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Tim Thomas News & Rumors

Taking stock of Bruins between the pipes
May 2
Boston Herald
 
"The Bruins' goaltending was quite good this season. It was not, however, great, which was the standard Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask had set in recent years. A year ago, Thomas delivered arguably the finest season in goal in hockey history. Of all the goaltending statistics, the most revealing is save percentage, and Thomas' .938 set an NHL record. (St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott broke that mark with his .940 this season but really was a part-time player, not even the busiest goalie on his team. He played 38 games and faced 972 shots. Thomas last year played 57 games and dealt with 1,811 shots.)"
Add Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas to talk about options for Tampa Bay Lightning
April 29
St. Petersburg Times
 
"As if there wasn't enough intrigue around the Lightning's search for a No. 1 goaltender, one more name might be in the mix: Boston's Tim Thomas. There is no indication this is the way Tampa Bay wants to go, and no indication (other than sketchy reports out of Boston) the Bruins want to trade Thomas, the 2010-11 Vezina Trophy winner with one year left on his contract. But practical arguments can be made both ways. The Lightning might see Thomas as a short-term fix while waiting for permanent options after next season. And the Bruins, with Tuukka Rask waiting to start, could get something for Thomas before his contract expires. Clearly, Tampa Bay would rather find a long-term solution this"
Thomas never saw it coming
April 26
Boston Globe
 
"Tim Thomas never even saw the goal that ended the Bruins' season. He was locked in on Mike Knuble from the moment the puck hit the Capitals' forward in the shinpads and he started rushing toward the net trying to sneak in a scoring opportunity as Boston made a line change. Knuble had Joel Ward with him on his right side, but he had no intentions of passing it. "I was going right to the crease with that one,'' Knuble said. Thomas was waiting for him, sizing him up. "He had himself in a position - he's a big strong guy - to where it looked like he knew he could cut across the net or he could go both ways, so I had to play him straight up,'' Thomas said."
Tim Thomas rides high road after crease crunch
April 26
Boston Herald
 
"Why do they bother having a crease in the NHL if it doesn't really exist? That was the first thought that came to mind after Joel Ward knocked home the rebound of a Mike Knuble shot 2:57 into overtime last night to knock the Bruins [team stats] out of the playoffs. Ward managed to do this an instant after Knuble knocked Tim Thomas halfway through the crease, burying Thomas' head in his waist and behind his right arm as he stood spread-eagle in the crease in front of him. By the time Thomas freed his head from Knuble's side and peeked around him, the puck was behind him and so were the Washington Capitals, who advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals by eliminating the defending"
Saving best for last?
April 25
Boston Globe
 
"In a lot of ways, the euphoric alls and the cruel nothings of Game 7s are all Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has ever known. He had to have his heart shattered first. After a 5-0 loss to Montreal in Game 7 of the first round in 2008, it had to be in a million pieces. When he swallowed the bitter pill that was a 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in the second round in 2009, it could only feel worse. Carolina goaltender Cam Ward told Thomas he had his vote for the Vezina Trophy. Thomas told him to win the Conn Smythe. But in his heart, Thomas wished it were the other way around. When the success came, it came in one giant rush last season, a run that led to the Stanley Cup."
David Krejci line, Tim Thomas seem back on track
April 25
Boston Herald
 
"David Krejci has lived through lots of Game 7 situations. He's been on both ends of blowouts. Same goes for nail-biters. An injured Krejci even had to sit and watch helplessly as his Bruins suffered one of the most ignominious losses in franchise history two years ago. But all that matters about Game 7 was boiled down to two things by Krejci yesterday after what could have been the Bruins' last practice of the year at Ristuccia Arena. "It's fun when you win," Krejci said, "and it sucks when you lose." By about 10:30 tonight (or perhaps a little later, given how this series has gone), the B's emotions will be on one end of the spectrum or the other, their final game against the Washington"
Tim Thomas finds groove again
April 23
Boston Herald
 
