Before Pekka Rinne earned five All-Star nods and became the favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the Nashville Predators, he was a backup with Karpat of Finland's SM-liiga.
Alumni of those 2004 and 2005 SM-liiga champion teams have reconvened for an annual getaway every June for more than 10 years, according to Tal Pinchevsky of The New York Times, but Rinne will be absent this time around as he looks to backstop his team to a Stanley Cup.
Former Karpat teammate and ex-NHL goaltender Niklas Backstrom spoke to the absence of his longtime friend and former protege.
"We are happy for him but also sad," he said, "because we are going to go there and he won't make the trip this year. But there's something much better."
The group plans to incorporate Rinne into the weekend's festivities, with Backstrom saying, "It will be fun to be together with the guys and watch the game."
Another former teammate, Florida Panthers forward Jussi Jokinen, said he'll miss his "loyal friend," but Backstrom knows there's nowhere else Rinne would rather be as the calendar turns to June.
"I can't even remember a day that he wasn't happy being at the rink."
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