Tim Thomas reacts to Tuukka Rask opting out: ‘I understand hard decisions'

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Former Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas made a difficult decision to leave the team before the 2012-13 NHL season, so he can sympathize with what B's netminder Tuukka Rask is going through right now.

Rask announced Saturday that he's decided to opt out of the league's return to play and will leave the Toronto bubble to be with his family.

"I support Tuukka's right to make whatever choice he thinks is best for him and his family," Thomas told Bill Burt of The Eagle Tribune. "Sometimes other things in life are more important than a game. I understand hard decisions."

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Thomas and Rask were a great goaltending tandem in Boston for several seasons -- highlighted by a 2011 Stanley Cup title -- before the two-time Vezina Trophy winner departed following the 2011-12 campaign. Thomas' exit allowed Rask to become the B's starting goalie, and he's been one of the league's best players at the position ever since.

Rask's decision leaves Jaroslav Halak as the Bruins' No. 1 goaltender, starting with Saturday afternoon's Game 3 of the team's first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Halak has 31 games of playoff experience in his 13 seasons as an NHL player.

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