"Tim Thomas stood in the home locker room at the Garden on Saturday and asked to shoulder the blame for the one-goal loss that pushed the Bruins to the brink of elimination against the Washington Capitals. A day later, the goalie met the media in the visitors locker room in Verizon Center, eager to credit his teammates for the 4-3 overtime Game 6 win. In truth, Thomas' quick return to form stands as a major reason the B's bid for a Stanley Cup repeat remains alive with a deciding Game 7 coming Wednesday at the Garden. After Saturday's late lapse, the goalie came up with 36 saves on 39 shots, including several highlight-reel stops, in the team's second overtime win of the series. "I pride"
Tim Thomas cracks under third-period pressure
April 22
Boston Herald
 
"When the Bruins scored two goals in a 28-second span late in the second period yesterday, the tide seemed to have turned in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals. The score was tied, the Bruins owned the momentum and Capitals goalie Braden Holtby seemed to have his confidence shaken. As a rocking Garden crowd bellowed a mocking "Holt-by" chant, the 22-year-old appeared to be on the ropes. But in the third period, it was Bruins goalie Tim Thomas who cracked. Thomas allowed a pair of goals unbefitting the defending Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the Bruins lost 4-3. The first goal came just 3:21 seconds into the third period when Thomas kicked a rebound"
Thomas is proving it in new way
April 14
Boston Herald
 
"Proving people wrong has been the story of Tim Thomas' career. Again and again, people said he couldn't do something — and again and again, he proved he could. So if ever there was a sponsorship opportunity perfectly suited to an athlete, it was Thomas and his involvement with Prove People Wrong (PPW), a company created by four Boston-area high school hockey teammates a couple of years back. As with slogans like, "No Fear," "Just Do It," and "Life Is Good," PPW expresses a big idea with very few words. Thomas distributed PPW T-shirts to his teammates yesterday, and the message resonates within the B's dressing room. People are saying how difficult it will be for the team to win a second"
Tim Thomas poised at all points
April 13
Boston Herald
 
"The biggest test Tim Thomas faced much of last night wasn't Alex Ovechkin. It was staying awake. For two periods, the Bruins goaltender didn't see enough rubber to make a bicycle tire, facing only seven shots and repelling them with relative ease. To the uninitiated this might seem an ideal scenario, to be facing a Washington Capitals team seemingly so fixated on defense that they forgot you can't win 0-0. But a 38-year-old, two-time Vezina Trophy winner understands this is not a circumstance likely to continue for long."
Chara, Thomas, Bergeron will rest; no news on Boychuk
April 4
Boston Globe
 
"The Bruins had no news about the injury to Johnny Boychuk's left leg after practice at Wilmington, but the rugged defenseman is expected to be reevaluated later today. Boychuk slammed his left leg into Pittsburgh's Aaron Asram during the Bruins' 5-3 loss Tuesday night and had to be helped off the ice by his teammates. After a full practice, the B's left immediately for Ottawa and the penultimate game of the season Thursday against the team likely to be their first-round playoff opponent. Left behind along with Boychuk were three stalwarts: goalie Tim Thomas, defenseman Zdeno Chara, and forward Patrice Bergeron, all told to take a rest day. Goalies Marty Turco and Antonin Khudobin made the"
Tim Thomas takes a break
April 4
Boston Herald
 
"For the first time in memory, a healthy Tim Thomas was not in uniform for the Bruins, who were defeated, 5-3, by the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. With the B's locked into the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, coach Claude Julien took the opportunity to give his 37-year-old goalie — the obvious key to the upcoming playoffs — a true night off. Marty Turco made his fourth and maybe last start for the Bruins in place of Thomas, allowing five goals on 27 shots. Anton Khudobin was the backup goalie. "We're going to give him some rest," Julien said of Thomas, who appeared in 18 of the previous 20 games. "He's done a great job for us down the stretch and this is an opportunity to"
Tim Thomas finally loses a shootout
March 30
Boston Herald
 
"The essential dichotomy of the NHL shootout has been expressed innumerable times — well, probably by someone after almost every one of them. They're a wonderful innovation in the game when you win them, and simply terrible when you don't. The Bruins have very much supported that former assessment most of this season. Indeed, their 8-2 record in shootouts before last night had been crucial in helping the B's reach and remain at the top of the Northeast Division. But shootouts giveth and they taketh away, and last night at the Garden the shootout was a terrible thing for the Bruins."
Hoping stop is a start
March 18
Boston Globe
 
