Bruins' Tuukka Rask announces retirement
Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday.
"It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from the game of hockey," Rask said in his statement shared by the Bruins on Twitter. "While I am sad to say goodbye to the game I love, I am so very thankful to have shared these last 15 years with the greatest teammates and fans in the best sports city in the world."
A statement from Tuukka Rask.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLBruins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLBruins</a> <a href="https://t.co/Lae4E8rLfI">pic.twitter.com/Lae4E8rLfI</a>
Rask, 34, returned to the Bruins on Jan. 11 following offseason hip surgery. He made four starts, posting a 2-2-0 record with a 4.28 goals-against average and .844 save percentage.
Rask was placed on injured reserve with hip discomfort and has not played since Jan. 24.
"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," Rask said in a statement. "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. Over the 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 expected of myself and that my teammates and Bruins fans deserve."
In 564 career games for the Bruins (543 starts), Rask compiled a 308-165-66 record with 52 shutouts, a 2.28 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
Rask won the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top goaltender, in 2014 and was runner-up for the award in 2020.
