Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was heavily criticized for leaving the Toronto bubble during the NHL's Return to Play in August with little explanation.
In October, Rask discussed his decision to leave, saying that his daughter was dealing with medical issues that prompted him to exit the bubble. During his press conference on Wednesday, he discussed the situation further, saying he received a phone call at the time that his daughter wasn't doing well and an ambulance had to be called.
"I got a phone call the night before [Game 3] that our daughter wasn't doing so well. They had to call an ambulance. At that point my mind is spinning."
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) January 6, 2021
Tuukka Rask talks about his decision to leave the NHL bubble pic.twitter.com/UNUsSRtQeH
Following Rask's departure, multiple NHL insiders reported that the Bruins were shopping the 33-year-old. However, that ended up not being the case, with the Bruins ultimately showing dedication to the former Vezina Trophy winner.
Rask is now preparing for the 2020-21 season with his teammates at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston. He said Wednesday he's had "no issues coming back" from his abrupt Stanley Cup Playoffs departure.
Rask was one of the best goaltenders in the NHL last season, going 26-8-6 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. He finished second in Vezina Trophy voting last season behind Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck and ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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