In 2014, Bruins Star Goaltender Tuuka Rask Earned Praise As Best Goaltender on the Planet

The Boston Bruins have benefitted from great goaltending by Jeremy Swayman this season. But in this major feature from The Hockey News’ May 26, 2014 edition (Vol. 67, Issue 23), contributing writer Mike Loftus put together a profile of star Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask – THN’s goalie of the year.

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Rask made the Stanley Cup final in 2013 and followed that season up with a 36-15-6 record in the season The Hockey News gave him our “Patrick Roy Award” as the NHL’s best netminder. But according to his backup goalie that season, veteran Chad Johnson, Rask’s ego never overshadowed his impressive play in Boston’s net.

“He doesn’t act like he’s better or different than anyone else,” Johnson told Loftus. “You can tell that’s part of his personality. He’s really a modest guy.”

Rask’s playing career ended in 2021, but despite winning the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder in 2014, he always put the team first.

“If those individual awards come, they come,” Rask said. “But if you can accomplish something together as a team, it’s that much better.”

Vol. 67, No. 23, May 26, 2014

By Mike Loftus

Tuukka Rask always seems to be proving something. In 2009-10, it was that he had the stuff to be a No. 1 goalie - something he emphasized by leading the NHL with a 1.97 goals-against average, as a rookie. In 2012-13, he proved that, like his predecessor, Tim Thomas, he could carry the Bruins to the Stanley Cup final.

This season, despite concerns about how he’d hold up over an 82-game schedule, all Rask did was finish in the league’s top five in wins (36), goals-against average (2.04), save percentage (.930) and shutouts (seven). For good measure, he threw in a bronze-medal performance for Finland at the Winter Olympics, posting 3-1-0, 1.73, .938 numbers that included a shutout over the U.S. in the bronze medal game.

Rask admits he had a lot of help throughout a Vezina Trophy-worthy season. The emergence of Chad Johnson as a competent No. 2 helped keep his workload reasonable and the Bruins’ commitment to two-way play usually made life simple for him.

Don’t take that to mean that Rask, 27, is into taking it easy, however. He does a lot of good with his down time.

From cradling a puppy from MSPCA-Angell Animal Medical Center for the Boston Bruins Foundation’s Pucks & Pups charity calendar, to hosting a cancer-stricken nine-year-old girl, Maddie Santosuosso, at a team practice (Rask also set her up with new gear, including a replica of his mask), to making visits on behalf of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Progeria Research Foundation, to setting up his own charity foundation, Rask is often helping others. “That shows a lot about him as a person,” Johnson said. “He does it for the right reasons. He doesn’t try to get a lot of attention for it. He does it because he’s a good guy.”

With all the Vezina buzz surrounding his season, Rask tends to either deflect the attention or at least share it. “All the credit from the outside comes to you, but you’ve got to recognize that nobody gets there by himself,” he said. “A lot of credit goes to your team.”

Rask’s regular season wasn’t without challenges. Coach Claude Julien pulled him from four starts between Dec. 14 and Jan. 30, but Rask never questioned his teammates, coach or himself. He stayed calm, focused and determined and didn’t make anyone pay for whatever frustration he may have felt. “He doesn’t act like he’s better or different than anyone else,” Johnson said. “You can tell that’s part of his personality. He’s really a modest guy.”

Rask roared back after Sochi, and entered the playoffs after a nearly perfect month of March (9-1-1). As talk of potential hardware grew, his eyes were locked more on the trophy with the most names on it, not just that of a single goalie. “If those individual awards come, they come,” he said. “But if you can accomplish something together as a team, it’s that much better.”

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