Rocket:
It’s not a game day for the Canadiens, so I had one eye on the division rival Boston Bruins and their game versus St. Louis. I wasn’t too hopeful for the Bruins opponent today. The Blues are last in the West, and don’t often win on the road. St. Louis had lost 9 of the past 10 road games. The Bruins rarely lose at home.
So, when the Bruins took a two goal lead with 3 minutes left against the team that is 26th overall in the league, it was over. Right? Well, I’m sure that you know the story by now.
St. Louis scored a power-play goal with just over a minute left and then David Backes tied the game with 0.8 seconds left. TJ Oshie (now, there’s a sniper!) and Brad Boyes scored in the shootout to give the Blues an upset win!
I visited one of the blog sites of our Bruin friends to read their reaction to the game. One commenter wrote that the problem did not lie with the offense nor the defense. The inference was that the Bruins have a problem in goal. Bingo!
Tim Thomas stats were not pretty today: 3.69 GAA .871 SV%. In addition, he did not look good during the shootout. Do the Bruin fans feel comfortable going to the playoffs with a team led by Tim Thomas in goal?
There is no doubt that Thomas is riding wave of confidence mainly provided by a defense-first system mandated by Claude Julien. But at some point the fairy tale has to end. Can a goalie who relies on acrobatics as a substitute for a lack of technique continue this charade all season?
Will we see the real Tim Thomas, the ‘man behind the curtain’ at some point?
“The Great Oz has spoken. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain….the…Great…er…Oz has spoken.” A great quote which will perhaps be applicable to Tim Thomas. Here are a few more:
Kynch of Kynch’s BB Korner:
“Just what, exactly, do Habs fans need for ‘proof’ that Tim Thomas, IS in fact, an All-Star caliber goalie?”
Rocket of All Habs:
“Tim Thomas is the Inspector Clouseau of the NHL. He gets the job done, but often, it is completely by accident.”
Pierre McGuire of TSN & NBC:
“Tim Thomas? I have never seen a goalie that clumsy in my life. He gives every ball-hockey goalie hope!”
So what do you have to say about Tim Thomas? I look forward to hearing from Habs fans and our dear friends who support the Bruins.
Not long ago, the same was said about Hasek. Then he won about 27 Vezina trophies in a row and the question was never asked again.
It sure as hell isn’t the same style as what we are used to, but he is an effective goalie that never quit on a shot. Of course, the most spectacular saves in hockey are usually made by a goalie out of position which is why Price tends to be a lot less spectacular than others.
However, Tim Thomas is NOT a top 5 goalie. A good one, but not an elite one. He is playing in front of one of the best defense you can ask for and if it wasn’t for Chara playing like a Norris (amonst other players) he could have been bitten a lot more often by long rebounds.
yeah…tim thomas is not a top five goalie…spoken like a true hab fan…#2 in GAA and #1 in save percentage is not top five material i guess…and i suppose carey is a top 5 goalie? DOUBT IT…thomas has one bad game and you guys try to run with it…makes me laugh you have nothing better to do…have fun watching timmy in net and not carey on sunday night…i know i will!
Oh what garbage. Tim Thomas may not be an orthidox goal tender, but who cares if he’s getting the job done. As a Bruins fan, I’ll say I’m not worried at all about this team. there will be stretches of poor games, just like any NHL team, but overall, they’re the deepest and most talented team in the NHL.
Whoa! wait a minute there Rocket….you’re honestly taking my quote and trying to claim that I mean Thomas is a “problem”? WOW! If you go back and read it again, slowly…there are no big words, so you should be ok…..I was trying to point out how FOOLISH Canadien fans sound when they bash Thomas. “Smoke and mirrors” might work for a short time, but he’s done nothing but put up good to great numbers every year since he’s been here. And that was even while playing behind a couple of HORRIBLE teams. And as far as him being this big “flopper and diver” (Habs fans should never be allowed to use the word “dive” in any circumstance BTW), for those of us who actually watch him on a regular basis, he is playing a MUCH more controlled, compact style this year. When coverage breaks down in front of him, yes, he does have the athleticism to make the big save. You guys crack me up. You’re so caught up in style points, you lose sight of the simple facts. Goalies get paid to stop pucks. Not too many are any better at that than Tim Thomas (with the possible exception of Manny Fernandez LOL).
I don’t mind you using my quotes, but for the love of the Lord, make sure you understand their meaning first.
That’s at least a two cookie foul.
Kynch
Hey BB, please assure me that you aren’t putting Tim Thomas on par with Dominic Hasek. He’s not even close.
You do make an excellent point though that it is Chara and the Bruin defense that are making Thomas look good.
bruinsfan46…
The stats you quote are based on just 28 games this season.
Look at Thomas’ record the past 3 years. Not including this year, his carer GAA is about 2.87. Not exactly an All-Star number is it?
MC Puck..
“the deepest and most talented team in the NHL”?? Perhaps you have never heard of the San Jose Sharks or the Detroit Red Wings.
And if they are the deepest team in the NHL, why are all the Bruin blog sites whining about the players who are injured?
My friend Kynch…or should I call you Mr. Keebler? (your dentist must love you!)
