from Tal Pinchevsky at the New York Times,

For more than a decade, roughly a dozen members of the Karpat team that won back-to-back Finnish hockey league titles in 2004 and 2005 have reconvened every June for a cabin getaway. The retreats give the former teammates a weekend to remember old times and relive on-ice conquests.

Arguably the most-liked member of the group, Pekka Rinne, won’t be there this summer. But his absence isn’t without good reason: Rinne, now the star goaltender for the Nashville Predators, has a date with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals.

“We are happy for him but also sad,” said Niklas Backstrom, a goaltender who played 10 seasons in the N.H.L. after four with Karpat, “because we are going to go there and he won’t make the trip this year. But there’s something much better.”

Rinne’s date with the Penguins started poorly. After leading playoff goalies in nearly every major category through three rounds, Rinne allowed four goals on 11 shots in the Predators’ 5-3 loss in Game 1 on Monday. Game 2 is Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

Rinne’s absence from his friends’ trip will give them something more to do than swap stories.

“It will be fun to be together with the guys and watch the game,” Backstrom said.

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