Tuukka Rask sets a Leafs franchise record: Yes, you read that correctly..
There is a term well-known to Leafs Nation for things that happen to the Leafs that are just so wild and mind-blowingly inconvenient. Perhaps you'll have heard the phrase "that's so Leafy"? Well, this story is centered around something so Leafy that it might ruin your day, so proceed with caution.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a franchise that has had the luxury of having some really good goaltenders in franchise history. From all-time greats Johnny Bower and Turk Broda to some of the more recognizable modern names like Felix Potvin, Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour, the Leafs have been blessed in a way. It's just unfortunate that they have nothing to show for it in almost 55 years.
Still, for all of the quality goalies who have worn the iconic blue and white over the course of the last 105 years, it was the goalie who never played a single game for the Leafs who has retired as the franchise leader in career wins by a goaltender who was drafted by the Leafs.
That's right, you guessed it. I'm talking about Tuukka Rask, who announced his retirement this week at the age of 34. Rask had been trying to pull off an NHL comeback after major hip surgery, but once he determined that he could no longer play at the same level that he and Bruins fans had become accustomed to, he decided to hang up the pads.
The Finnish netminder has ended his career with 308 career NHL wins, with the closest goalie behind him being Potvin with 266 career wins. Rask was traded to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Raycroft back in June of 2006, due to the fact that the Leafs already had Justin Pogge in the system. He was expected to be the next franchise goaltender in Toronto. We all know how that worked out.
Obviously, congrats to Rask on a stellar career, but hopefully the Leafs have drafted or will draft a goaltender soon who is destined for greatness. We can't have a guy who has never played a game as a Leaf topping our leaderboard for wins by a goalie who was drafted by the Leafs.
