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Tuukka Rask
Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. A goaltender, Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he played his entire 15-season National Hockey League (NHL) career, from 2007 to 2022. Rask was consistently successful during his tenure with the Bruins. After winning the Stanley Cup as the backup with the Bruins in 2011, he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final on two occasions in 2013 and 2019. He also won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender during the 2013–14 season, and was a finalist for the 2019–20 award. He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy along with goaltender Jaroslav Halák in the 2019–20 season. Rask is also a two-time NHL All-Star team member. Internationally, he led team Finland to a bronze medal at the 2006 World Juniors, where he was also awarded the honor of Best Goaltender. He led them to another bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Tuukka is the older brother of Joonas Rask, who plays professionally as a forward with Luleå HF in the SHL.
Rask holds the Boston Bruins record for regular season games played (564) and wins (308), as well as the playoff record for games played (104) and wins (57). Among goaltenders with at least 250 games played, Rask is fourth in save percentage all-time (0.92103), third in goals against average (GAA) among goaltenders in the modern era (2.28), and eighteenth in goals saved above average (GSAA) all time (149.934). In the playoffs (min 15 games), Rask is eleventh in save percentage (0.92517) and sixteenth in GAA (2.22). Rask also holds the NHL record for most consecutive playoff games above the 0.900 save percentage mark, eclipsing 23 games during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is the only goaltender in modern NHL history to never lose a Conference Final game while having played at least two series, posting an 8–0 record with three shutouts, a GAA of 0.82, and a save percentage of 0.972 in those Conference Final games. He finished his career 3-3 in game sevens.
Rask was considered to be a true hybrid goaltender known for his economy of motion and was known for playing a very positionally sound game, where he would absorb the puck into his chest rather than reaching for it with his hands. He employed a narrow butterfly and he stayed on his skates to make high saves, rather than dropping to his knees. His style incorporates a low and wide stance, a unique shin-lock RVH positioning, and effective rebound control. The shin-lock RVH (reverse vertical-horizontal), which was a staple in his game during his early seasons as well as later in his career eventually caused him hip issues and ultimately ended his career after an attempted comeback in 2022.
Rask started his career in the junior teams of his hometown club SaPKo in Savonlinna, Finland. He then played in 26 games for the Tampere-based Ilves's junior team in the SM-sarja. His goals against average (GAA) was 1.86 with two shutouts and a .935 save percentage. Rask played started as the primary goaltender for the Ilves senior team in the Finnish top-flight SM-liiga in 2004. He was the top-ranked European goaltender for the 2005 NHL entry draft.
In the midst of his play with Ilves, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Rask in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. However, before playing a regular season game for Toronto, he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for former Calder Memorial Trophy-winning goaltender Andrew Raycroft. Toronto management instead chose to keep goaltender Justin Pogge, who had just won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Pogge would go on to play only seven games in the NHL, finishing his NHL career with a single win. It was later revealed the Bruins intended to release Raycroft, which would have made him available to Toronto without having to give up Rask.
In hindsight, the trade is widely considered to be one of the worst trades in Maple Leafs franchise history. Rask would experience many seasons of success with the Bruins, but Raycroft would play only two seasons for Toronto, recording disappointing statistics.
Rask would play a final season in Finland with Ilves in 2006–07. On 5 May 2007, Rask signed a three-year contract with the Boston Bruins and was in attendance to observe the Providence Bruins' 2006–07 playoff run for the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Calder Cup championship. The Providence team did not make it past the second round of the Calder Cup against the Manchester Monarchs, but nonetheless Rask practiced with the Providence team.
On 5 November 2007, Rask was called up to the Boston Bruins for the first time. Just two weeks later, on 20 November, he recorded his first NHL win, a 4–2 victory on the road against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Tuukka Rask
Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. A goaltender, Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he played his entire 15-season National Hockey League (NHL) career, from 2007 to 2022. Rask was consistently successful during his tenure with the Bruins. After winning the Stanley Cup as the backup with the Bruins in 2011, he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final on two occasions in 2013 and 2019. He also won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender during the 2013–14 season, and was a finalist for the 2019–20 award. He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy along with goaltender Jaroslav Halák in the 2019–20 season. Rask is also a two-time NHL All-Star team member. Internationally, he led team Finland to a bronze medal at the 2006 World Juniors, where he was also awarded the honor of Best Goaltender. He led them to another bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Tuukka is the older brother of Joonas Rask, who plays professionally as a forward with Luleå HF in the SHL.
Rask holds the Boston Bruins record for regular season games played (564) and wins (308), as well as the playoff record for games played (104) and wins (57). Among goaltenders with at least 250 games played, Rask is fourth in save percentage all-time (0.92103), third in goals against average (GAA) among goaltenders in the modern era (2.28), and eighteenth in goals saved above average (GSAA) all time (149.934). In the playoffs (min 15 games), Rask is eleventh in save percentage (0.92517) and sixteenth in GAA (2.22). Rask also holds the NHL record for most consecutive playoff games above the 0.900 save percentage mark, eclipsing 23 games during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is the only goaltender in modern NHL history to never lose a Conference Final game while having played at least two series, posting an 8–0 record with three shutouts, a GAA of 0.82, and a save percentage of 0.972 in those Conference Final games. He finished his career 3-3 in game sevens.
Rask was considered to be a true hybrid goaltender known for his economy of motion and was known for playing a very positionally sound game, where he would absorb the puck into his chest rather than reaching for it with his hands. He employed a narrow butterfly and he stayed on his skates to make high saves, rather than dropping to his knees. His style incorporates a low and wide stance, a unique shin-lock RVH positioning, and effective rebound control. The shin-lock RVH (reverse vertical-horizontal), which was a staple in his game during his early seasons as well as later in his career eventually caused him hip issues and ultimately ended his career after an attempted comeback in 2022.
Rask started his career in the junior teams of his hometown club SaPKo in Savonlinna, Finland. He then played in 26 games for the Tampere-based Ilves's junior team in the SM-sarja. His goals against average (GAA) was 1.86 with two shutouts and a .935 save percentage. Rask played started as the primary goaltender for the Ilves senior team in the Finnish top-flight SM-liiga in 2004. He was the top-ranked European goaltender for the 2005 NHL entry draft.
In the midst of his play with Ilves, the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Rask in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. However, before playing a regular season game for Toronto, he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for former Calder Memorial Trophy-winning goaltender Andrew Raycroft. Toronto management instead chose to keep goaltender Justin Pogge, who had just won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. Pogge would go on to play only seven games in the NHL, finishing his NHL career with a single win. It was later revealed the Bruins intended to release Raycroft, which would have made him available to Toronto without having to give up Rask.
In hindsight, the trade is widely considered to be one of the worst trades in Maple Leafs franchise history. Rask would experience many seasons of success with the Bruins, but Raycroft would play only two seasons for Toronto, recording disappointing statistics.
Rask would play a final season in Finland with Ilves in 2006–07. On 5 May 2007, Rask signed a three-year contract with the Boston Bruins and was in attendance to observe the Providence Bruins' 2006–07 playoff run for the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Calder Cup championship. The Providence team did not make it past the second round of the Calder Cup against the Manchester Monarchs, but nonetheless Rask practiced with the Providence team.
On 5 November 2007, Rask was called up to the Boston Bruins for the first time. Just two weeks later, on 20 November, he recorded his first NHL win, a 4–2 victory on the road against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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