Boston Bruins: Tuukka Rask set to miss 2020 NHL All-Star Game
By Luke Ryan
The Boston Bruins will only have one representative at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game, with Tuukka Rask pulling out.
Despite being chosen as one of the two goaltenders, alongside the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Frederik Andersen; Boston Bruins’ netminder Tuukka Rask has chosen to stay home and sit this one out.
He has been replaced by Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, despite the fact you can make a stronger case for Boston Bruins teammate Jaroslav Halak to be there, at least based on save percentage and goals against average.
Where the Tampa goalie shines is in wins, though you’d argue that’s as much about the team in-front of him than anything else.
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Tuukka Rask pulling out of the game is the latest in a line of high-profile players opting to cop a one-game suspension for not appearing. He is joined by the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury and Alex Ovechkin, among others.
The reasoning behind Tuukka Rask’s decision-making holds perfectly fine with me; it’s fully understandable to see the break in the Boston Bruins’ schedule and want to spend it with your family, especially given they didn’t get him home until mid-June last year.
We can’t forget that hockey players have families and lives away from the rink. In fact, it’d be great of the NHL could realise that and not slap punishments on those players that opt for family over what frankly is a novelty event.
Where the Boston Bruins are very lucky is in the fact they can afford to have their regular starting goaltender sidelined for a game, as the backup option has proven more than capable of filling in. It’s not like we’re a team that rides one goalie all that much harder than the other.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment here is that there’s clearly no consultation to avoid such embarrassment for the NHL. Surely, they could chat to the players and they could easily have opted for Brad Marchand is they still wanted two representatives from the Boston Bruins.
Ultimately, Tuukka Rask has made a very rational decision; it just isn’t the best look for either him, the Boston Bruins or indeed the NHL that players don’t want to go to the so-called All-Star Game.
Next. Team lets Zdeno Chara down in 1000th game. dark
Be glad though that the suspension is just for one game and that’s an extra night or two more at home with the family for Tuukka Rask. Hopefully it’s as revitalising as it needs be and we get the elite goaltending down the stretch that got us so close to the Cup last year!