer after appearing in his final game May 10 against the Carolina Hurricanes. He went 369-213-75 with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 683 games (666 starts) from the 2005-06 season through 2020-21.

Rinne is tied for 19th among all NHL goalies with 369 victories. He is a three-time All-Star and won the Vezina Trophy at the end of the 2017-18 season.

The Finland native also started 89 playoff games for Nashville. He went 45-44 with a 2.49 GAA and a .914 save percentage in the postseason, which included a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, when the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Predators in a six-game series.

–Field Level Media