[ad_1]
Tuukka Rask receives more criticism than any athlete in Boston.
The Bruins goalie has had a fantastic career with the Original Six franchise, but the absence of a Stanley Cup title (as No. 1 goalie) on his resume is hard to ignore.
Of course, Rask isn’t the only reason the Bruins haven’t won a championship since becoming the No. 1 goalie early in the 2012-13 campaign. In fact, one of the main reasons the B’s came so close to winning in 2013 and 2019 was Rask’s performance.
Here’s how the Bruins should handle Rask’s future as a goalie
Fair or not, criticism of Rask won’t end anytime soon after the Bruins were knocked out of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs by the New York Islanders earlier this week. Rask didn’t perform very well in the six-game second round streak against the Islanders, but neither did the team ahead of him, especially in Game 6. Rask was also playing with a torn labrum in his hip which will be fixed. surgically. .
During his late-season media availability on Friday, Rask was asked about the criticism he receives.
“There’s a reason I don’t read social media or the news, really,” Rask said. “Because when you get caught up in it, it can be tough mentally. But it really doesn’t affect me because I don’t hear that noise. Like I’ve said many times before, people have opinions, they have the right to say whatever they want to say as long as it is within good limits. I respect that.
“It doesn’t affect my game. I feel like every time I go out on town or whatever, people have really supported me. It’s not like I’m going to grocery store and people were throwing eggs or yelling at me. It might suck. “
Coyle calls Tuukka Rask’s critics “crazy”
Boston fans expect the best, and nothing less will be criticized often. This is how it is here. Conference championships are cool, but Stanley Cup titles are what you would expect from the Bruins, especially given how talented their roster has been over the past decade. Unfortunately for Rask, the B’s have been a bit short of his tenure here.
“The Patriots certainly haven’t helped anyone in that regard because they’ve won championships every year it seems,” said Rask. “This city only recognizes champions as their heroes. Obviously, as an athlete you want a chance to win every year, and I think we’ve been really close a few times.
“It’s unfortunate that we haven’t reached that goal yet and won the Cup as a goaltender. But I feel like I played good hockey and have us given a chance. It’s hard to win. Very few guys can win it. It’s not easy. We definitely tried. I just didn’t make the deal, and it’s like That. You just have to do with it. Maybe it will happen, who knows. “
For the Bruins to win a Cup with Rask, they’ll have to sign him again because he’s an unrestricted free agent this summer. Rask said on Friday he only wanted to play for the Bruins and had no intention of testing free will.
[ad_2]
picture credit