Tuukka Rask Thrilled For Linus Ullmark To Join Bruins’ Vezina Trophy Group

BRIGHTON, Mass. — Tuukka Rask no longer holds the honor of being the last Boston Bruins goalie to capture the Vezina Trophy.

That distinction now belongs to Linus Ullmark.

Ullmark earned the coveted recognition Monday night, beating out Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck to take home the hardware for the first time in his NHL career.

Rask, who won the award in 2014, was more than pleased to see Ullmark enter an exclusive group and become just the fourth goalie in the Bruins’ history to win the Vezina.

“It’s awesome,” Rask said prior to participating in the Boston Pride Hockey scrimmage at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday night. “I did not watch last night, but I learned about it (Tuesday) morning. I texted him a few hours ago and congratulated him. It’s great to see. Speaks a lot about what this organization has done and how the play has been and how everybody kind of has evolved in their position and Linus is a great example of that.”

Ullmark’s tremendous season, which was a part of Boston’s historic campaign, even outdid Rask’s production in net from his Vezina-winning season. Ullmark went 40-6-1 while leading the league with a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. Rask posted a 36-15-6 record between the pipes to go along with a .930 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average the year he won the award. Rask led the NHL that season with seven shutouts.

But Rask, who was teammates with Ullmark in his final season, can never lay claim to an accomplishment Ullmark achieved, though, with the current Bruins netminder scoring a goal this past season.

Ullmark has a Vezina Trophy now to match Rask, but he’s still far away from matching what Rask did over the course of his career. Rask, who was a two-time All-Star and started in net in two Stanley Cup Finals, put together a stellar 15-year career with the Bruins before retiring in February of 2022 due to a hip injury.

And Rask, while getting to break a sweat as a forward in the BPH scrimmage that drew awareness and promoted an inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ players and allies in hockey, is enjoying his retirement.

“Same as last year, lots of golf, lots of family time,” Rask said. “A little bit of work in the winter, but not a whole lot. But it’s good.”