Tuukka Rask has plenty on his mind these days.
Beyond the turmoil and stress that comes from the ongoing COVID-19 stoppage and subsequent stoppage of all organized pro sports, the Rask household grew a bit bigger recently — with his wife Jasmiina giving birth to their third daughter, Livia, three weeks ago.
Add in the looming pressure on the horizon if the Bruins are given the chance to see this season through and contend for the Stanley Cup, and Boston’s long-time netminder has plenty to keep him occupied.
Retirement, however, is not something that Rask is dwelling on.
“I mean, I haven't thought about retirement at all,” Rask said on a Zoom call with media on Monday. “You know, it's been so kind of weird times, now, that I've kind of put full focus on my family at this time and just try to enjoy that.”
Rask, the B’s all-time leader in games (535) and wins (290) for a netminder, is approaching a potential crossroads in short order — as the 33-year-old netminder’s eight-year, $56-million contract will expire at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.
Much like his longtime teammate in David Krejci, much has been said about what the future holds for Rask when his latest contract runs its course — with Rask himself telling the Boston Globe that he could opt to spend more time with his family and hang up his gear in 2021.
However, Rask reversed course when speaking with the media on Monday, noting that he hasn’t set aside an age or set of goals as a determinant for when he finally decides to walk away from the game. For now, the competitive fire hasn’t dimmed at all for the netminder.
I've never really thought of that, really, the age number that I would play until,” Rask said. “I think a lot of it has to do with how much you want to keep playing, is your body healthy, and do you have that passion for the game still. ... But whenever that drive kind of slows down, then you get to rethink it and revisit that, ‘Hey, is this really something I want to do?’”
“And so far I still have that passion of winning and playing and that drives me — that winning drives me. So I haven't put a number into it of what age it might be, but we'll see. Maybe it's 36, 37, maybe it's 42. You never know. Zee (Zdeno Chara) is still playing and he's getting older, so maybe I'll be the goalie who plays until I’m 45. Maybe, maybe not.”
Alright, 45 might not be feasible for the B's netminder — but it's pretty evident that Rask believes he still has a lot left in the tank when it comes to extending his career beyond the current parameters of his contract with Boston. A closer look at the underlying numbers in Rask's game validates those sentiments.
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Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick and Sean Tierney.