Timothy James Thomas Jr. (born April 15, 1974) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who mainly played in the National Hockey League (NHL), most notably with the Boston Bruins.
He was born in Flint, Michigan and is a graduate of Davison High School. Thomas played college hockey for the University of Vermont for four years, from 1993–1997, during which he was drafted 217th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL entry draft. He played for several years in the minor leagues and Europe, before making it to the NHL at age 28, with the Boston Bruins. He finally emerged as the Bruins' starting goaltender at age 32.
Thomas is a two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy (2009 and 2011) as the NHL's best goaltender, and was a member of Team USA in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. He was the oldest player in NHL history to win the award at age 37. Thomas is one of four American-born players to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, along with Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, and Patrick Kane.
Playing career
College hockey
Thomas played four seasons (1993–97) of college hockey for the University of Vermont, posting an 81–43–15 record to go with a 2.70 GAA and .934 save percentage. He ranks third in the NCAA Division I record book in career saves (3,950). He led the nation in save percentage in 1996 (.924) and helped UVM's Catamounts to NCAA tournament appearances in his final two seasons, including a berth in the 1996 NCAA Frozen Four (a program first). He was a two-time All-ECAC Conference selection and a two-time NCAA East All-American. He ranks first all-time amongst Vermont goalies in games played (140), wins (81) and saves (3,950). At Vermont, Thomas played on the same team as former NHL All-Star Martin St. Louis.
Early pro years
Completing his four-year tenure at Vermont, Thomas played briefly for the Birmingham Bulls of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League (IHL) in 1997–98, before transferring overseas mid-season to HIFK of the Finnish SM-Liiga. Thomas played 18 games with a save percentage of .947 as the team advanced through the playoffs to defeat Ilves in the finals and win the Finnish championship. After signing with the Edmonton Oilers on June 4, 1998, On July 1, 2007, the Bruins acquired goaltender Manny Fernandez from the Minnesota Wild and later traded Thomas' previous backup, Toivonen, to the St. Louis Blues. Many hockey analysts presumed Thomas would support Fernandez as a backup goaltender once again for the 2007–08 season. However, as Fernandez went down to injury early in the season, Thomas seized the opportunity and once again emerged as the Bruins' starter. He was selected for his first NHL All-Star Game on January 22, 2008, as a replacement for Martin Brodeur and played in the third period of the game, stopping 14 of 18 shots. Thomas was credited with the win, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 8–7.
Early in the 2008–09 season, Thomas became the first Bruins goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts since Byron Dafoe in 1999, winning 1–0 games against the Edmonton Oilers on October 27, 2008, and the Vancouver Canucks on October 28. His overall shutout streak came to end the next game at 154:43 minutes against the Calgary Flames on October 30. In late November, Thomas missed a few games due to an illness. He was chosen to play in his second All-Star Game in 2009 and was once again the winning goaltender for the Eastern Conference, defeating the Western Conference 12–11 in a shootout (the first time the All-Star Game required the tie-breaker since 2003). One month later, on February 26, 2009, Thomas recorded his 100th NHL win in a 6–0 shutout against the Anaheim Ducks. Two days later, on April 4, he posted his career-high fifth shutout of the season in a 1–0 win against the New York Rangers, clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Boston's first title since 2001–02. His strong play allowed the Bruins to sweep the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2009 playoffs, however the Bruins were defeated by the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games in the second round. On June 18, Thomas was awarded the Vezina Trophy, edging Minnesota Wild netminder Niklas Bäckström and the Columbus Blue Jackets' rookie goaltender Steve Mason. He led the NHL with his 2.10 GAA and .933 save percentage.
Thomas started for the Bruins in the 3rd NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2010. The game, held at Fenway Park in Boston, resulted in a 2–1 overtime victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. But Thomas suffered a drop-off in form during the regular season, posting just a 17–18–8 record, albeit with a still-strong 2.56 GAA. He did not play at all in the 2010 playoffs, as Tuukka Rask played all the games for Boston. The Bruins won their First Round series against the third seeded Buffalo Sabres in six games and led the seventh seeded Philadelphia Flyers three games to none in the Conference semi-final. Boston then lost the next four games to drop the series; the Flyers became just the third out of four teams in NHL history (after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders, and before the 2014 Los Angeles Kings) to win a series after losing the first three games.
