Former Bruins Tim Thomas

[Alicat]

Congrats Timmy!!!!

 

[Boston Bruno]

One of my absolute favorites, transcending the norms.
Right up their with Jacques Cousteau,
Neil Armstrong and Jim Perry.

Helped end the pain, and kicked ass while he did it. And ward totally interferes in game 7..

 

[member 96824]

Well deserved.

Also sounds like he has his shit together and is living a life fulfilled well beyond a simple game. Happy to hear that too.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I still love him. If a player isn't doing illegal things then what they are or who they are means nothing if they play well.

I don't care what players do off the ice. You show up, you play well, get paid and have your opinions and live your life.

 

[Glove Malfunction]

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/27537581/hofer-thomas-breaks-silence-fine-seclusion

Anxiety can be debilitating, so good for him for living life on his own terms. One of my favorite Bruins ever, so I'd love for him to wave a banner during next year's playoffs, but I just don't see it happening. Sounds like he has moved on from hockey.

 

[Ratty]

Love Timmy for all he did for this franchise. He will always be a legend in Bruins folklore.

 

[PB37]

Well deserved.

Thank you Mr Thomas for all the great memories, moments, and of course, the Cup.

 

[Over the volcano]

Love it. Should be a movie of his life - one heck of a story.

 

[DaStinger]

Thanks for the cup Timmy, we will never forget!

 

[Terrier]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tim during his days in Boston(and in Burlington) and he was great in the couple of occasions that I met him. I just wish he had gone to the White House for the sake of being with his teammates. Other than that, the Tim Thomas hockey odyssey was quite stellar.

 

[kdog82]

Absolute Legend!

 

[Kalus]

He touched on his anxiety and you could hear it in his voice. Maybe all the jokes about him being a prepper living in a bomb shelter are insensitive.

The man was an inspiration in never giving up on your dreams. He believed in himself and worked exteemely hard to achieve absolute success.

 

[BruinsBtn]

He doesn't sound healthy.

 

[Krupp]

Congratulations to the guy! To this day, when I think of some of the better moments of my time this past decade watching hockey, I can't not hear the words "SAVED BY THOMAS!" thundering in my ears! haha

 

[CamFan81]

One of the best. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and gave it everything he had night in and night out. I'm not sure i'll ever get to see a performance in the playoffs like his in 2011 on any team, let alone for the Bruins.

Of course his hit on Henrik Sedin, and going after Burrows will live forever. But i still remember Thomas taking out Andrei Kostitsyn after a dirty hit on Aaron Ward in 2009 and loving him then.

One of my fav Bruins all time.

 

[Flannelman]

No different sentiments than many of you. Loved this mans performance and what he helped the team achieve. Glad her got the nod.

 

[Otherworld]

This man was an inspiration and was the main reason I got to watch the Bruins lift the Stanley Cup. He will always hold a special place in Bruins history for me.

Congrats Tim Thomas!

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

In my lifetime of being a fan, there has not been a guy more fun to root for.

Congratulations to him and I do hope (perhaps rather selfishly) that he pops up at a Bruins game in the future and gets one last standing ovation from the Boston crowd.

 

[SPB2776]

As everyone here has mentioned, what Thomas did in his relatively short NHL career is amazing. The true picture of perseverance and a true battler. He was his own man then and it sounds as though he still is. That cup will always have his fingerprints all over it.

 

[ranold26]

He touched on his anxiety and you could hear it in his voice. Maybe all the jokes about him being a prepper living in a bomb shelter are insensitive.

The man was an inspiration in never giving up on your dreams. He believed in himself and worked exteemely hard to achieve absolute success.

This.

 

[Ladyfan]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tim during his days in Boston(and in Burlington) and he was great in the couple of occasions that I met him. I just wish he had gone to the White House for the sake of being with his teammates. Other than that, the Tim Thomas hockey odyssey was quite stellar.

A little boy was sitting front of us after the "not visiting the WH" incident. Timmy was backup that day so he was sitting next to us. The little boy's Dad asked if he thought it would be OK for his son to hold up a sign for Timmy....It said "LUNCH AT THE WHITE HOUSE IS FOR BASEBALL PLAYERS" Timmy smiled at the little guy and knocked on the glass wit his blocker.

 

[LouJersey]

A wonderful parting gift from Mike O’connell and thank God not only Peter Chiarelli thought he was done in the summer of 2010. He’s rise to cup champion should really be a movie, but even in Hollywood it would have sounded far fetched.

 

[Aeroforce]

Tim Thomas is my all-time favorite Bruin; his accomplishments and story are borderline unbelievable. Journeyman goalie who was constantly overlooked in favor of others the 'experts' believed had more upside, who led Original Six team to its first Cup in 39 years.

As strange as it sounds, I think his Cup victory often gets undermined. Keep in mind I don't live in Boston, a city that has won an unprecedented number of titles the past two decades. I live in a town (Houston) that has more great athletes and great guys but no titles, than you can count - Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Yao Ming, James Harden, etc. All close but no cigar.

Without Thomas' heroic performance in 2011, his story would still make a great movie - a Lifetime movie akin to John Scott's. But the Cup changes everything, especially since like the Conn Smythe voters, we know the Cup isn't won without Thomas.

I have too many great memories of Thomas to list, but the first that comes to mind is actually not a particular save. It's his demeanor during the warm-ups in Vancouver for Game 7. He was just basking in the unbelievable atmosphere. He believed he had God on his side and he moved that mountain.

 

[Tmac37]

Was in attendance for his save on Gionta in Game 5 2OT....still get chills when I see replays of it.

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

Love it. Should be a movie of his life - one heck of a story.

I come in peace, to serve the knowledge-base.

Further to the quoted point, above, I remand the following bravura post from the History Board:

Tim Thomas Career Retrospective by tarheelhockey