Kathryn Sears
The Nashville Predators introduced the Golden Hall’s inaugural class on Wednesday, inducting former general manager David Poile, goaltender Pekka Rinne and defenseman Shea Weber into the organization’s newly formed hall of fame.
At a ceremony held at the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, Poile, Rinne, and Weber were formally welcomed into the hall. With family, friends and numerous Predators alumni present, the inductees were presented with golden jackets and golden albums recognizing their achievements with the Predators.
All three will be honored with a puck drop ceremony ahead of the Predators’ home game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The team also will unveil the Golden Hall recognition wall on the Gary Force Acura Club level and a banner that recognizes the Golden Hall in the arena.
David Poile: general manager (1997 to 2023)
Poile, a Toronto native, was the Predators’ first general manager and eventually became the winningest GM in NHL history. He was named NHL General Manager of the Year in 2017 and is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders’ category in November.
Under Poile, the Predators reached the playoffs 15 times and won seven playoff rounds. Their deepest run came in 2017, when the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Poile, 74, remains with the team as a senior adviser. He has been in that role since Barry Trotz took over as general manager in July 2023. Poile will serve as chairman of the Golden Hall’s selection committee.
Pekka Rinne: goaltender (2005 to 2021)
Rinne, a Kempele, Finland native, was picked in the eighth round (No. 258 overall) in the 2004 NHL Draft out of Karpat of the Finnish Elite League. He made his NHL debut on Dec. 15, 2005, and played 683 games in 15 seasons for the Predators.
Rinne, 42, holds the franchise record for saves (17,627), wins (369) and shutouts (60), as well as the most playoff wins (45). In 2018, he passed Miikka Kiprusoff for the most wins among Finnish-born goalies in the NHL.
In 2018, Rinne won the Vezina Trophy, the first Predators player to win an individual award. In 2021, he won the King Clancy Award, given “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
A statue honoring Rinne was unveiled on the Bridgestone Arena plaza in March 2023. He is currently a European development coach for the Predators, a role he took on in 2023 after his retirement in 2021.
Shea Weber: defenseman (2005 to 2016)
Weber, a Sicamous, British Columbia native, was taken in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft out of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 6, 2006, then played 763 regular-season games and 59 playoff games for the Predators in 11 seasons.
Weber, 39, ranks fourth in goals (166), fifth in assists (277), fifth in points (443) and third in games played (763) for the franchise. He also ranks seventh in playoff points with 28.
In November, Weber — who was captain of the team from 2010 to 2016 before being traded to the Montreal Canadiens — became the first player drafted by Nashville to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“I’d like to thank David Poile, Barry Trotz and the Predators for giving me a chance to live out my childhood dream in a city I now consider a second home,” Weber said in his Hockey Hall of Fame induction speech on Nov. 11.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at [email protected]. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
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