The Stanley Cup Final usually produces some bizarre, fun stories from around the hockey world. We’ve already talked about bad breath and Listerine, Charles Barkley, catfish and Justin Bieber’s sporting loyalties.

In other words, a story about a Predators fan building a giant replica of Pekka Rinne out of balloons sounds kind of normal at this point.

Sam the Balloon Man, a man who might have the most literal name on the planet, has been making balloon creations for over 14 years and used the Predators’ deep playoff run as an opportunity to create a giant version of the team’s goaltender.

The replica Rinne reportedly took eight hours and 500 balloons to create. If you’re curious, the balloons are apparently pretty sturdy and the whole Rinne doesn’t require many repairs.

Sam the Balloon Man typically sells his creations at the Nashville Fairgrounds, but his giant Rinne creation has gone viral as the city of Nashville eats up anything Predators.

Of course, there would have been plenty of jokes to make after the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final (balloon Rinne would’ve been better in goal than real Rinne), but as the goaltender’s play has stabilized and his team has rattled off a couple big wins, Sam the Balloon Man’s creation looks more like an awesome tribute rather than a cruel joke.

You just never know what kind of stories are going to come out on hockey’s biggest stage.

[WKRN]

About David Rogers

Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.