In the past I’ve written about the concept of “likes to win vs. hates to lose,” which is a very real difference in the competitiveness of some players. I was always a guy who liked winning, because hey, winning is neat. Nobody yells at you, everyone’s happy, and being happy is better than the opposite. What can I say, I'm a complex creature.
But the guy who hates to lose...he plays the game differently. My analogy from that earlier post:
It's like putting a cupcake between a chubby kid from a mansion on the hill, and some wiry starving kid from the streets. They both want the cupcake. But our portly friend isn't fighting to the death over the damn thing. He might take a swing or two, but in the end, he knows if he doesn't get this one another will come along eventually. And that's when the wiry punk kicks him in the groin and one-bites the entire cupcake.
We don’t often think about goalies in these terms, but Tuukka Rask is proof the same theory applies. Yesterday he described his performance by deadpanning "I was s***," and “When you suck, you suck.” Well then.
I thought I’d use today as an excuse to demonstrate his hate, because who doesn’t like watching someone have a complete meltdown when they’re feeling pretty good and are totally uninvolved?
I got thinking about it yesterday with his teensy, tinsy little show of in-game frustration yesterday. We’ll start there, and get on to the good stuff (the one from practice is my favorite).
Aww, he borked the water bottle. What was his expectation when he smashed it against the crossbar, exactly?
He doesn’t like losing in shootouts:
He also HATES losing in shootouts
(Yes, those are different games.)
He REALLY HATED losing in shootouts in the AHL:
Dude just cannot stand up when he's angry.
THE GUY EVEN HATES GIVING UP GOALS IN PRACTICE:
I think we’ve confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s a “hate to lose” guy.
No wonder he’s one of the world’s best goaltenders. That's as much competitive fire as one man can have without turning into an actual volcano.
