Tuukka Rask Admits Family Emergency Pulled Him Home

The specific details are private and will remain so until Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask chooses to make them public. On Wednesday, Boston radio host Greg Hill revealed Rask called him Tuesday night to discuss the situation.

Everyone is okay, but that was not a certainty when Rask bolted from the NHL Toronto bubble to be with his family this weekend. Rask termed it a “family emergency.”

Here is the story and the radio segment with Hill. Rask did not appear on the air but instead spoke with Hill privately. Hill recounted the conversation, minus the specifically personal details, on Wednesday morning.

“I can tell you that he got a phone call in the bubble from his wife because there was a medical emergency with their daughter,” Hill said. “…the kind of situation where I believe Tuukka Rask did what every parent would do.”

There had been some public question if Rask left because he missed his family or wasn’t comfortable in the bubble. However, our sister site Boston Hockey Now broke the news on Monday as inside sources said there was far more to the story. Read that report here. 

Rask also said he didn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates.

The Boston Bruins goalie also admitted to Hill that it was something his daughter said to him on the phone, which began the chain of events and the family emergency.

Rask did not say if he would return to the Bruins if they advance to Round Two, though, as Boston Hockey Now pointed out, that would be a possibility, though there would be requirements to meet.

Jaroslav Halak started in Rask’s place in Game 4 and played well. Boston leads the Round One series against the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, and can close out the series on Wednesday at 4 p.m.