Bruins Craic: Recchi Warns Rask Detractors To ‘Be Careful What They Wish For’

Mark Recchi has a warning for those who think the Boston Bruins don’t need goalie Tuukka Rask to win another Stanley Cup:

“People gotta be a little careful what they wish for when it comes to Tuukka!”

On the latest Bruins Craic Podcast, Rask’s former teammate, who won a Cup with Rask and the Bruins in 2011, went to bat for the most popular Bruin in the quarantine Bruins news stream thanks to his detractors and his flatulation. 

“Absolutely!” Recchi replied with a chuckle when asked by co-host Kevin Flanagan if Rask ‘Has what it takes to win a Stanley Cup?

“He’s gotten the team to Game 6 and Game 7 and he has been absolutely tremendous for the Boston Bruins.”

The hall of famer and three-time Stanley Cup champion now serves as an Assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom he won a Stanley Cup in 1991 with. Recchi played against Rask as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2008-09 season before being dealt to the Bruins from Tampa Bay at the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline. He recalled how hard it was to get the puck behind Rask as an opponent and a teammate.

“He was one of the toughest goalies for me to ever score on, even in practice,” Recchi said. “He’s a competitive guy; he is a winner.”

As Recchi pointed out, there aren’t many current NHL goalies that can match Rask’s accomplishments so far. “

How many goalies have gotten their teams to Games 6 and 7 in championships?” Recchi asked rhetorically. “Carey Price I don’t believe has. I don’t believe Sergei Bobrovsky has; [Andrei] Vasilevskiy, you go down the list of goalies and I think the people gotta be a little careful what they wish for when it comes to Tuukka! He’s a hell of a goalie and he’s a great person and a great teammate.”

Despite Rask being the winningest goalie in team history and still on top of his game with a 26-8-6 record and league-leading 2.12 GAA and the second-best save percentage at .929, the haters have been lurking again during the NHL pause. Like so many around the NHL, Recchi just can’t seem to fathom how so many can possibly not see what a big part Rask has been of the Bruins being a perennial Stanley Cup contender from the 2012-13 season to 2013-14 and then again from 2017-18 until now. 

“He’s been part of it,” Recchi pointed out. “He’s a big reason they got to Stanley Cup Finals as well. People forget that. You know, sometimes it comes down to one game and it doesn’t happen for your team. I don’t think he was the difference in Game 7 one way or the other. It was a heck of a game, St. Louis was just a little bit better of a team at that time and he’s a terrific goalie, he’s a terrific playoff goalie as he’s proven because he has gotten them to, like I said, Game 6 and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals which is pretty impressive. Not a lot of goalies have and its something where I’d have him on my team any day if that was the case, I can tell you that.”