"The fans, 17,565 of them, were on their feet, cheering and clapping. But the Bruins bench was still while Saturday's game against the Flyers - one coach Claude Julien said the Bruins needed to win - lay in the hands of a goaltender who had a 5.70 goals-against average over his last four games. Tim Thomas crouched into position, still trying to decide which type of goalie he wanted to be, as Flyers forward Danny Briere skated toward him in the game's final shootout attempt. Earlier in the game, Thomas had turned away Jaromir Jagr on a breakaway by displaying his patient side - not jumping at any of Jagr's moves and forcing the veteran to fire a weak wrister. However, in two attempts during"
Tim Thomas' adjustment saves day
March 18
Boston Herald
 
"Bruins goalie Tim Thomas saw the error of passive resistance during yesterday's shootout against the Flyers. Thomas made 25 saves in regulation, including a breakaway stop against Jaromir Jagr at 14:21 of the first period. He followed with two saves in overtime, then tried to put together a game plan for the shootout. "I was actually too focused on trying to figure out what my approach was going to be," Thomas said after the B's much-needed 3-2 victory at the Garden. "I played Jagr a certain way on the breakaway during the game, so my plan going into the shootout was to play the other guys like that. "But, that didn't work.""
Tim Thomas: Team tired of bad bounces
March 16
Boston Herald
 
"Goalie Tim Thomas was the first Bruins player to admit publicly: The B's are simply a tired team, and that's a big reason their play seems to be going from bad to worse. "It has a lot to do with it, yes it does. You can see it in peoples' faces," said Thomas after last night's 6-2 loss to the Panthers left the Bruins with their first four-game losing streak this season. Like most of the B's recent opponents, Florida got some lucky goals via weird bounces. Bruins opponents have scored 21 goals in the last four games — putting the B's in jeopardy of losing the Northeast Division lead to Ottawa, and the home-ice advantage that goes with it."
Tim Thomas' time of need
March 9
Boston Herald
 
"It's not often that losing the backup goaltender to injury turns into a calamitous, gut-wrenching issue. But then, Tuukka Rask is no ordinary backup goaltender. Not merely a journeyman substitute, Rask is a star of the future who would be a star of the moment with the Bruins were it not for the fact Tim Thomas has chosen to launch a late-in-life run for the Hall of Fame. Plus, there is this: Rask probably was going to get a lot of time in the nets in these last weeks leading up to the Stanley Cup tournament, the idea being a rested Thomas would be better positioned to go off on another oh-my-God-how-did-he-make-that-save playoff run."
Thomas's workload increases in a flash
March 4
Boston Globe
 
"Forget about all the off-ice issues surrounding Tim Thomas. The only thing that should matter when it comes to the Bruins goaltender over the coming weeks - or months, depending on the seriousness of Tuukka Rask's injury - will be his performance on the ice. "[Rask] is becoming a good goaltender for us,'' coach Claude Julien said after yesterday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders, in which Rask was removed following a frightening injury when he made a sudden jerk trying to make a save. Rask left the ice at 9:01 of the second period without putting any weight on his left skate. "And,'' continued Julien, as if reminding everyone that there's a Vezina Trophy winner on the roster, "we know the other"
No reward for Tim Thomas
February 29
Boston Herald
 
"Tim Thomas didn't get a win last night, but he should have gotten a save, because he saved the Bruins from an avalanche of goals, even though they were playing Ottawa, not Colorado. After two periods of a painful and costly 1-0 loss at the Garden that allowed the Senators to close to within one point of the Northeast Division lead, Thomas had been hit with enough rubber to earn a pension from a B.F. Goodrich plant. He made 30 saves through 40 minutes, many of them acrobatic. That was twice the number of stops his teammates forced Ottawa's Robin Lehner to make during that span. That's not a formula for success."
Tim Thomas lulled to sleep by periods of inactivity
February 12
Boston Herald
 
"The attendance at the Garden yesterday was the now-customary 17,565, but for much of the matchup between the Bruins and Predators it might as well have been 17,566. Because down at one end of the ice, for most of the first half of the game, Tim Thomas was essentially a spectator — as the Bruins played most of the time in the Nashville end, piling up shots-on-goal advantages of 16-6 after one period and 24-7 midway through the game. The dominance didn't last all day. The Predators hung in gamely and ended up taking a third-period lead. But the B's prevailed in the end as Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored in the shootout, and Thomas stopped both Nashville shooters he faced. But if he"
Putting politics aside, Tim Thomas is not talking
February 10
Boston Herald
 
