Boston Bruins’ goalie and Stanley Cup Winner, Tim Thomas, awarded Vezina Trophy –2011 NHL Awards
The season could not have ended in a better way for Tim Thomas as Wednesday saw him winning the Vezina Award for the best goalie in the league at the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Awards on Wednesday night at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA.
It was Thomas’s second Vezina Award of his career, the first being back in 2009.
He was up against Vancouver Canucks’ Roberto Luongo and Nashville Predators’ Pekka Rinne.
When Thomas had his name called out to come and accept the award, there was not much of a surprise reaction from either him or the crowd because his performance throughout the regular season and playoffs was unmatched.
The 37-year-old goalie knocked out three teams during the postseason in game sevens and also performed a clean sweep in four straight games.
He remained sturdy against Montreal Canadiens during the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, swept Phoenix Coyotes in the semifinals and destroyed the rowdy Tampa Bay Lightning in game seven of the conference finals to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the
first time in 21 years.
Tim Thomas, after all of his achievements in a single season, including winning the Conn Smythe Award at the end of the playoffs, is still humble and hopeful for the future.
"I'm still playing and the way I feel I still got many good years ahead of me. The goal is always to get better. I'd like to see what I could do to raise the bar even higher. To push myself to new limits", Thomas said after winning the award.
The 217th overall pick in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft set an NHL record when he recorded a .938 saves percentage at the end of regulation season. He broke Dominik Hasek’s record of .937 which he set in the 1998-1999 season.
"It's a story of putting in the work and it will pay off in the end", said Thomas.
Boston’s goalie, Tim Thomas, still has considerable time to play and having the majority of 40 general managers to vote for him in this category means that he definitely is the most valuable goalie in the league.
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