Bruins defend Tuukka Rask as latest criticism gets out of hand!

Fans are still talking about Tuukka Rask leaving the Toronto bubble last postseason to get back to his family and leave the Boston Bruins without him in between the pipes. To that they add his performance in this year’s postseason, even though it was just confirmed that he will undergo surgery after playing through a torn labrum in his hip during the postseason.

Despite the criticism he keeps getting, Rask maintains that he wants to return to the Bruins next season. The surgery is however expected to sideline him into January or February.

His teammates have had enough of fans’ criticism towards their goalie and some called them out on Friday’s end of season press conference, per insider Conor Ryan:

David Pastrnak on Tuukka Rask: “I definitely don’t think he deserves the criticism he’s getting.”

“With the family situation, family comes as No. 1 for every single person in the world and health is No. 1 for what you do.”

Charlie Coyle on the criticism Tuukka Rask faces: “The criticism he gets is just insane. … It’s gotta be people that don’t watch closely or what.”

For anyone who criticizes him … I think someone used the word ‘Bozo’ before.”

Brad Marchand on criticism of Tuukka Rask: “Being a goalie is a tough job. They get all of the praise when they win and all of the heat when they lose.”

There is no doubt that Rask still has some good to offer an NHL team, but you have to wonder if the Bruins will dare to wait after him until mid-season in 2021-22.  Rask had a 15-5-2 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.28 GAA this season, his 14th season in the NHL, as he was playing the last year of his eight-year, $56 million deal signed with Boston in 2013.

If it make his teammates feel any better, Rask admitted that he does not pay attention to the criticism: 

“It doesn’t affect my game. … It’s not like I go to the grocery story and people are throwing eggs at me. That would suck.”

“There’s a reason I don’t read social media or the news… It doesn’t really affect me because I don’t hear that noise.”

His teammates have heard it, and clearly don’t agree with it.