Getty BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 06: Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins tosses a puck to a referee during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden on April 06, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Tuukka Rask’s girlfriend is Jasmiina Nikkila. The Boston Bruins goaltender has been dating Nikkila for several years but the two have not yet taken the next step in their relationship. While the two aren’t engaged, they do have children together.
Very little is known about Nikkila, who does an excellent job staying out of the public eye. Although she is dating one of Boston’s most popular athletes, Nikkila doesn’t share much about her life with him. In fact, she doesn’t appear to have any public-facing social media accounts. Both a Facebook and Instagram account that appear to belong to her are private.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. She Keeps a Low Profile
Nikkila is an extremely private person and doesn’t put her private life on the internet for the world to see. This isn’t all that uncommon when it comes to hockey WAGs, however, so Nikkila is in good company.
Nikkila doesn’t have any public-facing social media accounts. There is a Facebook account under her name that has a photo of her and Rask, but it looks like she only shares information with her Facebook connections. Same goes for her Instagram account — everything is private.
Because there is so little information available about Nikkila on the internet, it’s unknown if she went to college or if she has a career. It is believed, however, that she is a stay-at-home mom.
She and Rask call Boston home during the hockey season but often travel back to their native Finland, especially in the offseason.
2. She Has a Daughter With Rask & She Had Another Baby in 2016
Nikkila and Rask became parents back in 2014. According to ESPN, the couple welcomed a baby girl during Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series. Nikkila’s due date was on a Friday and Rask was prepared to leave practice to head to the hospital.
“During the Bruins’ practice on Friday, Rask was on the ice, and a Massachusetts state trooper was on hand at Ristuccia Arena, perhaps to give Rask an escort to the hospital if needed,” ESPN reported. Nikkila didn’t go into labor until the weekend. The couple named the baby Vivien.
Over the years, there have been rumors that Nikkila and Rask welcomed another baby, but the birth has never been confirmed. As you can see in the photo above, however, Nikkila and Rask did a dreamy maternity photoshoot in Boston’s public gardens before welcoming baby No. 2.
3. She Has Been Spotted at Various Charity Events With Rask in Boston
While you may not see Nikkila posting about her private life on Instagram, she is said to be very involved within the community and has been spotted at various charity events in Boston. She is often by her boyfriend’s side whenever there’s a fundraiser or other event that he’s involved in.
Nikkila is said to be friends with other hockey WAGs. In fact, she was photographed with the other Bruins ladies, all wearing custom-made jackets, for a recent playoff game. You can see the photo above.
4. She’s From Finland & Has Been Dating Rask for Several Years
Congratulations to Tuukka Rask and his girlfriend on their new baby girl. #TuukkaTime http://t.co/ZxPR9uwoXP
Nikkila is from Tampere, Finland. Tampere is in southern Finland, situated between Näsijärvi Lake and Pyhäjärvi Lake. Nikkila is said to speak English fluently but she has a strong Finnish accent.
Rask is also from Finland. He was born in Savonlinna and started his hockey career playing for his hometown club SaPKo. He later went on to play in Tampere. Rask was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. It is believed that Nikkila moved to the United States with him. Before the start of the regular season, Rask was traded to the Bruins, where he has played for the past decade.
Rumor has it that Nikkila and Rask have been together since their high school days.
5. Rask Took a Leave of Absence Earlier in the Season to Make Things Right With His Family
Earlier this season, Rask took some time away from the Bruins to address a personal matter. Rask has not opened up about what happened but he did say that the issue was resolved after a 3-day break from his team.
“First and foremost I want to thank all the people that sent me messages, that contacted me and that supported me. Second I’d like to thank the Boston Bruins for giving me some time off to be with my family. I’ve never been more proud to be a part of this family with the Boston Bruins. We talk about it a lot that it’s a family and we take care of each other when times are tough,” Rask said after making his return.
“That being said, I have a job and my job is to be a hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins. I also have another job title and that’s a family man. This was a time that deep inside my heart I felt like I needed to take this time with my family and make things right so I could be back here and focus on my job. That took three days. I’m back here. I’m back to work and I’m ready to battle with these guys. At the end of the day, I realized that the hockey career is a very short career, and your life afterward is a lot longer after that. I got the privacy and time I needed, and now I’m ready to move on,” he added.
Without giving away any additional details, Rask did say that he needed to step away for the sake of his family.
“I’m not going to make excuses that I played good games or bad games because of my personal life. This was just a time where I needed to take some time for my family’s future and I’m glad that I did,” he said.