Tuukka Rask

Lore & Background

Rask started his career in the junior teams of his hometown club SaPKo in Savonlinna, Finland, then played for Ilves in the SM-liiga. He was the top-ranked European goaltender for the 2005 NHL entry draft. Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Andrew Raycroft before playing a regular season game for Toronto. The trade is widely considered one of the worst in Maple Leafs franchise history. Rask made his NHL debut in 2007 and recorded his first win against his former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. He served as backup to Tim Thomas during the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup run, not playing a single minute in the playoffs. After Thomas was traded, Rask became the starter and led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2013–14 and the William M. Jennings Trophy with Jaroslav Halák in 2019–20.

Reader's Guide

Rask holds the Boston Bruins record for regular season games played (564) and wins (308), as well as playoff games played (104) and wins (57). Among goaltenders with at least 250 games played, he is fourth in save percentage all-time (0.92103), third in goals against average in the modern era (2.28), and eighteenth in goals saved above average all time (149.934). In the playoffs (min 15 games), he is eleventh in save percentage (0.92517) and sixteenth in GAA (2.22). He holds the NHL record for most consecutive playoff games above a 0.900 save percentage, 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. He finished his career 3-3 in game sevens. Internationally, he led Finland to a bronze medal at the 2006 World Juniors, where he was awarded Best Goaltender, and another bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Did You Know?

• Rask was drafted 21st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2005 but was traded to the Boston Bruins before playing a game for Toronto.
• He is the older brother of Joonas Rask, who plays professionally as a forward with Luleå HF in the SHL.