The Boston Bruins will be without their No. 1 goalie for the remainder of the 2020 playoffs NHL.
Tuukka Rask announced on Saturday that he has decided for the playoffs, with Boston 1-1 in its first round with the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I want to play with my teammates,” Rask said in a statement, “but right now, things are more important than hockey in my life, and that’s with my family.
“I want to thank the Bruins and my teammates for their support and wish them success.”
The 33-year-old Rask and his wife Jasmiina Nikkila recently had a baby daughter and they have two other young girls.
‘We fully understand where Tuukka’s come from. It was no big surprise to us, “said general manager Don Sweeney. ‘He just felt he had to be home [his kids]. I give Tuukka a lot of credit for trying to keep going. The priorities are in the right order, so this is what he needs to do at the moment. ”
The Bruins will return to backup and former islander Jaroslav Halak for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Rask is the first player to retire since the league began hosting its postseason last month in two bubble environments in Edmonton and Toronto. Other players opted out before the tournament began.
His decision comes just two days after he made eyebrow remarks after Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes, in which he does not seem to care about the outcome.
“I’m just trying to have fun and play the game,” Rask said. ‘I do not stress too much about results and what not. It’s August and I’ve never played in hockey before. Just go there and have fun and see what happens to me. ”
“To be honest with you, it doesn’t really feel like playoff hockey,” Rask told reporters Thursday. “There are no fans. It’s kind of like playing an exposition game. Of course there are some scrums after the flute. I did not notice that they would judge me as something not. Things happen, people fall on you and what not. But it’s definitely not a playoff atmosphere. ”
Rask, a 2014 Vezina Trophy winner, received an All-Star tie this season after one of his most dominant years since joining the Bruins in the 2007-08 season. He set a 26-8 record this season, along with a 2.12 goal-versus-average and a 0.929 saving percentage. He won a Stanley Cup with Boston as backup in 2011.
The NHL has not reported positive COVID-19 test results in its Toronto and Edmonton bubbles for two straight weeks.
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