Tuukka Rask is 33 years old, the last season of his contract is in 2020-21 and he recently mused that he could conceivably retire at the end of that deal.

But while the Bruins’ goalie was far from definitive about his playing future during a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, Rask certainly sounded like he was leaning toward playing beyond this current deal.

For the time being, his focus has been on his growing family, as he and his wife welcomed their third daughter, Livia, to the world several weeks ago.

“I haven’t thought about retirement at all,” said Rask.

“This has been such weird times now that I’ve put full focus on my family at this time and just tried to enjoy that. But last summer was very short and the past two seasons have run together sort of. So I’ve just used this time off to get my mind off of hockey and focus on family, because we travel a lot and it gets taxing sometimes being away from your family, so I’m just trying to refocus my energy to the family.

“I know that this summer I can start talking to the Bruins about a possible extension and when that day comes, we’ll see what happens. But I definitely haven’t put any thought toward retirement or nothing like that, so well see how this season plays out and then we’ll see if extension talks happen.”

Rask conceded that the shutdown – two months old on Tuesday – has made him appreciate even more how much he enjoys the camaraderie of his teammates. And when asked if he had an age in mind he’d like to retire, he even suggested that he has a lot more in the tank.

“I think a lot of it has to do with how much you want to keep playing,” said Rask. “Is your body healthy and do you have the passion for the game still? Those are the questions (you have to answer). It’s not really 40 or 36 or whatever. You play as long as you can and your body feels healthy and you want to keep doing it. But whenever that drive slows down, you have to rethink it and revisit it and say, ‘Hey, is this really something that I want to do?’

“So far, I still have that passion for winning and playing and that drives me. I haven’t put a number into it, what that age might be, but we’ll see. Maybe it’s 36, 37. Maybe it’s 42, you never know. (Zdeno Chara’s) still playing and he’s getting older. Maybe I’ll be the goalie who plays till 45.”

In the past few years, Rask has returned to the upper echelon of the league’s goaltenders after a couple of seasons in which his play dipped, partly due to the lack of a reliable backup who could give him sufficient rest. That started to change with Anton Khudobin from 2016-18. Then when Jaroslav Halak arrived prior to the 2018-19 season, it created a 1A-1B tandem that brought out the best Rask. He played 46 games in the 2018-19 regular season and 41 this season with the Bruins having played 70 games at the time of the coronavirus shutdown. His .929 save percentage at the time of the pause was his best since he posted a .930 mark in 2013-14, the year he won the Vezina Trophy.

With the re-signing of Halak to a one-year extension two weeks ago, the pairing will have another chance to bring home a Stanley Cup.

“We’ve had the plan in place for a few years now where we don’t want me playing 60, 70 games. I think if you look at my career, I’ve been at my best when there’s been a 1A-1B situation and both goalies have gotten playing time and you’re fresh going into the playoffs,” said Rask. “It’s worked well for me personally and from a team perspective it’s been very beneficial, so I’m happy that Jaro signed for another year and we can keep the ball rolling that way… With (GM Don Sweeney) we set this plan up and we’ve stuck with it and it’s been working. Jaro texted me last week and said that he signed, so I couldn’t be happier. It’ll be fun to be with him another year. We get along so well.”

Rask, of course, has his share of detractors. And until he brings home a Cup, there are those who will continue to withhold full respect for his accomplishments. He understands that, and has never seemed to be bothered by it.

“It comes with the territory in a town like this where people love their sports, it doesn’t matter if it’s basketball, hockey or football. There are always fans out there who want to see you succeed, but they have their right to criticize you and I’ve accepted the fact my job is what it is. Sometimes people praise you, sometimes they don’t,” said Rask.

“I haven’t put too much thought into that while playing. It’s something, like I’ve said, that comes with the territory and I try to do my job as good as I can every night and give us a chance to win. And what comes with that, it comes. Maybe in the future after I retire and look back, you kind of appreciate yourself more and see what you did. This city is known to win championships and your success is measured on championships. I’ve gotten to the finals with the team twice as a playing goalie. I feel like it’s a great accomplishment to reach that point. Obviously, it would have been nice to be known as a champion in those years, but it didn’t happen and I just have to live with that. I think I’ve played a good career so far and hopefully there’s some more years left, maybe even some championships and I can improve my play as well.”

Whether he gets a chance to raise a Cup in 2020, whatever format the league can conjure, remains to be seen. As expected, the AHL announced the cancellation of the remainder of its season on Monday. The NHL is still very much hoping to somehow award the Cup, with its ever-evolving plan currently focusing on a 24-team tournament. Practice facilities could open up by the end of the month.

While Rask believes players will have sufficient run-up time to get in shape, he has his questions.

“I think the biggest question for most people is if we were to resume play, how do we keep everybody safe? And that’s a question, too, in my head. And then on another note, it doesn’t feel right to keep guys away from their families for many, many months at a time. I don’t even think that’s an option now,” said Rask.

“But most importantly, it’s the safety of the players. What happens if someone gets infected or gets this disease? What’s going to happen then? I’m sure those are the questions they’ve been trying to find an answer to. Before that happens, I don’t think there’s any hockey, or any sports.”

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