Let me correct you on something. When I wrote “One commenter wrote that the problem did not lie with the offense nor the defense. The inference was that the Bruins have a problem in goal.” I was not referring to you. It was a comment by one of your Bruin pals: vince m.
And while I’m correcting you, it’s ‘zed’ not ‘zee’!
I did quote you later in the article. Everything ok with that?
And just for the record, I think that Manny Fernandez is a better goalie than Tim Thomas.
I guess what you are saying is that Bruin fans don’t mind their goalie doing an impression of a boated mackerel. So tell me, is your all-time goalie hero Mike Palmateer or Grant Fuhr?
Hey Guys,
First off, I love Tim Thomas' heart and "never give up" attitude which has gotten him this far after playing in every conceivable league (ECHL, AHL, FNL. SEL and IHL) the past 12 years.
With that being said, I have to admit that Thomas' great stats have more to do with how great the Bruins play within Claude Julien's defensive system (ranked #1 for goals allowed).
Unfortunately, Thomas is the ugly duckling of NHL goaltenders….heart and soul on the inside but downright Gumby ugly on the outside!!
Here's an example:
http://www.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20082009,2,677&event=BOS572
Thomas is flat on his gut and by luck, the puck hits him in the leg while he's doing a snow angel in the crease!
hey rocket…pretty sure they base all star stats from the season theyre playing in currently and not the past 3 combined…except in who gets nominated to be on the ballot…so therefore yes tim thomas is a legit #1 goaltender and one of the top 5 in the game this season…so yea eat your words my friend…atleast he deserves to be there unlike carey price or kovalev or anyone else you ballot stuffers cheated to get in there
Do the Bruin fans feel comfortable going to the playoffs with a team led by Tim Thomas in goal?
As far as I’m concerned, this is the only question that matters. In a league where Chris Osgood is a 3-time Cup winner, Tim Thomas is going to be measured entirely on his ability to get his team through playoff rounds… not to make technical purists happy.
The answer to the question is “absolutely yes”. The only way Thomas will sink is if the Bruins defense is crippled by injuries — and if that happens a Cup is out of the question anyway. In the unlikely event that Thomas implodes, we have Manny Fernandez frothing at the mouth to prove he’s still an elite netminder.
Thomas was not entirely to blame for what happened against St. Louis (he didn’t take any penalties or allow the Blues to cover 150 feet in 6 seconds to bat in a rebound). Prior to that game he had been rock-solid for a very long time. I think any Bruins fan you ask is comfortable with taking the Thomas/Fernandez duo into April.
Habster said:
“With that being said, I have to admit that Thomas’ great stats have more to do with how great the Bruins play within Claude Julien’s defensive system”
So what about Thomas’s first season in Boston? In 38 games, he had a 2.77GAA and .917% on an atrocious Bruins team (29-37-16, 74 pts). Those numbers compare very favorably to Carey Price’s rookie effort (2.56GAA, .920% in 41 games) on a FAR superior team.
If he were only good because of Julien’s system, how do you explain his solid 05-06 campaign?
Oh, and to reinforce what Tom said… Yes, most assuredly YES, I feel comfortable with Thomas in net going into the playoffs.
For one, including Monday’s game Thomas was the third rated goalie over the past 30 days (behind Conklin and Backstrom) with 1.88GAA and .940%. That really sounds like smoke and mirrors to me!
Oh, and let me add that Thomas actually had superior numbers to Montreal’s savior in the playoffs… 2.65GAA, .914% vs 2.78GAA, .901%.
hello again bruins46..
Glad that you noticed that I use tasty words in my articles. But certainly don’t have to eat them on this occasion.
The article didn’t have anything to do with the All-Star game . Perhaps you need a re-read. I was writing about Thomas’ talent (or lack thereof) in general so career statistics are VERY relevant.
But I’ll be glad to discuss the All-Star game. Habs fans are simply are involved and proud of their team so used every method available to support our stars.
It is understandable that Bruins fans are too embarassed to vote in Tim Thomas.
A very intelligent and well-presented response Tom. Thanks! I appreciate it.
Hey Tard..
Am I to understand that you are actually trying to compare Tim Thomas to Carey Price? They are not even remotely in the same universe. Price is a franchise player!
Let me put it another way by giving you a parallel. Tard, if you were building your franchise, it sounds like you would choose Claude Lemieux over Sidney Crosby.
i realize it wasnt about the all star game but you were crapping on thomas for his career and even went so far as to exclude his stats this year…pretty sure that stats this year count towards his career but you can ignore it if you want im done wasting my team reading your mindless dribble enjoy writing a blog for a career
Bruins46…it seems that I have to spoon-feed you with explanations.
It’s something called perspective. The point that many have been making is that Thomas’ play this year is an anomaly. Therefore it is quite appropriate to look at his career numbers exclusive of this year’s stats which maybe have more to do with Julien’s system than Thomas himself.
The interesting thing to me is that if Boston is playing so well, then why are certain Bruins fans like you so insecure and angry?
Don’t worry, you won’t be missed bruins46. I’m happy to engage in intelligent hockey debate with Bruins fans like Tom, Kynch, Krej…
And by the way, blogging is not a career. Hockey is just one of many passions.
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