It is January 24, 2022. The Bruins face the Anaheim Ducks on a typical Monday night at TD Garden. The goaltender in black and gold stands tall as the National anthem is belted aloud, enough to fill the whole arena. To the fans, it is another exciting night of Bruins hockey on a cold wintery weekend, but to him, this is home, and all he has known for fifteen years.
Afterwards, he leans over, head parallel to the ice, and shows off the iconic bear emblem, which is painted on his mask as the lights come back suddenly to illuminate the bright sheet of ice. A week and a half prior, he made his initial return to the ice following a hip injury that had kept him out long term, as he watched newcomers Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman take over a net he had manned for as long as he could remember.
For so many years, the man donning the number forty on his back would make remarkable save after remarkable save, to which the crowd would go up in a simultaneous roar of “TUUUUKKKK”. Now, it was Tuukka Time, for the last time.
The Young Fin Arrives on the Scene
Nearly twenty summers ago, on June 24, 2006, one of the most critical days this century for the Boston Bruins occurred, as it was announced that there had been a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. There would be a rare exchange of the goalies, with former Calder Trophy-winning Andrew Raycroft being sent to Toronto in exchange for the young, up-and-coming prospect out of Finland, Tuukka Rask.
Back then, even with “first-rounder” attached to his name, I doubt even the Bruins GM at the time, Peter Chiarelli, knew what he would be getting with the acquisition of the skinny Finnish goaltender.
Rask got his first professional shot in 2007, signing a three-year contract in May of that year and eventually making his NHL debut in November. He flashed in his first career victory against the very team that drafted him, the Maple Leafs, which would prove to be a sign of what was to come with the persistent goalie. His time would come; that much was certain.
However, within the organization was another scrappy, fiery goaltender, Tim Thomas. Thomas, like Rask, would not get his big break with the Bruins until the mid-2000s after bouncing between teams in North America and Europe following his tenure at the University of Vermont. The undersized Michigan native between the pipes would emerge promptly upon Rask’s arrival to Boston, playing 66 games in the 2006-2007 season at the age of 32, which would then be followed by All-Star caliber years in both 2008 and 2009.
In 2010, Thomas’ game began to seemingly decline, posting a losing record of 18-19, with 9 additional overtime losses as well. This allowed for 23-year-old Rask, now on the opposite side of the age spectrum as Thomas, to begin to shine as a full-time NHL starter, with a sub-2.00 goals against average for the year and a .931 save percentage to boot, leading the league in both categories as a rookie, and finishing fourth in Calder voting.
It was looking like it was officially “Tuukka Time” in Boston, with the Finnish phenom proving himself capable of being a cornerstone piece of the franchise moving forward.
Bruins Ride the Hot Hand
Unfortunately, Tim Thomas was not ready for his swan song yet. In what would go down as one of the most improbable and outstanding single-season performances in NHL history, Thomas rose from the ashes in his age-36 season, snatching the starting spot early in the season from a struggling Rask, who would only secure 11 wins in 29 games played. Head coach Claude Julien would ride the hot hand in the playoffs that year, which would go on to result in a .940 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average, helping Thomas to easily secure the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophy as the Bruins went on to win the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.
The following year, Thomas remained the starter as Rask was again relegated to the backup position; however, Rask’s put up better overall stats than the year prior, once again showing his potential as a full-time starter. The Bruins would lose in the first round to the Capitals that year, thus marking the end of the Tim Thomas dominance era.
When Thomas was dealt away that offseason, the message was clear to the hungry goaltender, now seven years removed from the fated trade that dealt him to Boston: it is his team now.
Tuukka's Time
The 2012-2013 season saw Rask emerge as a top-of-the-line starter in the league, leading the team in the lock out shortened season to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, losing to the Blackhawks in six games, but still putting up a fantastic .940 save percentage and sub 2.00 goals against average yet again, which would’ve surely helped him secure a Vezina had the team managed to pull out with the series win. 2013-2014, Rask would follow up his performance with a Vezina-winning season, winning 36 games, and leading the league in shutouts with 7.
However, misfortune in the playoffs would continue to plague the Bruins and Rask, as they lost to the Canadiens in the second round that year. 2015 and 2016 would also be a struggle, as the team missed the playoffs in consecutive years, and key pieces such as Milan Lucic, Johnny Boychuk, and Dougie Hamilton were sold off in what was a retooling offseason by new GM Don Sweeney. The now younger team would work its way to the playoffs again in the 2016-2017 season, but lost once again early in the playoffs to the Ottawa Senators in six games.
