With the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing goal isn’t just another job—it’s a full-blown test of patience, skill, and mental toughness. The spotlight here isn’t forgiving, and the crease has often felt like a revolving door.
In the 2005 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected goaltender Tuukka Rask as the 21st overall selection. On June 26, 2006, then-Toronto general manager John Ferguson traded the rights to Tuukka Rask, who had yet to play a single NHL game, to the Boston Bruins for goaltender Andrew Raycroft.
I was born in the 1990s, and when I watched the Canadiens play against the Bruins when I was younger, there was a strange feeling that inhabited me. And the reason is simple.
Last summer, the Boston Bruins employed the Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark and were taken to arbitration by Jeremy Swayman, who received a $3.475 million one-year contract.
Every NHL player faces some degree of pressure. Even Aleksander Barkov, who has captained the Florida Panthers to back-to-back titles. However, some players certainly face more pressure than most, and of course inherently some players are facing the most pressure.
A familiar face returned to Boston Bruins practice with Jeremy Swayman feeling under the weather on Thursday. Tuukka Rask, who spent 15 years with the Bruins before retiring in 2022, dressed in morning skate as an emergency backup goalie.
There’s an old quote attributed to NHL coach turned broadcaster Harry Neale that states, “Goaltending is 75 percent of your hockey team, unless you don’t have it.
Tuukka Rask, the Boston Bruins' all-time leaders in wins and starts as a goaltender, is taking a major step toward returning to the team by starting for the AHL's Providence Bruins.
The former Vezina Trophy winner will certainly start Boston's second-round series against the Islanders, but rookie netminder Jeremy Swayman will get the call if he suffers another injury.
Rask hasn’t played a full game in more than a month as he’s dealt with a back injury. His last full performance came on March 7 against the New Jersey Devils.