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Bruins GM haunts Leafs over Rask trade details

Cam Neely, Peter Chiarelli

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, right, responds to a question as Bruins president Cam Neely, left, looks on during a news conference at the TD Garden before a scheduled NHL team hockey practice in Boston, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

AP

Boston’s road to the Stanley Cup finals was made possible in more ways than one by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not only did they beat the Leafs in the first-round of the playoffs in seven games, starting goalie Tuukka Rask was a Leafs prospect at one time.

During today’s Media Day talks, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was asked about the trade that brought Rask into the Bruins’ fold. His description of how trade talks went down won’t do anything to make Leafs fans feel better.

Chiarelli said the Bruins then interim GM Jeff Gorton did the deal with former Leafs GM John Ferguson, Jr. while Chiarelli was in the process of going to Boston from Ottawa.

Ferguson went to the Bruins desiring then B’s goalie Andrew Raycroft and offered up then Leafs prospect Jiri Tlusty for him. The Bruins insisted the trade be goalie-for-goalie and wanted Rask. On June 24, 2006 the deal was done: Rask for Raycroft straight up.

That sound you hear from Toronto are Leafs fans grinding their teeth over a poor trade from the old regime. To make matters worse, Raycroft was coming off his worst season with Boston and a year removed from winning the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.