(SP) – According to multiple law enforcement sources, Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is being investigated for a possible role in a presumed NHL conspiracy to gift Sidney Crosby his third career Stanley Cup.
“We have been detecting a lot of chatter on social media that the NHL is rigged for Sidney Crosby — enough chatter that we had to look into it,” said an FBI source. “It’s literally all some people who watch hockey talk about. It’s kind of pathetic. Anyway, we started looking into things and we discovered that if there something going on, then the Predators goalie has been compromised in order to allow so many shots to get past him.”
Crosby’s Penguins now lead the Stanley Cup Final 3-2 after a 6-0 win in Game 5 in which Rinne got pulled for the second time in the series. In three Cup games in Pittsburgh so far, the Predators have given up 15 goals, whereas the Predators beat Pittsburgh by a 9-2 combined scored in Nashville.
“Some have said that if Rinne is compromised, then why did he play so well in Nashville,” said a source. “Well, if you think the heat is on you, you try to make it look like nothing is up. But his play in Game 5 looked very suspicious again.”
Investigators have not yet determined why the NHL would rig its postseason so Crosby could win his third Cup in a 12-year career.
“Why not rig things for the Maple Leafs or the New York Rangers?” said the FBI source. “Why let Connor McDavid get bounced in a Game 7? Why hand championships to a team in a relatively small market? And just three total in 12 years? Why not give it to them every year? I don’t have the answers to all of that yet. What I do know is that I’ve seen the hashtag ‘rigged’ a bunch and it’s my job to see if there’s anything to it.”
Rinne says he is not involved in any plot to aid Pittsburgh’s interests.
“This is an outrageous claim,” he said. “I won’t stand for this. I think I have a long and strong track record of giving up goals to lots of teams.”