Named to his third straight NHL All-Star Game in 2011 – the game was not played in 2010 due to the Winter Olympics – Thomas became the first goaltender in NHL history to earn the win in three consecutive All-Star Games. In the 2010–11 season, following off-season hip surgery during the summer of 2010, Thomas broke the NHL record for save percentage, beating Dominik Hašek's record of .937, with a .938 percentage. Thomas would go on to win his second Vezina Trophy that year. He also finished fifth overall in the Hart Memorial Trophy voting as the regular season MVP. On May 27, 2011, Thomas posted a 1–0 shutout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, sending the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1990. In the Finals, Thomas again posted a 4–0 shutout victory in Game 7 against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks to win the series 4–3 and the Bruins' first Stanley Cup title since 1972. During the Bruins' playoff run, he set the record for most saves in a single post-season with 798 and the most saves in a Stanley Cup series with 238, and broke Frank McCool's 66-year-old record of fewest goals allowed in a seven-game Stanley Cup Finals, allowing only eight goals total the whole series (for an all-time record .967 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Finals). Thomas also became the first goaltender ever to post a shutout in a Game 7 on the road. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and at 37 years, 62 days, Thomas is the oldest recipient of the award. He became just the second American-born NHL player (after Brian Leetch in 1994) and first American-born goaltender to win the award.
thumb|left|Thomas with the Bruins in February 2012
Thomas began the 2011–12 season as a Stanley Cup champion and the defending Vezina and Conn Smythe trophy winner. He played the majority of the 82-game schedule for the Bruins, beating Tuukka Rask for the number one spot for the second consecutive year. Although not completely matching the previous year's record-breaking run, Thomas received the most votes in the 2012 All Star Game Ballot, entering the 2012 NHL All-Star Game as the starting goaltender, and put up another solid year with the Bruins, helping them dominate the NHL with their goal differential for the majority of the year. The defending Stanley Cup champion and second-seeded Bruins ended up losing in seven games to the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals in the 2012 playoffs in the first round. Every game of the series was won by only one goal. Shortly after the Bruins' season ended, Thomas announced that he would sit out the 2012–13 season. Bruins' general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed Thomas' decision.
Thomas was traded to the New York Islanders on February 7, 2013, in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in either 2014 or 2015. Before the trade, the Bruins had suspended Thomas for not reporting to training camp. Thomas did not play any games with the Islanders organization before his contract expired.
Thomas' 196 regular-season wins with Boston ranks him fifth on the team's all-time list as of 2023.
Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars
After taking a year off from the NHL, Thomas joined the Florida Panthers on a tryout contract on September 16, 2013. He officially signed a one-year contract with the Panthers on September 26. Thomas has mentioned he chose 34 as his jersey number with the Panthers in honor of John Vanbiesbrouck, a goaltender from Michigan whom he grew up watching.
Thomas was acquired by the Dallas Stars on March 5, 2014, in exchange for goaltender Dan Ellis. He went back to number 30 in Dallas and served as backup to Kari Lehtonen.
International play
thumb|200px|Thomas during the [[2008 IIHF World Championship]]
During Thomas' college career with the University of Vermont, he was twice named to the United States squad for the World Championships. Following his sophomore year, he was chosen for the 1995 World Championships, but did not appear in any games as the United States finished in sixth place. He was chosen for the tournament for the second consecutive year in 1996 and made his international debut, playing in 21 minutes for one game, allowing one goal. Thomas picked up his first medal as the United States won bronze.