"In the wake of Tim Thomas' Facebook posting Wednesday in support of the Catholic Church's battle against the Obama administration over contraceptives, the goalie faced a new round of questions yesterday asking him to expound on his thoughts. Not surprisingly, Thomas, who refused his own team's repeated requests to attend the recent White House Stanley Cup function, dug in his heels and kept to the same robotic mantra after Wednesday's game in Buffalo."
Facebook posting dogs Tim Thomas
February 10
Boston Herald
 
"In the wake of Tim Thomas' Facebook posting yesterday in support of the Catholic church's battle against the Obama administration over contraceptives, the goalie faced a new round of reporters today who wanted him to expound on his thoughts. Not surprisingly, the goalie, who was able to deny his own team's repeated requests to attend the White House function with the rest of his teammates a couple of weeks ago, dug his heels in and kept to the same robotic mantra that he used when asked about it after last night's game in Buffalo. "It's my personal life that has absolutely nothing to do with the Bruins or hockey and I'm going to use my right to remain silent," said Thomas."
Bruins' Tim Thomas takes 'stand with Catholics' on Facebook
February 9
Boston Herald
 
"Bruins goalie Tim Thomas waded into political waters again yesterday, declaring on his Facebook page, "I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom." While he didn't say so explicitly, and he wasn't immediately available for further comment, the post could be in response to the Obama administration's directive that all insurance plans, including those offered by religious-affiliated schools and hospitals, provide women free access to contraceptives. The new policy has set off a firestorm of controversy among religious groups, especially Catholics, who say the requirement would force them to violate church teachings and long-held beliefs against contraception. Republican"
Halting end to Tim Thomas hot streak
February 5
Boston Herald
 
"Tim Thomas couldn't make up for the Bruins' scoring deficiencies in yesterday's 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Garden. The goalie had won his past three starts going into the game and looked sharp on 26 saves. But Thomas was beaten cleanly on two close-range shots by Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke. Thomas is 21-10-0 on the season with a 2.14 goals-against average. Malkin scored the first goal on a Chris Kunitz rebound during a power play with 8.1 seconds to play in the first period. Cooke scored the game-winning goal from a scrum in front of the Bruins cage at 1:53 of the third."
Tim Thomas gets a welcome back from the fans
February 1
Boston Herald
 
"Given how understanding sports fans usually are of their heroes, it seemed more than likely that Tim Thomas would be welcomed back by TD Garden fans last night after the B's goalie chose to boycott the Stanley Cup champions' recent visit to the White House because of his problems with the federal government. And for Thomas, it was nice to know for sure. Playing in his first game since his decision, Thomas received his usual strong ovation from the faithful."
Tim Thomas lets play do talking in All-Star triumph
January 30
Boston Herald
 
"A week ago, Tim Thomas pushed his way onto the front pages of newspapers. Yesterday, he was back grabbing the back-page headlines. Six days after causing quite a stir for skipping the Bruins' White House visit because of his issues with the federal government, Tim Thomas returned to doing what he does best — stopping pucks. Thomas added to his record with his fourth straight All-Star Game win in goal after stopping 18-of-21 shots in Team Chara's 12-9 victory over the Team Alfredsson at Scotiabank Place."
Bruins goalie Tim Thomas lights political fire but can't stand heat
January 29
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Drew Sharp
"Tim Thomas took the easy route. The Boston Bruins' goalie and Flint native could have stood tall on his stand of individual rights if he exercised the all-important addendum to those rights -- personal accountability. But instead of accepting criticism for his boycott of the team's official White House celebration of their Stanley Cup championship as a consequence of free political expression, Thomas picked a convenient target. He blamed the media. How clichéd! It probably took him all of 3 seconds to figure out that defensive strategy. "I think it's all media-driven now," Thomas told reporters Friday at NHL All-Star weekend in Ottawa. "It has been from the start. Everything I said then"
Tim Thomas weary of snub hub
January 28
Boston Herald
 
