Tuukka Rask is proof that first impressions are indelible. He was flawless during his first full season in net, allowing less than two goals per game and leading the league in save percentage.
But then it all fell apart in the playoffs. In the semifinals against the Flyers, the Bruins became just the third NHL team in history to blow a 3-0 series lead, and in Game 7, they blew a 3-0 lead. Rask allowed four straight goals over the final two periods. Suddenly, his nonchalance became concerning.
Could someone so stoic really lead the Bruins to a Stanley Cup?
Making matters worse, Tim Thomas regained the starting job after that, and set the NHL record for save percentage. The Michigan native was the diametric opposite of Rask: gruff, scrappy and regularly out of position. As a result, he often sprawled out all over the net, making highlight-reel saves on a nightly basis. At 37 years old, Thomas became the oldest player in history to win the Vezina Trophy.
He also led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup victory in 39 years, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy. Meanwhile, Rask was on the bench.
"The oral history of why half the Bruins fan base hates Tuukka, you do have to start in 2010," said Pete Blackburn, a national NHL writer for Bally Sports. "He was the guy they were leaning on, then they blow the 3-0 lead, and it becomes a big collapse and disaster. Then the very following year, they win the Cup in front of Tim Thomas, and he puts together one of the greatest playoff runs we've ever seen a goaltender have."
Thomas' backstory is inspiring. After toiling for years in the minor leagues and Europe, he broke into the NHL at the age of 30, and immediately dominated at the highest level. Though Thomas isn't from New England, he embodies the region's blue-collar spirit.
Contrastingly, Rask was a first round pick, and top prospect in his native Finland.
"At the time, Tim Thomas really came off as an everyman," said MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour. "He wasn't from Massachusetts or New England, but he certainly felt like the kind of guy who fit, and his personality, everybody sort of connected to the way he played with enthusiasm, and he talked some trash at times. That became the standard for how goalies are supposed to play, and the standard for how goalies are supposed to act."
Thomas' stint at the top didn't last very long. Within a few years, he put tinfoil on his head and moved West — locking down long before it was mandated. Rask regained the starting job during the 2012-13 campaign and was fantastic, at least until there was 1:16 remaining in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Rask allowed two goals within 17 seconds. The Blackhawks just pulled off one of the most miraculous Cup wins in NHL history. Once again, Rask choked when it mattered most.
He's been the most polarizing player on the Bruins ever since. And now, he's the most polarizing athlete in Boston.
The roiling years-long debate over Rask is at its apparent climax, just hours ahead of Wednesday's Game 6 between the Bruins and Islanders. On Monday, Rask allowed four goals in two periods, and was pulled for the third. His status is now in doubt.
In a must-win game, many Bruins fans wanted Bruce Cassidy to go with 22-year-old rookie Jeremy Swayman, who hasn't played a playoff game at any professional level. That is one damning indictment, regardless of Rask's vague "health issues."
Some of the Swayman excitement can be chalked up to the usual fervor surrounding an unknown prospect. As Vautour points out, Patriots fans are undergoing the same honeymoon with Mac Jones.
"People love the idea of Jeremy Swayman as much as they love Mac Jones, because it's a fresh start with someone with promise," he said.
But largely, the enthusiasm for Swayman seems to be more about Rask. Just two years ago, he was in net for another crushing Finals loss, getting outplayed by little-known Blues goalkeeper Jordan Binnington. In Game 7, Rask allowed four goals. The contest wasn't even close.
Still, it's unlikely the Bruins would've even made it to the Cup without Rask, who was excellent for the bulk of the postseason. That's one of the arguments you'll hear from ardent Rask defenders: He's one of the best goalies in the league, so stop complaining.
On Rask, Bruins fans are as gridlocked as Congress.
"It's like politics now," Blackburn said. "You have two groups of people on either side, and they have their narrative built into their mind, and nothing is going to change that."
Last summer, Rask's detractors received more ammunition when he was forthright about his understandable dearth of enthusiasm for playing hockey in a bubble. A couple of days later, Rask announced he was leaving the team for family reasons. Former Bruins coach and NBC analyst Mike Milbury excoriated Rask, along with talk radio callers.
Unsurprisingly, Rask's decision to leave the NHL Bubble only seemed to reinforce people's preconceived notions about him. "If another athlete in Boston said he was going home to deal with a family situation, would people have doubted that?," Vautour asked.
Probably not, but then again, Rask has been the face of multiple gut-wrenching playoff failures — and none of it appears to disturb him. Through it all, Rask remains calm and collected.
With that in mind, WEEI's Ken Laird says the animosity is (mostly) justified. "It's not just pulled out of the blue, people hating a goalie for no reason," he said. "He has had a quirky history of availability and appearances and optics, or whatever it is. The optics are always odd. Is the fan base spoiled? Yeah, you could say that, too. But fans are fans."
Ultimately, the biggest strike against Rask may be the spoiled nature of Boston sports fans. We've seen 12 championships over the last 21 years. Being an elite goalie just isn't good enough by itself.
"The debates have changed," Vautour said. "It used to be, 'Is the team good enough or are they ever going to win something? Well, everyone has won something, so you're splitting a lot of hairs. Tuukka has certainly become one of the most splittable of those hairs."
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Don't count on NHL broadcast teams changing: This is the last time NHL playoff games will air on NBC — at least for seven years. Next season, the league will be begin new rights agreements with ESPN and Turner Sports. But that doesn't mean the broadcast teams will change all that much.
There is a finite number of nationally recognized NHL broadcasters, and while ESPN probably has some younger in-house voices in mind, it's likely Turner Sports will scoop up most of the available talent. Undoubtedly, Pierre McGuire will find a new home, along with Eddie Olcyzk and other recognizable faces.
It's been a struggle watching NBC's slanted coverage of Bruins-Islanders. Unfortunately, it might not get much better on a different channel.
Dull-Rod: Alex Rodriguez was clueless and terrible during Red Sox-Yankees Sunday night. He was also quite dull (outside of revealing he hasn't spoken to Jason Varitek since their legendary brawl). It's hard to imagine Rodriguez was once the most vilified athlete in sports, literally engaged in a lawsuit with his own league. Now, he's the Disney-approved face of MLB's signature weekly telecast.
Reputations can change overnight.
The clues are in the podcasts: Kevin Durant showered Jayson Tatum with praise on a recent episode of his podcast, saying it was an "honor" to guard him. Tatum responded in kind.
In this social media age, players are seemingly colluding in front of our very eyes. While Tatum just signed a four-year extension, that doesn't mean he'll be indebted to the Celtics for the bulk of his contract. The NBA world believes Damian Lillard is available, and he just signed a super-max extension, too.
Durant and Kyrie Irving chatted about making the jump to Brooklyn at the All-Star Game. Maybe Durant and Tatum are having that conversation through their respective content channels.