After graduating from the college program, Thomas was named to Team USA for the 1998 World Championships following his rookie professional season and played his first full international game. However, the United States finished a disappointing 12th. Thomas would not make another World Championships appearance until 2005, where he was named to Team USA in another limited role, not appearing in any games behind starter Rick DiPietro as they failed to earn a medal.
Established as an NHL starter following the 2007–08 season, Thomas was named to his fifth World Championships in 2008. He appeared in three games before suffering a groin injury, splitting starts with Robert Esche and posting a 1.50 GAA with one shutout against Latvia in the preliminaries. The United States finished in sixth place.
On January 1, 2010, Thomas was selected to be a member of the United States men's hockey team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, serving as backup goaltender to the Buffalo Sabres' Ryan Miller.
On February 26, 2010, Thomas made his Olympic debut in the United States–Finland semi-final, entering the game with approximately 11:30 remaining in the third period and a 6–0 lead. He replaced Ryan Miller to prevent any chance of injury to the American starter.
Thomas wrapped up his hockey career at the 2014 IIHF World Championship. The USA was eliminated in the quarterfinals and Thomas finished with a 3.49 GAA and .869 save percentage on 199 shots.
Personal life
Thomas and wife Melissa have three children: two daughters and a son. Thomas is a Christian and a Libertarian, and has stated that the person he would most like to have dinner with is conservative TV pundit Glenn Beck. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, Thomas skipped the traditional victors' meet-and-greet with President Barack Obama at the White House on January 23, 2012; he was the only active Bruin not to attend. He released a statement regarding his absence:
After retiring from hockey, Thomas resided in Sandpoint, Idaho, and also Milton, Vermont.
Thomas has become involved in numerous charitable events in the New England area, and established the Tim Thomas foundation which focused on helping those facing obstacles such as illness, lack of education, along providing disaster recovery in Vermont. In 2023 Thomas participated in a flood relief effort in Barre, Vermont, helping clean up and rebuild a heavily damaged YouthBuild center an organization offering job training and educational opportunities to youth aged 16-24.
On December 11, 2019, Thomas was honored by the Boston Bruins and dropped the ceremonial first puck during their game vs the Capitals.
In 2024, Thomas made a rare return to the hockey community, when he coached the Boston Bruins Alumni team in a benefit game alongside his former teammate Brad Marchand.
Disclosure of brain damage from concussions
In the first few years of retirement, Thomas fell out of the public eye. Reporters' inquiries went unanswered, teammates lost contact, and phone numbers that Thomas used were disconnected. This led to speculation and jokes that he had gone off-grid and isolated himself in a bunker.
In December 2019, at the ceremony for his induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, Thomas revealed that he had suffered a concussion in December 2013 by getting hit in the head by a puck from the shot of a teammate during the warmup before a game with the Florida Panthers. The day after that game, Thomas found it extremely difficult to make decisions and communicate with others. He also started to experience suicidal thoughts.
With treatment and rehabilitation, Thomas has seen modest improvements in his lifestyle and has been slowly reconnecting with hockey and his community.
Awards and honors
{| class="wikitable"
! Award
! Year
|-
! colspan="3"|College
|-
| All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team
| 1993–94
|-
| All-ECAC Hockey First Team
| 1994–95, 1995–96
|-
| AHCA East second-team All-American
| 1994–95
|-
| AHCA East first-team All-American
| 1995–96
|}
<small>Source: Tim Thomas on HockeyGoalies.org</small>
;SM-liiga
- Awarded the Urpo Ylönen trophy (best goaltender) in 1998
- Kanada-malja champion (1998)
- Awarded the Kultainen kypärä award (best player as voted by the players) in 2005
- Awarded the Lasse Oksanen trophy (best player) in 2005 – first non-European to win the award
;NHL
- 4× NHL All-Star Game (2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012)
- William M. Jennings Trophy winner along with teammate Manny Fernandez for fewest goals allowed by team goaltenders (2009)
- 2× Vezina Trophy Winner (2009, 2011)
- 2× NHL first All-Star team (2009, 2011)
- Conn Smythe Trophy winner (2011)
- Stanley Cup champion (2011)
- First goaltender to win the Stanley Cup, Vezina, and Conn Smythe trophies in the same season since Bernie Parent in the 1974–75 season.
