Scott Cordischi On Sports: Tim vs. Tuukka - Who’s The Best?
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The comparisons were inevitable once Tim Thomas decided to “take the year off” in 2012-2013 and they are even more prevalent today.
Who’s the better goalie – Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask?
Before the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs began, this was a question that wasn’t even worth asking because everyone knew the answer.
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Thomas was the best goaltender on the planet for a few year stretch which culminated in his amazing performance in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Most felt that it was Thomas who carried the Bruins on his back on their way to winning The Cup and that, without him, this team would likely not have a legitimate chance at winning another win.
Yet, here we are. The Bruins, thanks to the stellar play of Tuukka Rask, are just two wins away from their second Cup in three seasons.
However, in fairness to the rest of the team, we have learned that this isn’t just about Rask’s unbelievably solid play. It is about a well-rounded team whose defense is smothering. It is about a team with depth up front and forwards who don’t just pay lip service to back checking, they do it better than any team in the National Hockey League.
What we now know is that Thomas may have been the same beneficiary of such solid play around him in 2011. The problem is, we didn’t put enough weight in that aspect of the game back then.
When you watch the two goalies play, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that Thomas is the better of the two because of his spectacular style of play. Unlike Rask, Thomas was much less about the fundamentals and much more about being aggressive. He would come far out of the net to challenge his opponents often leaving himself to make a diving save or a great recovery which would wow the crowd.
For Rask, it’s more about getting square to the shooter which means seeing the puck and moving side to side in the crease so that he is in the best position to both see and stop the puck. It’s not the flashiest approach, but it sure has proven to be effective.
Ironically, if you compare the numbers of Thomas in the 2011 postseason and Rask this postseason, it is the Finnish phenom who rates the edge.
Check this out:
Tim Thomas (2011): 16-9 record, 1.98 goals against average, .940 save percentage
Tuukka Rask (2013): 14-5 record, 1.64 goals against average, .946 save percentage
At this point Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, rates the slight edge because his team won The Stanley Cup in 2011. However, should Rask and the Bruins do so within the next week, that slight edge might go to Tuukka.
It is an interesting debate if nothing else. It is also an indication of the players, many of whom are the same, around the two goaltenders and a system by Claude Julien that clearly works.
-Chicago’s Marian Hossa has taken a bit of a PR hit over the last 24 hours after tapping out of game 3 of The Stanley Cup Finals with what the team is calling an “upper body injury.” The story that was fed to the media was that he was hit with a puck prior to game 3 making him a late scratch. However, there are rumors that Hossa missed the game with a strained groin. In either case, the fact that he may be well enough to play in game 4 raised some serious questions about his toughness and his commitment. At this time of year, either you are hurt to the point where it is physically impossible to play or you suit up and gut it out for your team. The feeling is that neither one of these scenarios is what took place Monday night. Ouch!
-There has been a lot of chatter of late about the fact that Bruins forward David Krejci is underrated. That may be slightly true but there is a tangible reason for his name not being mentioned among the game’s elite. While Krejci has had two unbelievable postseasons (2011 and 2013), his regular season performance hasn’t necessarily mirrored that playoff greatness. This season he scored 10 goals and dished out 23 assists in 47 regular season games. That pales in comparison to the 21 goals and 25 assists he has registered in 44 postseason games during the team’s two Cup runs. Once his regular season production elevates to that type of level, he will indeed be considered among the league’s best.
-One Bruin that should be receiving much more accolades than he already does is Patrice Bergeron. While the Sidney Crosby’s of the world receive all of the love from the national media and hockey fans everywhere, it is Bergeron who has demonstrated, by far, the most complete game of any player in the league. Not only does he produce on offense, he is a sensational defensive player and THE best face-off man in the entire National Hockey League. His 24-4 record in face-offs in game 3 was simply validation of that belief.
-How big is the Bruins story this spring? It has dwarfed what otherwise would be huge sports stories in this region like the Patriots signing Tim Tebow, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce possibly leaving the Celtics and an amazing start to the 2013 season for the Boston Red Sox.
-Starting with the Tebow story. This writer believes that Tebow was not brought here by Bill Belichick to run some gimmick type of offense. Instead, this appears to be a no-risk, possible high-reward situation for the Patriots. Let’s not forget that no guaranteed money was give to Tebow meaning there truly is no financial risk. And, do you really think that Bill Belichick will take Tom Brady out of the line-up on 3rd and goal from the 2 to put Tebow in like Rex Ryan and the Jets did? Not a chance! Some have suggested that Tebow may be featured at other positions such as TE which may happen on a very limited basis. But Belichick is too smart to know that his offense will perform at a much higher level when a healthy Gronkowski, Hernandez and Ballard are manning that position. To me, this is about signing a player who is a great competitor and a winner and trying to work with him on his flawed mechanics. If good coaching can somehow get Tebow to throw the ball accurately like NFL quarterbacks are expected to, then the Pats will be on to something here. If not, it’s no harm, no foul.
-Speaking of Tebow, how great is it that the Jets are on the hook for more money ($1.53 million) this year than the Patriots are ($1.36 million) for the next two years for Tebow? According to ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, while the Jets no longer have to pay Tebow any money, they do have to pay the Denver Broncos that $1.53 million this year as part of the trade that landed him in New York. And that, my friends, is why they are the New York Jets.
-Now onto this ongoing Doc Rivers to the Clippers saga. I must say that while I have always loved Doc as a person and a coach, my attitude has changed a bit over the past week. Clearly Doc does not want to be a part of any rebuilding process in Boston which is certainly his prerogative. If that’s the case, why did he sign that 5-year contract with the team in May of 2011? Did he really think that KG, Paul and Ray Allen had 5 good years left in them back then? While Doc continues to publicly say the right things, he has made it very clear that he prefers to coach a championship-caliber team like the Clippers next season as opposed to leading the rebuilding Celtics. Therefore, if he is back on the Boston bench, I feel like I will be watching a hypocrite on the sidelines. Sorry Doc!
-Lastly, I don’t know about you but I continue to be amazed at the start the Red Sox are off to. Nearly midway through the 2013 season, Boston continues to have the best record in the American League. Will that last? Who knows? But, did anyone think that they would be on top of the AL East standings for a majority of the season to date? I don’t think so! Once the Bruins run is over with, they will command our attention and we’ll probably like what we see. If we don’t, we’ll count down the days until Patriots Training Camp opens in late July.
