Tim Thomas Put Together Historic Season in Bruins Net, Now Will Try for a Fitting Encore

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Aug 9, 2011

Tim Thomas Put Together Historic Season in Bruins Net, Now Will Try for a Fitting Encore Editor's Note: NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be taking an in-depth look at one Bruins player each day, analyzing that player's performance last season and outlook heading into the 2011-12 campaign.

It's hard to imagine a goalie putting together a better season than what Tim Thomas did in 2010-11. Coming off the low point of his NHL career when he battled a hip injury that would eventually require surgery and lost his starting job one year after winning the Vezina Trophy, Thomas rebounded in an improbable and spectacular fashion this past year, etching his name in multiple spots in the NHL record books and, more importantly, earning the right to have that name engraved on the Stanley Cup. 

2010-11 stats: 57 games, 35-11-9, 2.00 GAA, .938 save percentage, 9 shutouts

Playoffs: 25 games, 16-9-0, 1.98 GAA, .940 save percentage, 4 shutouts

Contract status: Signed through 2012-13, $5.0-million cap hit

Preseason expectations: Thomas went from Vezina winner in 2008-09 to high-priced backup in 2009-10. At the end of that disappointing season, Thomas revealed he had been battling a hip injury that required surgery. Considering his age, health issues and performance the previous year, there were plenty of questions about what Thomas would do in 2010-11. General manager Peter Chiarelli admitted after the season that he kicked the tires on some trade possibilities during the summer. The deal he did not make may have been his best move of all.

Regular-season evaluation: Thomas opened the year in impressive fashion with a 29-save shutout in his season debut, blanking Phoenix to earn a split of the series in Prague. That was just a hint of things to come. He set the first of many records with the best start in franchise history, winning each of his first seven starts, and allowing just five goals total in those seven games, and posting an 8-0-0 record before suffering his first defeat. He earned four shutouts in his first 11 starts en route to a career-high nine shutouts. And that was the least impressive of his numbers. Thomas also led the NHL with a 2.00 goals-against average and set an NHL record with his .938 save percentage. He even earned the victory in the All-Star Game in Raleigh, becoming the first goalie in NHL history to win three straight All-Star Games. Thomas' historic season wasn't confined to stopping pucks either. He also set a career high with three assists and picked up the first fighting major of his career after taking on Montreal's Carey Price in February.

Playoff evaluation: It didn't seem possible after his remarkable regular season, but Thomas was even better in the playoffs. He lowered his goals-against average to 1.98 and improved his save percentage to .940 while playing all 25 games in Boston's run to the Cup. Thomas broke more records with the most shots faced in a single postseason (849) and most saves (798). He added four more shutouts, two of which came in Game 7s, as he made 24 saves to beat Tampa Bay 1-0 in the Eastern Conference finals and 37 saves in Vancouver to earn Boston's first Cup in 39 years. Beyond the numbers, Thomas' stellar play boosted the confidence of the players in front of him and demoralized many an opposing forward. Thomas was rewarded for his efforts as he became the first goalie to win the Vezina, Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup in the same year since Philadelphia's Bernie Parent did so in 1974 and 1975.

2011-12 outlook: The fact that Parent hit the trifecta two years in a row gives Thomas something to shoot for in this upcoming season, and after this past year, who's going to bet against a repeat performance? In reality, it will be almost impossible to match that kind of season. But Thomas has proven that he deserves a spot among the league's elite goaltenders and that his struggles, and the hip problems from the previous season are behind him. There are some reasons for caution. Thomas is 37, after all, and age has to catch up to him at some point. After last year, it doesn't look like that decline will arrive for a while, and the Bruins have the security of knowing Tuukka Rask is waiting in the wings if Thomas does struggle. Going into this year though, Thomas is still clearly the No. 1 goalie not only in Boston, but in the entire NHL.

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