Should The Bruins Retire Tuukka's Number?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Bruins have never retired a goaltender's number. That should change in the near future.
Tuukka Rask announced his retirement Wednesday evening after spending his entire 15-year NHL career in Boston. While there is a faction of Bruins fans that celebrated one of the best goaltenders to ever wear the Spoked-B calling it a career, most appreciate Rask for what he was: One of the best goaltenders to ever wear the Spoked-B -- and likely the best goaltender to ever wear the Spoked-B.
His No. 40 should absolutely join the other all-time greats in Bruins history in the rafters of TD Garden. There really shouldn't be much of a debate on that front -- but we all know there will be.
Rask retired as the franchise's leader in wins with 308. His career save percentage is the second-best in Boston history, behind only Tim Thomas. Rask posted his .921 save percentage with nearly 200 more regular season games than Thomas.
What separates Thomas from Rask among the Tuukka haters is that Thomas won a Cup as the team's starter, and Rask did not. Boston came up short in both of Rask's trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, with the B's falling to a powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 while missing a golden opportunity to hoist the cup against the St. Louis Blues in 2019.
Most point to Rask giving up two goals in 17 seconds in Boston's Game 6 loss to the Blackhawks, which certainly ended that series -- and season -- on a sour note. But that is forgetting the fact that Rask was absolutely absurd in the Eastern Conference Finals against the high-powered Penguins, allowing just two goals (TWO GOALS!) in Boston's four-game sweep, stopping 134 of the 136 shots Pittsburgh sent his way. He had 53 saves in Game 3 before blanking the Penguins in Game 4 to secure Boston's trip to the Cup Final. It was one of the most incredible performances by a goaltender. Ever.
As for Boston's seven-game defeat to the Blues, it would have been nice if the Bruins offense could have scored more than six goals in their four defeats. One of those was a meaningless goal in the final minutes of Game 7 with Boston down 4-0.
Rask, overall, played some of his best hockey in the playoffs when he was facing some of the best teams in the league. His career .925 save percentage in the postseason ranks 10th all-time. His .940 save percentage in 2013 matched Thomas' save percentage in 2011.
And if banners are the only way to get into the TD Garden rafters, the Bruins have some housecleaning to do. If a Cup title is all fans want from players in the rafters, Rick Middleton, Cam Neely, and Ray Bourque's numbers are going to have to be unretired.
Tuukka Rask was a great goaltender for the Bruins. You could argue he was the best goaltender to ever play for the franchise. Usually, that is all that needs to be said to get a number to the rafters.
So don't be surprised if No. 40 rightfully takes its place high above the ice at TD Garden sometime in the near future.
