WHAT WENT WRONG!? Ep #12 : Andrew Raycroft
The Rise and Fall of Andrew Raycroft
Andrew Raycroft’s hockey journey began with humble roots in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he played for the Sudbury Wolves and Kingston Frontenacs. While his early career in junior hockey was relatively quiet, Raycroft’s final season (1999-2000) was nothing short of spectacular. Garnering accolades such as the OHL Goaltender of the Year, CHL Goaltender of the Year, and the Red Tilson Trophy for Most Outstanding Player, he showcased his potential in a breakout campaign. Drafted in the 5th round, 135th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Raycroft’s trajectory seemed poised for success as he transitioned to professional hockey.
Raycroft’s early years with the Bruins organization were spent developing in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. Between 2000 and 2003, he posted a solid .911 save percentage (Sv%) over three seasons, hinting at the skill that would soon propel him to the NHL. His breakout moment came during the 2003-2004 NHL season, where he excelled with a .926 Sv%, 2.05 goals-against average (GAA), and 29 wins over 57 games. These performances helped the Bruins clinch the Northeast Division title and earned Raycroft the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. His remarkable season also saw him receive Hart and Vezina Trophy votes, solidifying his status as one of the league’s brightest young goaltenders.
The 2004-2005 NHL lockout interrupted Raycroft’s momentum, forcing him to play abroad with Tappara Tampere in Finland’s SM-Liiga. Though he posted respectable individual statistics, his team struggled. Raycroft only managed to play 11 games for the Finnish club, posting a 2.92 GAA and .912 Sv% in the regular season. Raycroft continued to play backup in the playoffs, appearing in three games posting a 6.36 GAA and .847 Sv%. However, Raycroft wasn’t the only Bruins goalie playing in Finland at the time, as Tim Thomas continued his journeyman career putting up a 1.58 GAA and .946 Sv% over 54 regular season games. In the playoffs, Thomas did all he could to lead his team to a championship (12 GP, 1.83 GAA, .938 Sv%) before ultimately falling to Karpat, which sported stars such as Jussi Jokinen, Michael Nylander, Pekka Rinne, and Niklas Backstrom.
After the end of the lockout season, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended up with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, one pick before the Boston Bruins. With their selection, the Leafs drafted Tuukka Rask. Scouts recognized Rask’s strong pedigree as a young netminder playing in Finland. In his draft year, Rask finished with the Best GAA rating in the Jr. A SM-Liiga Playoffs (0.87) and the best save percentage (.973%). Rask also played four games for Ilves Tampere of the SM-Liiga, sharing the crease with Vesa Toskala, who was playing overseas due to the lockout.
After Rask got drafted, his play only improved. In 30GP as a teenager in the SM-Liiga, Rask posted a 2.09 GAA and a .926 Sv%. Furthermore, Rask was named to the 05-06 World Junior Championship (WJC) All-Star Team as well as the Best Goaltender (6 GP, 2.11 GAA, .940 Sv%). Rask did not finish with the Best Save Percentage Award, as that was earned by Canadian Justin Pogge, who was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3rd Round Pick (90th overall) the year before, in 2004. Pogge carried his, and Canada’s, success to the rest of his season with the Calgary Hitman of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Pogge finished the year with eight total accolades from the WHL, Canadian Hockey League, and the WJC. Heading into the 2006 Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs had two of the best goalie prospects in the NHL.
Unfortunately for Andrew Raycroft, his 2005-06 season did not go as well as Rask’s or Pogge’s. When the NHL resumed, Raycroft returned to the Bruins but failed to regain his rookie form. Raycroft battled through a knee injury, as well as the turnover of the Bruins roster, including the departure of captain Joe Thornton. With an .879 Sv% and a 3.71 GAA, and Tim Thomas’s further success, now on North American ice with the Bruins, Raycroft became expendable.
The lockout reshaped the NHL landscape with a salary cap, leading to roster challenges for many teams. It was one of the reasons to influence John Ferguson Jr. to trade one of his top goalie prospects for a goalie with more of a track record. A year after Toronto snatched Rask one pick ahead of Boston, he was traded to the Bruins in a high-profile deal involving Andrew Raycroft — a move that would eventually haunt Toronto.
Raycroft’s time with the Maple Leafs was marked by a mix of high expectations and underwhelming results. In the 2006-2007 season, he played a career-high 72 games and recorded 37 wins, but also allowed the most goals in the league. When the Leafs narrowly missed the playoffs, his declining performance became a point of contention. The Leafs finished with 91 points (40-31-11) for 3rd in the Northeast Division and ended up missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs by one point. In the last game of the season, the Devils started goalie Scott Clemmensen, instead of Martin Brodeur, losing to Wade Dubielewicz and the New York Islanders, who would claim the last playoff spot.
The following season, a year after trading prospect Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft, Toronto brought in Vesa Toskala from San Jose for three draft picks (2007 1st and 2nd round picks, and a 2009 4th round pick). The emergence of Vesa Toskala and Raycroft’s continued struggles — highlighted by a .876 Sv% and 3.92 GAA — would lead to his departure from Toronto. To add insult to injury, Scott Clemmensen made his way onto the Leafs, playing in 3 games, posting a .839 Sv% and 3.89 GAA. The Leafs and Raycroft continued to falter, posting a 36-35-11 (83 points) record and finishing 5th (which was last) in the Northeast - missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Raycroft would not return to the Maple Leafs for the 08-09 season, testing Free Agency for the first of three times in his career. Over the next four NHL seasons, Raycroft served as a backup for the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Dallas Stars, compiling modest statistics before concluding his NHL career in 2012. He would end his 11 year NHL Career with the following stat line:
280GP, 113W, 114L, 27T/O, .900 Sv% 2.89 GAA
Following a brief two year stint playing in Europe, Raycroft retired from professional hockey in 2014. Transitioning to life off the ice, he embraced coaching and media roles, becoming a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Connecticut men’s hockey team and a rinkside analyst for the Boston Bruins on NESN.
By: Andrew LeBlanc
