Bruins Captain Chara Defends Rask, Calls Him ‘The Boston Wall’

Zdeno Chara may have called out Tuukka Rask for his gas but he let it be known on Monday, he’s still got his goalie’s back. A Bruins fan asked the Bruins captain on Chara’s Instagram page if he thinks the Bruins can ever win the Stanley Cup again with Rask as their goalie? Chara didn’t pull any punches citing Rask’s league-leading goals-against average and credited him for the Bruins being the NHL’s best team at the pause. 

“The other day I’ve been asked if I think Tuukka can get us to win another Championship.

This season Tuukka ranks first in goals against average among all goalies with more than 15 games played. 2.22 goals against average. With his excellent performances he helped our team to be leader in points around the NHL.

So there is your answer

Tuukka is “Boston Wall”

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Despite being arguably the best goalie in team history, Rask’s 2013 and 2019 Stanley Cup Final losses serve as fuel for his naysayers but it’s clear his captain and his teammates do not blame him. 

Rask’s 2.12 GAA is actually better than 2.22 Chara mistakenly listed. His .929 save percentage is second only to former teammate and current Dallas Stars goalie Anton Khudobin (.930) but Rask has played 11 more games (41) than Khudobin (30). There’s a solid chance that Rask will have a shot at his second Vezina Trophy (he won in 2014) and be a Vezina finalist for the second time in his career. 

After being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for fellow goalie Andrew Raycroft on June 24, 2006, Rask has spent his entire career with the Bruins. In addition to having the most wins (291) in team history, Rask has the best save percentage (.922) and the most saves (13711). He is second in GAA (2.26) and in shutouts (50).