BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask returned to practice on Tuesday after taking a three-day leave of absence to attend to a personal matter.
“This is a family and we are a family and we take care of each other when times are tough,” Rask said about the team hes been with since 2006.
The Bruins granted Rask the leave of absence on Friday. Rask acknowledged the matter was related to his family, but didnt share details.
“I have a job, my job is to be a hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins,” he said Tuesday. “And I also have another job title, thats a family man, and this was a time that deep inside my heart I felt like I needed to take time to be with my family and make things right so I could be back here and focus on my job.”
When asked if he felt unburdened after the time off, he said “yes” and added “resigning (or) quitting the job wasnt” something he considered.
The 31-year-old Rask is second on the Bruins all-time list in games played (457) and wins (242). Hes 12 games and 11 wins from passing Tiny Thompson for the franchise records. This season, hes struggled with a 4-4-0 record, .901 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average.
But he didnt draw a line between his off-ice issues and whats happened on the ice.
“It hasnt affected my job,” he said. “Im not going to make excuses that I played good games or bad games because of my personal life. … Those are not easy decisions and things happen in peoples lives that you kind of do some soul searching and try to seek the best answer.”
The Bruins won both games over the weekend. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 77 of 79 shots in a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and a 4-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Boston is 10-5-2 and tied for second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins wont rush Rask into game action. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Halak will start the next game on the road against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Rask will start either Friday at the Dallas Stars or Saturday at the Arizona Coyotes.
“Hes been here a long time, hes a big part of the team, so its good to see him back,” Cassidy said. “Hopefully, the time away was what he needed to get squared away and hes ready to get back to work. Thats kind of the approach were going to take with him and see how it plays out going forward.”
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask returned to practice on Tuesday after taking a three-day leave of absence to attend to a personal matter.
“This is a family and we are a family and we take care of each other when times are tough,” Rask said about the team hes been with since 2006.
The Bruins granted Rask the leave of absence on Friday. Rask acknowledged the matter was related to his family, but didnt share details.
“I have a job, my job is to be a hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins,” he said Tuesday. “And I also have another job title, thats a family man, and this was a time that deep inside my heart I felt like I needed to take time to be with my family and make things right so I could be back here and focus on my job.”
When asked if he felt unburdened after the time off, he said “yes” and added “resigning (or) quitting the job wasnt” something he considered.
The 31-year-old Rask is second on the Bruins all-time list in games played (457) and wins (242). Hes 12 games and 11 wins from passing Tiny Thompson for the franchise records. This season, hes struggled with a 4-4-0 record, .901 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average.
But he didnt draw a line between his off-ice issues and whats happened on the ice.
“It hasnt affected my job,” he said. “Im not going to make excuses that I played good games or bad games because of my personal life. … Those are not easy decisions and things happen in peoples lives that you kind of do some soul searching and try to seek the best answer.”
The Bruins won both games over the weekend. Goaltender Jaroslav Halak stopped 77 of 79 shots in a 5-1 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and a 4-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Boston is 10-5-2 and tied for second place in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins wont rush Rask into game action. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Halak will start the next game on the road against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
Rask will start either Friday at the Dallas Stars or Saturday at the Arizona Coyotes.
“Hes been here a long time, hes a big part of the team, so its good to see him back,” Cassidy said. “Hopefully, the time away was what he needed to get squared away and hes ready to get back to work. Thats kind of the approach were going to take with him and see how it plays out going forward.”
