For Predators goalie and new dad Pekka Rinne, Father Time is calling

Pekka Rinne apologized for calling late. He had fallen asleep on the couch with his newborn son on his chest, which was a more than sufficient explanation.

Paulus Oliver Rinne was born in Nashville on Dec. 4, 2020, at 11:22 p.m. Neither name holds special meaning, Rinne said. Both were on his and partner Erika Parkko’s shortlist, so they simply chose to combine them.

“We waited for a couple days and wanted to see the baby and then decide,” Rinne said. “We wanted to give him a Finnish name. He’s a very Finnish-looking baby.”

First-time fatherhood has a way of altering a man’s perspective. Rinne, 38, is no different.

“I could feel that change instantly when he was born,” he said. “Hockey has always had such a major role in my life. It almost feels bad to say, but it has always gone No. 1 no matter what. I have willingly sacrificed a lot of things because of hockey. It’s always been my passion and still is. But now obviously everything changes. Him and my family are the most important things right now. Hockey is clearly the second thing now, but in a good way.”

Breaking baby news: Pekka Rinne sent this video out thanking #Preds staff for their donations to the 365 Fund (donate here: https://t.co/HGJkOrdM3r) AND announced the birth of his son…who is absolutely adorable. Big congratulations to Pekka and Erika! pic.twitter.com/a2GAUCfpny

— Justin Bradford (@justinbbradford) December 15, 2020

For more than a decade, Rinne came first for the Predators. But that changed last season, when he lost his once-firm grip on the starting position.

Juuse Saros, 25, outplayed Rinne in the second half of the year and started all four of the Predators’ qualifying-round games against the Arizona Coyotes in August, the first time since 2008 that Rinne did not start in the postseason. His streak of 89 consecutive playoff starts was the fourth-longest in NHL history.

“To be honest with you, I expected that,” Rinne said. “(Saros) had a really strong end of the season before the pause (in March). I really focused on my training and everything coming back for the bubble and coming back for the training camp before the playoffs. I tried to put in a lot of work before that and wanted to prove myself again. … It was personally disappointing, but it didn’t really affect me. Like I said, I kind of expected that.

“I’m competitive. I always want to be there. In every sense, it wasn’t a great season for us or myself. It’s so easy afterwards to be a Monday morning quarterback, ‘I should have played.’ I never had those feelings. Mostly, I was disappointed in myself for not having a great season. Of course you start doubting yourself a little bit, but I didn’t really spend too much time worrying about that after the playoffs. … I was happy for (Saros). He was strong at the end of the season, and it was his time to carry the team.”

A condensed schedule this season will underline the importance of having two dependable goaltenders. The Predators, who play 56 games in 115 days and have 10 sets of back-to-back games, have labeled Saros and Rinne as a 1A and 1B.

Saros, though, needs to prove that he is capable of being Rinne’s replacement, at least in the short term, so the Predators should treat him as the starter. 

In his pursuit of a bounce-back season, being out of the spotlight is a good thing, Rinne said.

“Even in the past, I don’t like to read lists where my name is high on the list of goalies,” said Rinne, whose 3.17 goals-against average and .895 save percentage in 35 starts last season were the worst of his career. “I like to put my head down and go to work. I think this year, it’s the same for the whole team, but especially for me. There’s not a lot of expectations except from myself. I like that. I like that situation.”

Of course, the question had to be asked: Is this it for Rinne, whose two-year contract expires this summer?

“I think that’s the mindset I’m kind of having right now, not going beyond this year in my head,” Rinne said. “(I’m) not saying that this will be my last year or anything, but that’s my mindset, just trying to put everything into it. For sure, there’s a possibility that this is the last season.”

Rinne, an eighth-round draft pick in 2004 who rose to become the face of the franchise, understands that everything he does this season will be viewed through that prism.

“I’ve thought a lot about Pekka and, I guess, how long this goes on,” Predators general manager David Poile said. “It’s crossed my mind that this could be his last year. I also think and believe that he’s going to play really good, and we’re going to be talking about Pekka being here for a lot longer. 

“Pekka’s meant so much to our franchise. I know there’s a lot of big fans out there, but as the general manager, if I’m allowed to, I’m clearly one of his biggest fans ever.”

As the conversation with Rinne wrapped up, Paulus began to wail. It was getting close to bedtime. 

“I guess I used to be ‘goalie Pekka Rinne’ in the past, but now I’m dad first and then a hockey player,” Rinne said. “I’m not taking that extra pressure anymore. I feel good about where I’m at today. I’m obviously very happy with everything going on, but I’m also very happy that hockey’s back on and really enjoying that, too.

“Obviously it is no secret that you never know how long I’ll be playing or whatever is left, so I’m just really trying to have the mindset of giving everything I have, but at the same time, trying to enjoy it as much as you can.”

(Photo: Michael Martin / NHLI via Getty Images)