Morning sports update: Shawn Thornton defends ‘polarizing’ Tuukka Rask
The 76ers staved off elimination with a 103-92 win over the Celtics in Game 4. Drew Pomeranz will take the mound for the Red Sox on Tuesday in Yankee Stadium.
Shawn Thornton defends ‘polarizing’ Tuukka Rask
Shawn Thornton never hesitated to drop the gloves and defend a teammate during his time in Black and Gold. The former Bruin now works with the Florida Panthers as the vice president of business operations, but Thornton is still ready to fight back at those taking what he deems to be unfair shots at Tuukka Rask.
During an appearance on WEEI’s “Dale and Keefe” Monday, Thornton said he doesn’t understand the criticism that dogs the Bruins goaltender in Boston.
“I’m not sure why he’s polarizing,” Thornton said, per NESN’s Logan Mullen. “Like I said, I think there’s 30 other teams that would be happy to snatch him up if somebody didn’t want him.”
In the 2018 playoffs, Rask posted a .903 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average as the Bruins advanced past the Toronto Maple Leafs then fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning. His performance drew its share of both plaudits and blame, but on the whole, Rask still holds the second-best save percentage in NHL history (.922).
“I skated with (Rask) during the lockout with a lot of other players in the NHL and everyone said ‘we can’t believe you have to shoot on him every day in practice, how do you guys have any confidence whatsoever?'” Thornton said. “I feel bad for [Tuukka], obviously it’s like being the quarterback or the pitcher, if you win the game you get all the glory, if you don’t you’re stuck carrying the blame.”
Thornton said he watched a lot of the Tampa series and would be hard-pressed to find a goal he could pin on Rask. The Panthers executive also noted that if the Bruins and their fans don’t want the goaltender, his organization would be happy to take him.
“I’m biased because he’s a good friend of mine to be completely honest, but I can’t think of a goalie that has been more consistently at the top of the league in the last 8-9 years,” Thornton said. “There’s going to be ups and downs, but if you ask anybody in the league they’re going to say they hate playing against him. He makes the game look easy and when he’s on he’s really on.”
4 takeaways from the Celtics’ Game 4 loss against the 76ers: T.J. McConnell’s insertion into the starting lineup gave the 76ers the boost they needed to avoid the sweep. The Celtics found themselves on the wrong end of some key stats in their chippy loss, which doubled as a missed opportunity for Boston to get some rest ahead of the a matchup with the Cavs. (Boston.com)
Joel Embiid trolled Terry Rozier after their Game 4 altercation: In the second quarter of the 76ers victory, Embiid tried to rip the ball away from the Celtics’ point guard. Rozier wasn’t having it, and the pair engaged in a quick shoving match. After, the game Embiid explained that he was trying to keep the game flowing, then took a shot at his opponent’s stature.
“Too bad he’s so short that he couldn’t get to my face,” Philadelphia’s center said. (Boston.com)
He was convicted of molesting a 6-year-old. Should he have a future in baseball?: Oregon State’s Luke Heimlich is one of the best players in college baseball. He pleaded guilty to sexually molesting his 6-year-old niece when he was 15. In an interview with The New York Times, Heimlich addressed the past and his future in the game. (Boston.com)
Daily highlight:
https://twitter.com/celtics/status/993634293040594944
