From Savonlinna, Finland, Tuukka Rask was drafted in the First Round (21st Overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he never played there as he was traded to Boston for fellow Goalie Andrew Raycroft. It was a deal that historically would favor the Bruins, the team in which Rask played his entire career.
Rask was first called up in 2007 but was not the regular backup until the 2009-10 Season when he led the NHL in Save Percentage and Goals Against Average. Rask would finally take over from Tim Thomas as the Bruins' lead Goalie, bringing the Bruins back to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013. They lost to Chicago, but Task established himself as one of the best in the game. The season after, he won the coveted Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top Goalie.
Rask had his ups and downs afterward, dealing with injuries, but again led the Bruins to another Cup Final in 2019, the same season he was named a Second Team All-Star. Boston again lost, this time to St. Louis, who captured their first Title.
Rask had an upper-body injury that kept him on the sideline going into this season, but he came back to rejoin the Bruins, appearing in four games as Linus Ullmark’s backup. He cited that he was not at the level he needed to be.
Internationally, Rask represented Finland multiple times, with his greatest success coming in the 2014 Olympics, where he backstopped his nation to a Bronze Medal.
Rask leaves the games with a record of 306-163-66 with a 2.28 GAA.
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