Pekka Rinne's hip injury serious, according to report

The Predators' goalie told a Finnish magazine that his rehab could face setbacks due to a dangerous bacterial infection.

By Patrick Iversen Oct 27, 2013, 1:16pm EDT

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne has told Finnish magazine Urheilulehti that the hip infection he's recovering from is "very dangerous" and could lead to long-term problems.

Rinne felt pain in his surgically repaired hip following Tuesday's loss to the Minnesota Wild, developing a fever later that night. He visited doctors the following morning, where they determined he had contracted an infection in the hip he had arthroscopic surgery on in May. He underwent surgery on Thursday to clean it out and will miss the next four weeks.

The infection, according to Rinne, is spontaneous and unexpected. He told Urheilulehti that his surgeon said his arthroscopic surgery in May had gone well, and that "everything looked the way [it]] should." Rinne said he doesn't have a timetable for his return, but the infection could cause further issues to his hip joint if not fully eliminated.

"It is very important to kill the bacteria from the hip, because this kind of infection is very dangerous - it can derogate the joint inside the hip."

Rinne is on antibiotics and will have an IV in his arm for the next four weeks while the infection heals.