Tuukka Rask's comeback attempt has come to an end, and so has his NHL career.
The winningest goalie in Bruins history officially announced his retirement in a statement released through the team Wednesday afternoon.
“Today is a day that I hoped would never come. But now that it’s here, I feel I owe it to everyone to hear it from me,” Rask wrote. “When I made the decision to have surgery on my hip last summer, I did so knowing that the road to recovery would be challenging. I also knew it was something I would have to do if I wanted to give myself a chance to play my best hockey again.
The rehab, the workouts, the practices - all of it was with the intention of getting back to where I needed to be to help my teammates win games and make another run at a Stanley Cup.
“Over these last few weeks, I’ve realized that my body is not responding the way it needs to for me to play at the level I expect of myself and that my teammates and Bruins fans deserve.
“Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the game of hockey.”
The 34-year-old Rask returned to game action on Jan. 13, but played just four games before suffering a setback that has kept him off the ice for the last two weeks.
Rask, who spent his entire 15-year NHL career with the Bruins, retires with 308 career wins, the most by a goalie in Bruins history. He won a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011, when he backed up Tim Thomas during the playoff run, and was the team's starter during two more runs to the Cup Final in 2013 and 2019. He also won the Vezina Trophy in 2014 and finished top-five in voting on two other occasions, including in 2020.
“Through all the ups and downs, I am so grateful for all the support this team and the people of Boston have given me,” Rask writes towards the end of his four-page statement. “I will miss everything that comes with representing the Boston Bruins. … I’ve never wanted to play for any other team. I’m so proud to have worn the Spoked-B for my entire career and wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Read Rask's full statement here:
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