Bruins To Honor Tuukka Rask With Ceremonial Puck Drop On March 31
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuukka Rask's second go-round with the Bruins didn't work out too well, and it ended with a fizzle. The team is now trying to give the goaltender a proper send-off.
The Bruins will do that on March 31, with a ceremonial puck drop prior to their game against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden.
The franchise's all-time leader in wins, Rask was forced to retire earlier this season, when his comeback from offseason hip surgery did not go as planned.
The 34-year-old Rask played in 564 regular-season games and 104 playoff games, all with the Bruins, from 2007-22. He owns the fourth-best regular-season save percentage and the fourth-best postseason save percentage (among goalies with at least 50 games played) in NHL history. Rask won the Vezina Award as the league's best goaltender in 2014, and he finished second for the award in 2020.
After playing out the final season of his contract, Rask underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip over the summer. He signed with the team midseason, starting his first game on Jan. 13. But his comeback ended after just four appearances, as his body didn't respond the way that he and the team hoped it would. He officially announced his retirement on Feb. 9.