NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne has announced his retirement after 15 NHL seasons. The Finland native says he’s been on an incredible journey, with the Predators taking him to more places than he could imagine. Rinne says this decision wasn’t easy but the right one at the right time.
The 2018 Vezina Trophy winner earned a 5-0 win over the Hurricanes in his last start on May 10. It was his 60th career shutout and tied him with Tom Barrasso for 19th on the NHL wins list with 369.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
— Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois has confirmed that star forward Nikita Kucherov played in the Stanley Cup Final with a non-displaced rib fracture. Kucherov was hurt on a cross-check during Game 6 of the conference final against the Islanders. Defenseman Victor Hedman played the entire postseason with a torn meniscus, which occurred March 30.
— Dominique Ducharme has been promoted to head coach of the Montreal Canadiens after leading the club to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 28 years. The Habs have announced that Ducharme has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season. The 48-year-old was promoted to the role of interim head coach on Feb. 24 after the struggling Canadiens fired former head coach Claude Julien.
— The Wild are buying out the contracts of veteran stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter with four years remaining on each. They signed identical $98 million, 13-year deals in 2012. The buyouts will combine to cost the Wild almost $15 million against the salary cap.
