VARITEK AWARD FOR MOST OVERRATED PLAYER OF THE YEAR

This goes to the Boston athlete that was praised just a bit too much. Maybe they were good, but folks here thought they were all-time great. Here are the nominees:

Ray Allen - G, Boston Celtics
Daniel Bard - RP, Boston Red Sox
Jonathan Papelbon - RP, Boston Red Sox
Tuukka Rask - G, Boston Bruins

And the "winner" is...

Tuukka Rask.



It was amazing how some Bruins fans turned on Vezina winner Tim Thomas, and how quickly they crowned Tuukka Rask as the Norse god of goaltending. While Rask clearly outplayed Thomas last season, and earned his spot in net for the 2010 playoffs, he failed to come through in the post-season.

If Bruins fans, and the Bruins front office had their way, Thomas would have been traded in the off-season, with Rask cemented as the #1 goalie. In retrospect, that might have been one of the most painful things to happen to Bruins fans, and that's saying something.