By: Camryn Meece | Follow me on Twitter / X @MeeceCamryn
Tim Thomas stopped all 37 shots he faced in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, helping the Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 and win their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Boston became the first team in National Hockey League (NHL) history to win the Stanley Cup after playing three Game 7s in a single postseason, defeating the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vancouver Canucks in deciding games. Thomas played all 25 playoff games for Boston, finishing with a 1.98 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage, and four shutouts. His performance earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff’s most valuable player.
The Quebec Nordiques selected Thomas in the ninth round of the 1994 NHL Draft, 217th overall. Instead of making the NHL immediately, Thomas spent the next several years working his way through the professional ranks. After playing college hockey at the University of Vermont, he played in the minor leagues and spent time playing in Europe. Thomas eventually made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2002-03 season, appearing in four games. He returned to the minor leagues afterward before joining the Bruins for the 2005-06 season. He became Boston’s primary starter the following season, starting 66 games. By then, he was 32 years old and had spent more than a decade working his way toward a regular NHL role.
Thomas was already 31 years old when he became Boston’s starting goaltender, an age when many NHL players are already well into their careers. Goaltenders can remain effective into their 30s, but Thomas was still building his NHL career when many younger goaltenders had already established themselves. By the 2010-11 season, Thomas was 36 and putting up numbers that stood out even among the league’s younger goalies. He finished the regular season with a .938 save percentage, compared with .923 for 23-year-old Carey Price, .923 for 26-year-old Cam Ward, and .920 for 27-year-old Antti Niemi.
Thomas’s playing style was another part of what made him different. He was aggressive around the crease and often moved outside of it to challenge shooters instead of waiting for them to make the first move. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, Thomas stretched across the crease to make a lunging stick save on Steve Downie and keep Boston’s 2-1 lead. He showed that same aggressiveness in the Stanley Cup Final against Vancouver, pushing Henrik Sedin out of his crease during Game 3. Thomas’s movements often differed from those of a more conventional goaltender, but his quick reactions let him make saves from difficult positions.
On December 5, 2011, Thomas faced 46 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins and made 45 saves in a 3-1 Boston win. Throughout the game, Thomas moved across the crease to challenge shooters and quickly adjusted his position as the play changed. It was another example of the aggressive style that had become a defining part of his game.
Most goaltenders use controlled movements to get across the crease and stay in position for a shot. Thomas often did things differently. He would come out of his crease, stretch across the net, or drop into positions that looked unusual compared with other goaltenders. Sometimes he looked like he was throwing himself at the puck. His quick reactions let him recover and make the save, even when he ended up in a position most goaltenders would try to avoid.
That unusual style was part of a season that produced some of his best numbers. During the 2010-11 regular season, the 36-year-old led the NHL with a .938 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average. He also recorded nine shutouts and won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. It was his second Vezina, after he won the award in 2008-09.
Once the playoffs began, those numbers kept standing out. He played all 25 games for Boston as the Bruins went through three Game 7s on their way to the Stanley Cup. He made 798 saves during the playoffs, an NHL record for a single postseason. He made another 238 saves in the Final against Vancouver, also an NHL record. Thomas stopped 33 of 34 shots in Game 1, made 24 saves in Game 5, and then stopped all 37 shots he faced in the deciding Game 7.
By the end of the playoffs, Thomas had a .940 save percentage, a 1.98 goals-against average, and four shutouts. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff’s most valuable player, becoming the second American-born player to receive the award after Brian Leetch in 1994. More than a decade after being drafted in the ninth round, Thomas had become one of the NHL’s most successful goaltenders.
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