The past decade could be deemed whirlwind at times for the Boston Bruins.
A Stanley Cup Final victory coupled with a pair of Cup losses has the organization and fans thirsting for another championship win. But the highs and lows present the opportunity to take a look at the best to wear the Black and Gold from the past decade, including goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas.
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski gave his picks for Boston’s All-Decade team, and one pick in particular may surprise you.
The list is as follows:
C:Â Patrice Bergeron
LW:Â Brad Marchand
RW:Â David Pastrnak
D:Â Zdeno Chara
D:Â Torey Krug
G:Â Tuukka Rask
Coach:Â Claude Julien
The list itself seems to leave little room for argument. Boston’s top line of Marchand, Bergeron and Pastrnak was especially dominant last season, while both Chara and Krug provide a steady presence at the blue line. Julien led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win in 2011 as well as a slew of playoff appearances in his 10-year tenure with the organization.
There could be some debate when it comes to the goaltending, though. Thomas helped bring the Cup to Boston, while Rask has yet to win a championship as a starter. Rask and Thomas both are Vezina Trophy winners and have given the Bruins a chance to win in the playoffs.
Wyshynski gave the following reason for choosing Rask over Thomas as the Bruins’ goalie of the decade:
Rask or Tim Thomas? That’s really the only debate to be had here. Thomas won a Vezina Trophy, the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe in the past decade, but was off the team by 2012. Rask was the primary goalie for the decade, won two conference titles while the crease was his, as well as a Vezina. The highest high of the decade was provided by Thomas. But the decade belonged to Tuukka.
Rask holds a career 265-150-58 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average spanning 12 years, while Thomas sports a 214-145-49 record over 10 years with a .920 save percentage and 2.52 GAA.