Boston Bruins
- 6x Bruins 3 Stars Awards Winner (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2011-12)
- 2x Seventh Player Award Winner (2005-06 and 2006-07)
- Eddie Shore Award Winner (2006-07)
- Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy Winner (2010-11)
- Named one of the top 100 best Boston Bruins players of all time.
Other
- 2007 UVM Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
- 2011 ESPY award winner – Best NHL Player
- 2011 ESPY award winner – Best Championship Performance
- 2019 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2022 Vermont Sports Hall of Fame inductee.
- 2025 Hockey Legacy Award from The Sports Museum at TD Garden.
Records
- Most saves by a goaltender in a playoff run (798)
- Most saves by a goaltender in a Stanley Cup Finals series (238)
- Best SM-liiga save percentage with at least a hundred games played (0.937)
Hockey camps
Thomas runs several ice hockey camps in the Northeast United States during the NHL off-season for both goaltenders and skaters.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:75%"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="center" colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! align="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! align="center" colspan="10" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Regular season
! align="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! align="center" colspan="8" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | Playoffs
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season
! Team
! League
! GP
! W
! L
! T
! OTL
! MIN
! GA
! SO
! GAA
! SV%
! GP
! W
! L
! MIN
! GA
! SO
! GAA
! SV%
|-
| 1992–93
| Davison High School
| HS-MI
| 27
| 18
| 5
| 4
| —
| 1580
| 87
| 9
| 3.30
| .926
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1993–94
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 33
| 15
| 12
| 6
| —
| 1864
| 94
| 0
| 3.03
| .899
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1994–95
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 34
| 18
| 13
| 2
| —
| 2010
| 90
| 4
| 2.69
| .914
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1995–96
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 37
| 26
| 7
| 4
| —
| 2254
| 88
| 3
| 2.34
| .924
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1996–97
| University of Vermont
| ECAC
| 36
| 22
| 11
| 3
| —
| 2158
| 101
| 2
| 2.81
| .914
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1997–98
| Houston Aeros
| IHL
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 1
| —
| 59
| 4
| 0
| 4.01
| .852
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1997–98
| Birmingham Bulls
| ECHL
| 6
| 4
| 1
| 1
| —
| 360
| 13
| 1
| 2.17
| .944
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1997–98
| HIFK
| SM-l
| 18
| 13
| 4
| 1
| —
| 1034
| 28
| 2
| 1.62
| .947
| 9
| 9
| 0
| 551
| 14
| 3
| 1.52
| .926
|-
| 1998–99
| Hamilton Bulldogs
| AHL
| 15
| 6
| 8
| 0
| —
| 837
| 45
| 0
| 3.23
| .905
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 1998–99
| HIFK
| SM-l
| 14
| 8
| 3
| 3
| —
| 831
| 34
| 2
| 2.23
| .917
| 11
| 7
| 4
| 658
| 25
| 0
| 2.28
| .920
|-
| 1999–2000
| Detroit Vipers
| IHL
| 36
| 10
| 21
| 3
| —
| 2020
| 120
| 1
| 3.56
| .892
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2000–01
| AIK
| SEL
| 43
| 17
| 16
| 10
| —
| 2542
| 105
| 3
| 2.48
| .918
| 5
| 1
| 4
| 299
| 20
| 0
| 4.00
| .875
|-
| 2001–02
| Kärpät
| SM-l
| 32
| 15
| 12
| 5
| —
| 1937
| 79
| 4
| 2.45
| .925
| 3
| 1
| 2
| 180
| 12
| 0
| 4.00
| .903
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2002–03
| Providence Bruins
| AHL
| 35
| 18
| 12
| 5
| —
| 2049
| 98
| 1
| 2.87
| .906
