Tuukka Rask deserves our empathy now more than ever

News broke Friday morning that the Bruins granted Tuukka Rask a leave of absence. This comes after Rask allowed three goals on just fourteen shots against the Vancouver Canucks, Thursday evening. It’s fair to say that Tuukka has seen his fair share of criticism this season. Things took a turn once Don Sweeney announced Tuukka’s leave on Friday during media availability. Don stated, “”It’s important to respect his privacy and allow him to deal with it for the next few days,” Sweeney also noted that this is not health related. A lot of people were quick to make jokes and mouth off about Rask. Sure, he’s struggled lately, but is that a reason to attack his well being?

While fans were showing their support and wishing him the best, there were a handful that saw it was appropriate to crack wise jokes. Fans put their tin hats on and speculated what could possibly be taking him away from the ice? He’s looked skinny lately. Is it drugs? He has a daughter. Do you think she’s okay? What about his family back in Finland? Not even Bergeron knows what’s going on. Respecting someone’s privacy shouldn’t be such a difficult task.

Keith Olbermann decided it was time to write about Rask’s leave starting once he stepped in net Thursday night. The overall reaction wasn’t a good one. This left many people questioning his professionalism. Rask is dealing with a private matter that’s significant enough for him to be stepping away from the team. Now isn’t the time for jokes.

We live in a time of outrage culture. Everything needs an immediate reaction. It wasn’t any different this time around. It’s always a good rule of thumb to think before you tweet. How Regardless of the matter, my thoughts are with the Rask family at this time. Let’s hope that the matter is dealt with quickly and he’ll be back with the team soon.