"Day 5 of the Tim Thomas controversy rolled on here at All-Star weekend as the players met the press at the Ottawa Westin, and it's clear the Bruins goalie is ready for the whole brouhaha to go away. "I think it should. Why? Because it's all media-driven right now, and it has been from the start," Thomas said yesterday. "Everything I said and did was as an individual and not as a representative of the Boston Bruins. All it has to do with is me. It's separate from hockey. That's my personal life. Those are my personal views. Those are my personal beliefs, It has nothing to do with hockey. It has nothing to do with the All-Star Game. It has nothing to do with the Boston Bruins." Thomas"
Zdeno Chara finds Tim Thomas to his liking
January 27
Boston Herald
 
"Bruins captain Zdeno Chara gave his strategy prior to last night's NHL Fantasy Draft, saying you don't want to load up on too many players of the same position. "You don't want to have, say, too many right wingers," said Chara. That, of course, gave the wiseguys in the press a wide opening. "So, Zdeno, if you don't want to take too many right wingers," asked Dave Shoalts of the Toronto Globe and Mail, "does that mean you won't be taking Tim Thomas?""
Tim Thomas act could push Bruins to react
January 27
Boston Herald
 
"Could Tim Thomas' political protest end up costing him his spot on the Bruins? Even before Thomas' ill-advised stunt, the possibility existed that Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli might face a difficult and profoundly important decision this summer on the netminder, who turns 38 this April and has just one year remaining on his contract. Thomas' decision to snub the White House and then release an anti-big government manifesto was an embarrassment for the team and no doubt angered the front office and ownership greatly."
Certainly there's an 'I' in Tim
January 25
Boston Herald
 columnist Ron Borges
"One of the great things about America is that millions of people sacrificed their lives so someone like Tim Thomas can make a hypocritical ass of himself. The Bruins' constitutional law expert managed to do this simply by doing nothing, which is what a lot of his kind of "patriots'' do these days. Thomas chose not to show up with his teammates at a White House reception Monday hosted by President Barack Obama to honor the team's Stanley Cup victory. It caused a predictable firestorm of protest or support depending on your politics. The inaction of a guy who stops frozen rubber for a living thus became an issue of local and national debate."
Silence is now golden
January 25
Boston Herald
 
"Before last night's game against the Capitals, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas stuck to his online pledge Monday not to say anything more about his no-show at the White House and subsequent political statement. Thomas took part in the B's morning skate but did not speak to reporters afterward. He dressed as backup to Tuukka Rask last night. According to team officials, Thomas does not intend to speak again about what occurred. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli also was not eager to address the matter at length. "I don't have any further comment," said Chiarelli as he watched the B's morning practice. "I'll stand by the statement made by Cam (Neely, the team president). Tim has his beliefs."
Experts say Tim Thomas will shrug off prez slight
January 25
Boston Herald
 
"Bruins goalie Tim Thomas' White House boycott is a minor infraction that won't land him long in the penalty box of public opinion, local marketing and public relations experts told the Herald yesterday. Thomas should be able to easily brush aside criticism for not visiting the White House with his 2011 Stanley Cup Championship team on Monday thanks to his winning career in the crease, said Chris Cakebread, a sports marketing expert and advertising professor at Boston University. "He's a great example of someone who came out of the ashes to raise himself to become the best goalie in the National Hockey League," he said. "That's the story that will endure much longer than his slight of the"
Doubting Tim Thomas stays true to beliefs
January 25
Boston Herald
 columnist Joe Fitzgerald
"The guessing here is that every cop in Cambridge is now a Tim Thomas fan, for in snubbing Barack Obama, refusing to be used as a prop by the latter, the B's Stanley Cup stalwart redefined what it means to be a stand-up goalie. When our shoot-from-the-hip commander in chief impetuously maligned Cambridge police for having "acted stupidly" in arresting Harvard's mouthy Henry Louis Gates Jr., the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley, didn't have the option of telling Obama, "No, thanks!" when summoned to the Rose Garden for a manipulative photo opportunity with the president and the professor."
Tim Thomas, go to the penalty box
January 24
Boston Herald
 columnist Margery Eagan
"Two words: embarrassing and classless. That describes Tim Thomas' hollow refusal to join his Bruins teammates at the White House yesterday to be honored by President Obama. The only thing I knew about Thomas until yesterday had to do with phenomenal hockey playing. Here's what I suspect today: He's a spoiled brat. It was just as bratty, embarrassing and classless, by the way, when James Harrison, a linebacker from the Pittsburgh Steelers, blew off George W. Bush in 2006 — and Obama in 2009. And when Dan Hampton, an NFL Hall of Famer, blew off Obama, too. Ditto when Green Bay's Mark Chmura, a Boston College graduate, refused to meet the immoral Bill Clinton."
Tim Thomas told: 'Stick to hockey'
January 24
Boston Herald
 
