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Goldman: How do you handle the stress knowing that you’re considered an elite goaltender asked to play almost all of your team’s games? Rinne: “Well, I mean, I’m absolutely living the dream, so I think I cherish that opportunity and I love that challenge. At the same time, when I go into a season, I obviously look at the schedule, but I try to live it out in short sections throughout the season. I don’t really set any goals for myself as far as how many games I want to play. I just focus on short sections, maybe five games at a time, and just focus on building momentum and getting things going for yourself and your team, and then moving along. I think it’s a great challenge overall. It’s so much fun obviously, especially when things are going well, but even when things aren’t going well. Like this year, for myself, it’s a big challenge, and at the end of the day, even though it’s not so much fun, you still cherish those moments. Hopefully in the future, next season, I’m able to look back and realize that I learned something from it. But I never try to put any extra pressure on myself. I just try to be as good as I can be and try to have a pretty grounded mindset going into the season by taking it in little pieces as we move along.” Goldman: Earlier you talked about still always learning new things. I know you work with Mitch Korn and we talked to him about the mental side of the position. In terms of always being in a state of learning, what has he taught you recently about the mental game? Rinne: “I think with Mitch, I obviously have worked with him for so long, so I have learned a lot from him and we’ve had good success and I’m lucky to be working with him. I think with Mitch, the biggest thing is that it’s not like a science. It is simple things and you just try to stay in your happy place. Everyone is different, and when I’m at my best, I’m pretty relaxed and still focused. He knows me so well that he can always tell the difference if I’m a little uptight, or if I put too much pressure on my shoulders, he sees it and he can bring me back to being me. He’s helped me a lot just to stay even-keeled. You hear that a lot, but I just try to remember how you feel when you’re doing well, and what state of mind you’re in when you’re at your best. You try to learn from that and try to exercise that feeling to be in your natural state of mind when you are in mid-season form or whatever. So you try to stay in your happy place. Sometimes it’s hard to put things behind you, but at the same time, the more seasons you play, the more you learn how to do it and how to be ready for another challenge. That’s one of the things Mitch is really good at helping me remember.” Goldman: Are there any mental tricks or any insight you can give us in regards to how you manage the highs and lows, or how you approach staying even-keeled? Rinne: “I kind of have a routine on game days and it starts as soon as I wake up. The whole body is in a game mode, but more than anything it’s just a routine and you don’t even really have to remind yourself too much. Everything I do, I kind of do it the same way, and after the game I try to give myself that night to think about the game. Sometimes it takes a while to fall asleep, but the next day when I wake up, I try not to think about that game and move on to the next game. Pretty simple things, but I feel like it’s still important to go through a game in your head and give yourself some time. If you feel good or angry about the game, it’s not wrong to have those feelings. I give myself time to experience those feelings that night, then I move on. I really don’t have any tricks or anything like that, just a lot of routines. Usually my routine starts the night before by thinking about the next game and then when I wake up the next morning, it’s already game day and everything you do, you don’t even have to think about it. You live in your own schedule and it obviously gets easier the more you play. But yeah, I think those are the things I find myself doing often.” Goldman: How important is it to stay disciplined within that routine amidst all of the distractions that come from being an elite NHL goaltender? Rinne: “I think it’s pretty important, but I think more than anything, it’s just staying positive. That’s when good things happen, and on game days I still talk to media and try not to change anything. I just try to be myself and be laid back. If there’s something going wrong or there are delays when traveling, I’m not going to let those things mess up my routine. I try not to take any stress about anything, but at the same time, I try to stay positive and happy. When you’re in a good place, good things happen, and you’re able to do good things.” Goldman: Was there an experience you had where you weren’t happy or positive, and if so, what did you learn from that experience? Rinne: “I still go through those mixed feelings every single season and there are stretches where things aren’t going your way. During those moments, you are tested. It’s easy to get angry and easy to feel sorry for yourself, and sure there’s a lot of times where you catch yourself being mad and frustrated and sorry for yourself, but at the same time, it’s pretty natural. I’m sure everybody goes through these same kind of things. But you try to handle them the right way, and at the end of the day, even though we are individuals in a team sport, you are still on a team, so you try to be a good teammate and do the right things. But it’s easier said than done, and it takes work to stay positive and stay happy. You have to face those different feelings almost every day during the season, so it’s just how you handle those feelings that matters.” Goldman: How important is it to be honest with yourself and your game? Rinne: “I think it’s really important to realize how you’ve played, what you’re doing in practice, and also off the ice how you handle things. Being honest is really important, because if you realize you’re doing something wrong, the sooner the better obviously, because it can hurt you if you start trying to find excuses for why the team isn’t playing well. A lot of times, those are the moments when you get yourself in trouble and you start focusing on the wrong things instead of yourself. It’s really important to stay honest and reflect on what’s happening around you, and also what’s happening inside your head.”