FOXBORO — Although he was seeing ice time in his first year in Black and Gold during the 2009-10 season, Tuukka Rask had to wait his turn as Claude Julien tabbed Tim Thomas to start at the Winter Classic. Six years later, he will get the nod at Gillette Stadium against the Bruins’ biggest rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, on New Year’s Day.

Tuukka enjoyed every bit of the 2010 experience at Fenway Park as the Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime in a game for the ages. Now, Rask can experience it first hand as the B’s and Habs face off for a pivotal Atlantic Division matchup in front of over 68,000 fans at the home of the New England Patriots.

Rask’s road to the Winter Classic has been well documented on the ice and in front of the cameras. From his red-hot play over the last 13 games where he’s gone 9-2-2 to showcasing his daughter and his family side in Episode 3 on the Road to the Winter Classic, the Finnish goalie is showing his competitive side on the ice and his humbleness off of it.

Now that the Winter Classic is less than 24 hours away, Rask is all business as he hopes to help the Black and Gold, who are without two of their leading scorers in Brad Marchand (suspension) and David Krejci (upper body injury), to a crucial two points.

“It’s definitely fun. I’ve got to be more focused than last time, actually playing hockey,” Rask said following the Bruins’ practice at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. “But at the end of the day it’s the same game, and you just try to stay focused on what you need to do out there to be successful. But it’s something that might come once in your career. Personally, I’ve got to make the most of it.”

On Thursday, Rask showcased his Winter Classic mask as the Bruins made their final preparations before taking part in what will be the largest attended outdoor hockey game in New England. This is something Rask has not done often, but for this occasion, he made an exception.

#NHLBruins #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/fx28xmM6EO

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 2015

“Yeah, it came out nice. Our trainer, Matt Falconer, designed it. He just had to approve it by me and a couple of Patriots players who are in it. But, yeah, we wanted to pay tribute to their success and some of their players and make the biggest part of the mask about the Pats, I guess, with the Bruins colors,” Rask said about the mask. “So I’m pretty happy with the result, and it’s been a secret for months now, and now you guys see it.”

“It’s a special event so we wanted to do something special, kind of a souvenir or memory you can keep for yourself after,” Rask added about the decision to change his goalie mask for the event. “The reason I don’t change them often is just because I like the mask I have. That’s about it. But definitely in an occasion like this, you want something special.”

The last time the two teams met in Montreal, Rask stood on his head as he made 32 saves on the night — 25 in the first and second periods — and sparked the Bruins in their come from behind win at the Bell Centre.

As usual, Rask’s importance will be critical for the Bruins on a nightly basis. With the Canadiens getting a returning Brendan Gallagher from injury, the Black and Gold could use another stellar performance from Rask as well as contributions from the other 18 skaters on New Year’s Day.