Tuukka Rask To Start In Finland's Olympic Opener
BOSTON (CBS) - The conversation as to who would be the starting goaltender for Team Finland seems to be over, as Tuukka Rask announced, via the Boston Bruins Twitter account that he will be playing in their opening game.
There had been much debate over whether it would be Rask or San Jose's Antti Niemi representing the Fins in their opener, and it appears Rask has won the starting job. It's worth noting that a number of countries have goaltenders split the duty in the preliminary round, so it'll be interesting to see if Niemi gets the nod in the team's second contest, or if this tournament will belong to Tuukka.
This will be Rask's first Olympic start, however it's not his first international play. Rask was the backbone to a Finnish squad that won a bronze medal in the 2006 World Junior Hockey Tournament. He recorded a save percentage of .940, notched a GAA of 2.11, and recorded a shutout.
After the tournament he was elected to the tournament All-Star team by the media, and was voted the Best Goaltender by the electorate.
Rask is looking to build on an impressive 2013-2014 campaign with the Bruins, and will have the opportunity to do so when the Fins faceoff with Austria tomorrow at 3 AM EST.
Tuukka checks in from Sochi! Says everything is great and he's playing in Finland's first game… http://t.co/EwbqwHCOlA
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 12, 2014