Pekka Rinne Looks To Avoid "One-Hit Wonder" Tag

A certain hockey team in the music city has been involved in a game of musical chairs when it comes to goaltending.

Since the end of the lockout, the Nashville Predators have used four different starting goalies in as many seasons.

Tomas Vokoun won 36 games in the 2005-06 season and was slated to be the centrepiece of the franchise. But after an injury took him out of action the following season, backup Chris Mason stood on his head down the stretch and played a big part in bringing the team to the playoffs.

At the conclusion of the season, Vokoun was traded to the Florida Panthers and Mason was appointed the starting job. Mason faltered, which led to the emergence of Dan Ellis who posted 23 wins in 44 contests.

As you would know it, Mason was dealt to the St. Louis Blues for a fourth-round pick in the 2008 Entry Draft.

Ellis held his own in a playoff series against Detroit in 2008 posting a .938 save percentage over the course of six games. However—you guessed it—Ellis struggled and the ball was passed down to Pekka Rinne.

Here's where we are today.

Rinne, 26, played his first full NHL season after spending three with Nashville's AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. In 52 appearances this season, Rinne won 29 games and was second in shutouts among rookie goalies with seven.

The 6'5" goaltender was selected in the eighth round of the 2004 Draft. Until this season, Rinne was regarded as one of the best goalies in the AHL with a 81-49-11 record since leaving Finland.

So how does Rinne compare to past goalies for the Predators?

Unlike Rinne, the other three goaltenders mentioned were acquired via trade or free agency. Rinne was drafted and developed by the Preds and played spectacular hockey for an offensively-challenged team. Anyone who has had the pleasure of watching him play this season knows that he is a confident goalie and rarely fights the puck.

Before coming to North America, the native of Kempere played four seasons with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League. After playing as backup for his first two campaigns, Rinne shared the crease with Minnesota Wild starter Niklas Backstrom for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Oddly enough, Karpat would win back-to-back Finnish titles with Rinne and Backstrom in net.

Although the Predators failed to make the playoffs, Rinne's play down the stretch has many people talking.

There is a good chance he will suit up for Finland at the 2009 World Hockey Championships and could potentially crack the Finnish Olympic squad next February in Vancouver.

The entire Predators' organization is also due for some praise.

They took their time with Rinne and gave him his opportunity at the right time. Even with people dumbfounded about the success of hockey in Nashville, there's no denying how sound management has been for a team that has only played 10 NHL seasons.

Hopefully this will be the goalie the Predators have been looking for all along.