Tim Thomas already has people whispering 'Vezina'
The Boston Bruins are a mere eight games into their season – fewer than any other team in the NHL to start the month of November – but the talk around the league has already begun that Tim Thomas could be in line for another Vezina Trophy.
Thomas, who didn't play in his first NHL game until he was 28 years old, seems to be making up for lost time. The Vezina Trophy winner two seasons ago is once again demonstrating the kind of form that won him the award after his 2008-2009 season, which saw
him earn a career-high 36 wins, including five shut-outs and a 2.10 goals against average, as Boston finished first in the Eastern Conference.
The Tim Thomas story is a feel-good tale if ever there was one, as after a shaky 2009-2010 season, the 36-year-old is bouncing back yet again and defying the odds. After struggling last season, Thomas lost the Bruins' starting job to Finnish-born Tuukka
Rask, who is 13 years Thomas's junior, but Thomas has won back the role going undefeated in the six games he's played.
Thomas took over this season after Rask was lacklustre in the team's season opener when they lost 5-2 to the Phoenix Coyotes in Prague. Thomas went on to win four straight games, but the talk around Boston was that Rask was still the team's number one.
Head coach Claude Julien tried to get Rask back in action against the New York Rangers, but the plan back-fired and the team lost their second game of the season 3-2.
Julien decided to give the reins back to Thomas, who made his coach and his team proud by posting two straight shut-outs.
"It's a matter of riding it," Julien said of Thomas's play thus far. "It's as simple as that. You've got to see a goaltender, hopefully, do that for you as long as he can. It's a long year, and when those situations come about, you take advantage of it."
Thomas' numbers after six games boggle the mind as he is averaging a shut-out every other game. Not once has he given up more than a single goal, and he leads the league in save percentage (.984), goals against average (0.50) and shut-outs.
Thomas, of course, isn't about to take all the credit for himself as he points out that everyone is making a contribution and the team, generally, is off to a good start. "I think the team is playing with the right amount of urgency right from the start,"
Thomas said. "I think it is important for us to get off to a strong start. We didn’t get off to a strong start last year, and it hurt our confidence and it took us a long time to get rolling again. A strong start just helps everybody's confidence, and we have
people scoring. You have to have confidence to do that, and I think the team's urgency is reflected in my stats."
Not only does Thomas have his team-mates to thank for the team's positive early start, but the hip surgery which he had in the off-season has proved its worth. Thomas had contemplated skipping the surgery altogether, but after taking time to recover, he
is playing with the intensity of a man almost half his age.
"You can see his confidence, no doubt," Julien said. "You can have a lot of good years, and the minute you have a bad one, people start doubting you.
"All he’s doing right now is showing everyone he’s the real deal – that what he was before last year is what Tim Thomas is all about."
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