Thompson, Rask each underrated during his era

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week Stan takes a look at the similarities between two Boston goalies from different eras, Hockey Hall of Famer Tiny Thompson, a star in the 1930s, and Tuukka Rask, his counterpart of today.

The Boston Bruins have had some of the best goalies in NHL history. Frank Brimsek, Gerry Cheevers, Eddie Johnston and Tim Thomas all sipped the champagne of Stanley Cup champions. But the first of Boston's outstanding guardians of the crease was Tiny Thompson. His Boston counterpart of today is Tuukka Rask. Comparisons of the two are compelling, to say the least.

For starters, it's not hard to make the case that each has been underrated.

Thompson not only played every game during Boston's run to its first Stanley Cup championship in 1929, he was a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, a two-time NHL First-Team All-Star and a two-time Second-Team All-Star. He missed exactly one game during his first 10 NHL seasons.

"Thompson never got the credit he deserved," hockey historian Bob Duff wrote. "He was a really good goalie with some great success with the Bruins before (being replaced by) Frankie Brimsek."

Not that the Sandon, British Columbia, native was shunned by the critics. After all, Thompson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959; recognized not merely for his numbers, including a career goals-against average of 2.07, but also for innovations such as catching the puck.

Likewise, some contemporary observers of Rask's time with the Bruins believe he deserves more attention than he's received.

The Hockey News made that point in its July 2020 issue with a one-word headline: "Underappreciated." Columnist Ken Campbell noted that, "Rask is one of the best goalies of this generation but doesn't get the credit he deserves for the Bruins' success."

He put Thompson in the same category.

"Prior to Thompson's arrival in the NHL goalies rarely, if ever actually made saves by catching the puck," Campbell wrote. "But Thompson began snuffing out plays by catching the puck. His baseball-playing background was a help and also playing forward as a kid. Tiny was also one of the first puck-handling goalies, going down as the first NHL goalie to record an assist."

Thompson's given name was Cecil. He was nicknamed "Tiny" because he played against much older opponents as a youth and was small by comparison.

"Just about everyone I played against as a kid was bigger than me," he recalled, "so they named me 'Tiny,' although I wasn't crazy about it. I guess alongside them, I looked tiny."

After his family had moved to Calgary. Thompson once and for all decided to make goaltending his career. He opted to learn the trade by standing behind the Calgary Tigers goal observing his idol, Charlie Reid. He learned fast, eventually reaching Minneapolis, then a member of the Central Hockey League, in 1925-26.

"Art Ross (general manager of the Bruins) claimed to have bought Thompson sight unseen after he'd posted spectacular numbers in Minneapolis," Ross biographer Eric Zweig wrote. "Tiny wound up getting the opening-game start for the Bruins in the fall of 1928. He shut out Pittsburgh 1-0 on an overtime goal by Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list."

Unlike Thompson, who started as a forward, Rask wanted to be a goalie from the moment he put on skates. "It never was a question for me," he said. "I never considered another position, and I learned a lot by watching."

Rask's idol growing up in Savonlinna, Finland, was a neighbor, Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list, a goalie who played pieces of four seasons in the NHL and who helped Finland win the IIHF World Championship in 1995.

Tuukka also would become an international star. He was the starter on Finland's team at the 2005 IIHF World Junior Championship, getting his first real taste of pressure-packed hockey. One year later, he helped Finland to a third-place finish, making 37 saves in a 4-2 victory against a United States team that included future NHL forwards Phil Kessel, T.J. Oshie, Bobby Ryan.

"I had the experience from the previous year," he said. "I was lucky enough to have two straight years as No. 1. But playing the tournament in Vancouver made it special because we played in front of so many people."

At the time, Rask's performance was nothing but good news to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had selected him in the first round (No. 21) of the 2005 NHL Draft. But Rask never had the opportunity to wow Toronto fans; the Maple Leafs traded him to the Boston Bruins on June 24, 2006; in return, they received goalie Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list, the 2004 Calder Trophy winner.

"Maybe at the time the deal may have looked like it made sense," said Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list, a longtime NHL goalie who's now a radio analyst on New Jersey Devils broadcasts. "But certainly not in the long run."

With 20-20 hindsight, it's not unfair to say that this was one of the worst trades in Toronto history.

"It was a blessing in disguise," Rask said with a chuckle. "Living in Finland, I didn't know what to expect from the NHL. I didn't know Toronto and I didn't know Boston. As far as I was concerned it was just a transaction."

Ironically, that's how Thompson felt back in 1928 when he came to camp with the Bruins and supplanted Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list as the starter.

A decade later, Thompson was on the other end of the revolving door. During an intrasquad game on Oct. 30, 1938, he took a puck above his right eye, leaving his eye practically closed. While recuperating he was replaced by Brimsek, who Ross called "a peach."

Thompson returned and went 3-1 with one tie in five games, allowing eight goals in 310 minutes of play for a 1.56 GAA. But those impressive numbers didn't impress Ross.

"As far as Art was concerned, it was better to trade a player a year too early than a year too late," Zweig wrote in "Art Ross, The Legend Who Built The Bruins." On Nov. 28, 1938, Thompson was sold to Detroit for $15,000. At the time it was the richest deal for a goalie in NHL history.

The amusing aspect is that Ross previously had declared that Tiny was "the best goaltender in the NHL since Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list." When the Red Wings bought Thompson, GM Jack Adams called him, "The best goalie in the world."

No one has said that about Rask, at least not yet, but he was part of one of the most one-sided goalie trades in history. Raycroft lasted just two seasons in Toronto before being bought out.

Like Thompson, Rask has improved with age. He began his time in Boston in 2007-08 and was Thomas' backup when the Bruins won the Cup in 2011. But by the 2012-13 season, Rask had established himself enough to lead the NHL in shutouts with five and play all 22 games during Boston's run to the Cup Final (a six-game loss to the Chicago Blackhawks). In 2013-14, he again led the League in shutouts, this time with seven, finished with a 2.04 GAA and had a .930 save percentage -- enough to be voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie.

Thompson had future Hockey Hall of Famers such as Clapper and Video: BOS@WSH: Rask passes Thompson on franchise wins list playing in front of him. Rask has gotten plenty of support from players like defenseman Zdeno Chara and forwards Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.

"Tuukka brings the competitiveness and poise you need back there," Bergeron said. "We've been spoiled to have him back there for so long."

Rask showed no aftereffects this season after the Bruins lost Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues. He and backup Jaroslav Halak combined to allow the fewest goals in the League and helped the Bruins win the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's top regular-season team.

Thompson has been in the Hall of Fame for decades. It's certainly not impossible that Rask could join him one day -- especially if he can help the Bruins win another Cup.