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 2002–03
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 4
| 3
| 1
| 0
| —
| 220
| 11
| 0
| 3.00
| .907
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2003–04
| Providence Bruins
| AHL
| 43
| 20
| 16
| 6
| —
| 2544
| 78
| 9
| 1.84
| .941
| 2
| 0
| 2
| 84
| 10
| 0
| 7.13
| .655
|-
| 2004–05
| Jokerit
| SM-l
| 54
| 34
| 7
| 13
| —
| 3267
| 86
| 15
| 1.58
| .946
| 12
| 8
| 4
| 720
| 22
| 0
| 1.83
| .938
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2005–06
| Providence Bruins
| AHL
| 26 || 15 || 11 || — || 0 || 1515 || 57 || 1 || 2.26 || .923
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 2005–06
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 38
| 12
| 13
| —
| 10
| 2187
| 101
| 1
| 2.77
| .917
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2006–07
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 66
| 30
| 29
| —
| 4
| 3619
| 189
| 3
| 3.13
| .905
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 2007–08
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 57
| 28
| 19
| —
| 6
| 3342
| 136
| 3
| 2.44
| .921
| 7
| 3
| 4
| 430
| 19
| 0
| 2.65
| .914
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2008–09
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 54
| 36
| 11
| —
| 7
| 3259
| 114
| 5
| 2.10
| .933
| 11
| 7
| 4
| 680
| 21
| 1
| 1.85
| .935
|-
| 2009–10
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 43
| 17
| 18
| —
| 8
| 2442
| 104
| 5
| 2.56
| .915
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2010–11
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 57
| 35
| 11
| —
| 9
| 3364
| 112
| 9
| 2.00
| .938
| 25
| 16
| 9
| 1542
| 51
| 4
| 1.98
| .940
|- style="background:e0e0e0;"
| 2011–12
| Boston Bruins
| NHL
| 59
| 35
| 19
| —
| 1
| 3352
| 132
| 5
| 2.36
| .920
| 7
| 3
| 4
| 448
| 16
| 1
| 2.14
| .923
|- style="background:#f0f0f0;"
| 2013–14
| Florida Panthers
| NHL
| 40
| 16
| 20
| —
| 3
| 2299
| 110
| 0
| 2.87
| .909
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="background:e0e0e0;"
| 2013–14
| Dallas Stars
| NHL
| 8
| 2
| 4
| —
| 1
| 364
| 18
| 0
| 2.97
| .902
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 15
| 1
| 0
| 4.00
| .500
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3"| SM-l totals
! 118
! 70
! 26
! 22
! —
! 7,069
! 227
! 23
! 1.93
! .937
! 35
! 25
! 10
! 2,109
! 73
! 3
! 2.08
! —
|- style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3"| NHL totals
! 426
! 214
! 145
! 0
! 49
! 24,446
! 1,027
! 31
! 2.52
! .920
! 51
! 29
! 21
! 3,114
! 108
! 6
! 2.08
! .933
|}
International
{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year
! Team
! Event
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |
! GP
! W
! L
! T
! MIN
! GA
! SO
! GAA
! SV%
|-
| 1995
| United States
| WC
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1996
| United States
| WC
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 21
| 1
| 0
| 2.86
| .970
|-
| 1998
| United States
| WC
| 1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 58
| 2
| 0
| 2.06
| .917
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1999
| United States
| WC
| 2
| 0
| 2
| 0
| 98
| 7
| 0
| 4.29
| .910
|-
| 2005
| United States
| WC
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2008
| United States
| WC
| 3
| 2
| 0
| —
| 160
| 4
| 1
| 1.50
| .925
|-
| 2010
| United States
| OG
| 1
| 0
| 0
| —
| 12
| 1
| 0
| 5.21
| .857
|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014
| United States
| WC
| 8
| 5
| 3
| —
| 447
| 26
| 0
| 3.49
| .869
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | Senior totals
! 16
! 7
! 5
! 0
! 796
! 41
! 1
! 3.09
! —
|}
References
External links
- Tim Thomas biography at hockeygoalies.org