Narratives around Tuukka Rask were constantly dominated, and in a way still are, even three years after his retirement, around his lack of postseason success and “clutch” factor. He was forced to chase down Tim Thomas’ legacy his entire career, having been in his shadow as backup for the entirety of his cup run that year. He needed to have his own, legacy-defining postseason, and drive the Bruins to a Stanley Cup. The bar was set high, and in 2019, Tuukka was again ready for his shot.
After winning in seven games against a young and dynamic Toronto Maple Leafs team, which year after year was reminded of their mistaken choice back in 2006 to trade away Rask to the team they just could not get the best of when it mattered most. Following that effort, the Bruins were able to put away the underdog Blue Jackets in six games, before sweeping the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals on route to another Stanley Cup run.
The matchup would be one of destiny. The recreation of the famous 1970 Stanley Cup victory over the Blues, which effectively immortalized Bobby Orr in the lore of Boston sports forever, following his series-winning goal in overtime of Game 4, is now etched in stone in front of North Station with the statue that depicts his “flight”. The first two games were split in Boston, then split once again in St. Louis before splitting yet again between the fifth and sixth games. The losses were close, and the wins were big, similar to the 2011 run, which, too, would result in a Game 7.
The penultimate game would be in the Garden, with a sold-out crowd, the perfect setting for Rask to have his moment. Riding in with a stellar performance in Game 6, allowing just one goal in a 5-1 win and a .966 save percentage, the momentum was there, and the suspense was palpable. With a lace-jawed Chara firing up the audience upon his introduction, followed by an excited “TUUUKKKK” with the announcing of the starting goaltenders, it was Tuukka Time once again.
However, the team was simply out of gas by the end. The Bruins were sadly handled at both ends by the underdog Blues, who were motivated to end their Cinderella run in the playoffs atop the mountain. The score remained 4-0 until a late but meaningless goal by Matt Grzelcyk prevented a shutout. Regardless, the air was sucked out of the building by the third period, and yet another axe fell unfairly upon Rask’s head by the night’s end.
Championships are always defined by their duels, even in team sports. Super Bowls are all about quarterbacks. World Cups fall on missed penalties. Pitchers go pitch for pitch in the World Series. Stanley Cups are burdened by goalies. Rask was the most burdened of all.
Only one goalie played more games than Rask in these playoffs, that being the victorious goaltender in Jordan Binnington who had 26 to Rask’s 24. Despite the number of games played, he still held the fourth best save percentage and fifth best goals against average. He may never truly get the respect he deserves when it comes to being a playoff goalie due to his lack of championships, but the statistics will always back up his case. It was hard to ask for a better goaltender through all the 2010’s than Tuukka, plain and simple.
The End of Rask's Reign
After this cup run, Rask began to slow down as he entered his mid 30’s seasons. His final truly productive year was in 2019-2020, where he still tallied 26 wins and a .929 save percentage, and leading the league in GAA. However, controversy would arise following the COVID shutdown, as he opted out of the playoffs to be with his family, which was met with both sympathy and criticism from fans. Just another unfortunate break for Rask, as a tremendous season was ripped from him by factors beyond himself.
That would mark the end of Tuukka’s prime. The following year, he had only played 24 games, although still putting up 15 wins, in a year where they would again lose early in the playoffs to the Islanders. It was then revealed in the offseason that he’d torn his labrum, ruling him out for much of the next year.
In February of 2022, after reaggravating his hip injury again, Rask finally called it a career in Boston a month after his last start. Tuukka Rask’s final game in Boston was very much in tune with what he had faced throughout his entire career, misfortune and the team coming up just short when he needed it most, losing 5-3 against Anaheim.
However, despite his lack of a Stanley Cup as a starter for the team, we cannot dismiss his efforts year in and year out and dominant run from 2012 all the way to 2020, being one of the greatest goalies of all time for the Bruins. He finished his career with the highest win total in Bruin’s history with 303, as well as total saves, minutes, and games played, having solid longevity throughout his time in Boston, as well as placing fourth all-time in career save percentage with a .921 tally. While it may not have been the way he wanted to go out, Tuukka’s legacy is far from that of failure, but rather one of great perseverance in the face of misfortune.