"Boston Bruins all-world netminder Tim Thomas ignited a political firestorm — and drew a barrage of verbal slapshots from furious Democrats — when he brazenly snubbed President Obama by skipping the team's Stanley Cup garden party at the White House yesterday. "My advice to him is to stick to hockey," said Phil Johnston, a top state Democrat who served under President Clinton. "I think Bruins players are taken seriously for their hockey, not for their politics." Thomas was the only member of the 2011 champs to skip yesterday's ceremony honoring the team for its first Cup since 1972. In a posting on his Facebook page last night, Thomas wrote: "I believe the Federal government has grown out"
B's Thomas a no-show at White House
January 23
Boston Herald
 
"Goalie Tim Thomas the Bruins' lone American player to get his name on the 2011 Stanley Cup, was a highly prominent no-show today as his team visited the White House. At 6 p.m., Thomas posted the following explanation on his Facebook page: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. "This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government."
No doubts for Tim Thomas
January 13
Boston Herald
 
"Tim Thomas, like the Bruins as a whole, doesn't have many easy nights against the Montreal Canadiens. Even in the midst of the remarkable off-ice turmoil that threatens to wreck their season, the Habs once again made the B's work hard to get two points last night at the Garden. But this was a night on which Thomas was feeling it — so confident, in fact, that as the game went on, he was sure he wasn't going to allow any goals. As it was, he yielded just one, and that was enough for the Bruins to eke out a 2-1 victory over their longtime playpals."
Thomas bites tongue
January 1
Boston Herald
 
"You had to do a little bit of reading between the lines, but it sure sounded as though Tim Thomas was not happy he went 11 days between starts before last night's 4-2 loss to the Stars. He was asked if he felt rusty at all — especially since the Stars had an early, lengthy 5-on-3 power play, and went on to score three times in the first period. "I'm not really going to speculate on that," Thomas said. "It really doesn't matter. I just play when I'm told to play and be as ready as I can. I didn't get the result I wanted; neither did the whole team."
Thomas, Rask: Pucks stop here
December 31
Boston Globe
 
"When Tim Thomas leads his teammates onto the ice tonight at American Airlines Center, it will have been 12 days since he last stopped a puck in game action. Not a bad rest for the NHL's top goalie. The schedule - just four games since Dec. 19, with a three-day holiday break built in - has allowed the 37-year-old to enjoy his longest breather of the season. But Thomas's partner has been just as significant a reason the No. 1 goalie has watched two of his team's last three wins. Most of the league's elite goalies must assume the vast majority of their clubs' starts. Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Quick, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Pekka Rinne each have appeared in 30 or more games. Because of the gulf"
Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas shine on
December 21
Boston Herald
 
"It was suggested to Andrew Ference the other day that Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara, playing as well as they ever have, are perhaps on their way to once more winning their respective NHL trophies. "Which trophy?" said Ference with a mischievous smile. "Conn Smythe?" Well, first things first. On the playoff MVP, we'll have to wait and see. But when it comes to the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender and the Norris as the best defenseman, Thomas and Chara approach Christmas as the respective front-runners."
More of the same as Thomas dominates Senators
December 15
Ottawa Citizen
 
"Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson and his teammates tried to change their history against the Boston Bruins with a nod to the team's past on Wednesday, but Boston Bruins netminder Tim Thomas was having none of it. The throwback sweaters and Anderson's heritage-inspired mask amounted to background noise in the Bruins 5-2 win. Thomas was his same old stingy self, stopping 47 shots and improving his career record against the Senators to 21-8-2. "I'm 12-1 in my last 13, I don't think it's this building," said Thomas, when asked about his success at Scotiabank Place. "It's not Ottawa, it's not Canada. I get asked this a lot. This team is finding ways to win right now, whether we're"
Offense leaves post, pipes Tim Thomas
December 9
Boston Herald
 
