Bruins fans were surprised and disappointed when their goalie Tuukka Rask announced that he would be leaving the team in the middle of the playoffs. According to sources close to the goalie, the reason he’s leaving the team is an undisclosed health issue related to his young daughter.
“I want to be with my teammates competing, but at this moment, there are things more important than hockey in my life, and that is being with my family,” Rask said earlier in the week.
He decided to opt-out right before Game 3 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Even though Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that Rask’s family was “safe and healthy,” it appears that there actually might be a health issue of concern in the family that led to Rask deciding to leave the team.
Talk show host Greg Hill said that he spoke to the goalie, adding that there was a medical emergency that involved Rask’s daughter, which is why he decided to opt-out of the team’s playoff run.
“He would prefer not to be the story and be something those guys are asked about repeatedly as they try to win a Stanley Cup,” Hill said of Rask. However, Hill said that he would respect Rask’s privacy and would not reveal any details about the situation.
Boston currently leads the series against the Hurricanes 3-1.
