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Bruins’ Rask ready for any task

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By Stephen Harris
Boston Herald Sports Reporter
Monday, July 16, 2007 - Updated: 04:23 AM EST


WILMINGTON - Tuukka Rask and Hannu Toivonen [stats] were sitting side by side in the Bruins [team stats]’ Ristuccia Arena dressing room last week, comparing their goaltending accoutrements and chatting amicably in their native language.

The lean, 6-foot-2 Finns almost looked like brothers, with Toivonen a bit older and heavier (23 years old and about 190 pounds, to Rask’s 20 and 170).

The biggest question about the Bruins is which two goalies will be occupying the dressing room three months from now.

But for Rask, who donned a Bruins jersey for the first time last week at the team’s development camp, it’s not a matter of pressing concern, nor should it be. Unless a great many knowledgeable hockey scouts have been very wrong about him, Rask has the tools and makeup for NHL stardom - if not this season, then soon.

“This is a guy we consider a great, great prospect,” said goaltending coach Bob Essensa.

But Rask’s approach to his first full training camp is to stay positive, work hard, hope for the best and take whatever comes.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Rask. “Of course I hope I play in the NHL. But that depends on how good I am and how the other guys play. . . . If you’re good enough, you can play. If you’re not, you play in Providence (at the AHL level). That’s how it goes. And I would be totally comfortable with Providence.”

Rask spent 1 weeks practicing with Providence during the AHL playoffs and working with coach Scott Gordon, a former NHL goalie.
“The most noticeable thing is his footwork side to side, how good he is at getting across and what a good job he does at covering the lower portion of the net,” said Gordon. “In today’s game you’ve got to be able to do that, because there’s more speed in the game and there are a lot more things happening in the offensive zone since the defenders can’t pin people the way they could before.”

Along with everyone else looking at the B’s goaltending logjam - with Manny Fernandez, Tim Thomas [stats], Toivonen and Rask competing for two NHL jobs - Gordon has no idea how it will play out. There has been widespread speculation that general manager Peter Chiarelli would like to trade one of the incumbents, likely Thomas.

“I don’t make any assumptions,” said Gordon. “I’m sure Tuukka is coming in here hoping he can win a job. There’s no automatics with goalies. Some guys need the time to develop. And then are a few guys - very few - who can just walk in.

“It’s a lot of pressure to be a 20-year-old kid and be able to come in and be the No. 1 guy. But who knows? If he’s that much better, he’s that much better.”

The B’s could get an early chance to compare the four netminders at a goalie camp Essensa will help run in Calgary July 30-Aug. 4. Rask, Toivonen and Thomas are set to attend, and the B’s hope Fernandez also will be able to make it.

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