"Back when he tended net for the Bruins, Andy Moog, speaking for the goalie fraternity, addressed the topic of shots that struck posts. "You guys in the media say he hit the post," Moog said. "We say he missed the net." Tim Thomas probably had a less kindly view of posts last night, after he watched his Bruins teammates clang, depending on who you asked, four, five or six shots off the iron. Had any of these bids gone in, the B's likely would have left the Garden with a win against the Florida Panthers."
Thomas too tough: Penguins lose as Boston kills off two 5-on-3s
December 6
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The NHL's Board of Governors agreed on a realignment plan for the 2012-13 season Monday night, and the news wasn't good for the Penguins. Or for 28 other NHL teams, for that matter. Because when the Governors finally agreed on a four-conference set-up, Boston still was part of it. And that doesn't bode well for any other team in the league. Not if they're hoping tog make a run at a Stanley Cup in the spring, anyway. The Bruins, who are on a 14-0-1 run, beat the Penguins, 3-1, Monday night at Consol Energy Center, with perhaps the most efficient, opportunistic effort the Penguins have faced this season. "That's a very good hockey team," Penguins winger Steve Sullivan said. "They do most"
Tim Thomas the blank engine
November 20
Boston Herald
 
"Tim Thomas could get 100 career shutouts, and it's doubtful many would be easier than last night's 6-0 blanking of the unimpressive New York Islanders. The Bruins goalie stopped 23 shots for his second shutout of the season and 28th of his career. This one was effectively over after a period, with the B's up 3-0. The Isles didn't exactly mount any spirited comeback, and it's not unreasonable to speculate how secure coach Jack Capuano's job is. Still, a shutout is a shutout. A good thing."
Mutual goal
October 6
Boston Globe
 
"Tim Thomas, by virtue of the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophies he grabbed last year, has earned the right to start tomorrow's season opener for the Bruins against Philadelphia. Tuukka Rask could be in net Saturday against Tampa Bay. After that, it's anyone's guess. Counting the regular season and playoffs, Thomas appeared in 82 games last year. He is 37 years old. He plays an athletic style - the "battlefly,'' his teammates have dubbed it - that can wear on bones and muscles."
Tim Thomas sees Sox in B's place
September 30
Boston Herald
 
"Like so many New Englanders, Tim Thomas went to bed Wednesday night believing the Red Sox were all set for a spot in the playoffs. "About the second inning, I was like, 'Oh, yeah, this is a big game,'?" said Thomas yesterday. "I looked on the Internet and saw the Sox were up 2-0 and Tampa Bay was down 5-0 to the Yankees. I figured the worst that could happen is there'd be a playoff game, so I let the kids steal the TV and then I forgot all about it. "I didn't learn about it until I was riding in (yesterday) morning. I still didn't understand how it happened.""
In Thomas, ultimate defense
September 18
Boston Globe
 
"If anybody requires further explanation why the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last season, phone calls and e-mails are being accepted at the Montreal, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, and Vancouver offices. There, where so-called snipers are still shaking their heads about Tim Thomas's heroics, the answer will be provided with the appropriate level of stick-snapping frustration. Goaltending. There is a reason why yesterday, during the first on-ice sessions of training camp at TD Garden, the loudest cheer rang for the man wearing the white mask. Thomas was the primary reason the Bruins ran the table. Thomas will once again be the most important player once the club kicks off its Cup defense."
Tim Thomas picture perfect
September 18
Boston Herald
 
"Long one of the most media-savvy of the Stanley Cup champion Bruins, Tim Thomas was reminded in June of the damage a few ill-chosen public comments can inflict. Recall the knuckleheaded remarks by Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo five games into the Stanley Cup title series, when he whined about Thomas, "I have been pumping his tires ever since the series started. I haven't heard one nice thing he had to say about me." You think maybe Luongo & Co. didn't exactly have the right sort of mental focus during that series? Anyway, here we are three months later, after the first full B's practice of the new season yesterday at the Garden, and Thomas, as usual, was choosing his words"