After 17 years in the NHL, and sitting out the 2024-25 season, Jaroslav Halak officially announced his retirement on Friday afternoon. While he bounced around to many teams during his career, the Boston Bruins were lucky enough to obtain his services for three seasons.
Halak was the right fit at the right time for the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask put a lot of miles on his body during his career, and the front office knew they needed a reliable backup goaltender to play behind him. Halak signed with the Bruins for the 2018-19 season, which coincidentally was the season that Rask's body began to break down.
Rask played in over 50 games in each of his years as the team's starter. However, that number dropped to 45 during the 2018-19 season, while Halak played in 40. Halak was a very valuable piece of the Bruins team that year, as he recorded a 2.34 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. His 22-11-4 record helped Boston clinch a playoff spot, which led them to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Halak's true value that season was his ability to give Rask's body a breather. It led to a much fresher and more relaxed version of the Bruins' star goaltender, which helped him put up an outstanding postseason and nearly win his first Stanley Cup as a starter. If it weren't for Halak, Rask might have flamed out earlier in those playoffs due to the deterioration of his body from his massive workload.
Halak had another good season in 2019-20, and even took over the starting netminder role after Rask had to leave the bubble due to a family emergency. He was also a reliable backup the following year when Rask battled through a torn labrum and needed someone to handle some of the workload more than ever.
There was a serious conversation of whether the Bruins should keep Halak around before the 2021-22 season, and his numbers explain why. He played three seasons for the Bruins, recording a 2.40 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. It nearly earned him the chance to be the starter with Rask not returning the following year, but the Bruins opted for the younger Jeremy Swayman and newcomer Linus Ullmark.
The Bruins would never complain about the tandem that took the place of Rask and Halak. However, it makes the three-year run for the veteran pair easy to forget. While they came one win short in 2019, Rask and Halak were actually the Bruins' first great tandem of the past decade, not Ullmark and Swayman.
