Kalman: Bruins Fans Still Love Tim Thomas
BOSTON (CBS) - Let it be declared that on Jan. 31, 2012, citizens of Boston proved they're not as close-minded and liberal-leaning as they're made out to be.
Or at least, those who back the Bruins don't fit that mold. And they especially don't when the would-be offending political action comes from the man who more than any other carried the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup title in 39 years in 2011, won his second Vezina Trophy in three years and also became the second American-born winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP.
Yes, Tim Thomas is still beloved by the Bruins faithful.
"Yeah, I was happy to hear the reception from the fans," said Thomas, who received his typically warm and loud ovation when his name was announced in the starting lineup before the Bruins' 4-3 win over Ottawa Tuesday night. "It was just good to hear, you know? And I wanted to get them a win real bad. When we got down there in the second I didn't know if we'd be able to pull it off, but we found a way again."
Thomas' start was his first in front of the TD Garden crowd since the goaltender's controversial decision to not join his teammates during their reception at the White House one week ago. Thomas' absence and his subsequent release of a statement about his opinions on the size of the federal government were hot topics for all sorts of media, including during the All-Star Weekend in Ottawa.
"I was pretty certain," said Thomas, who was asked if he expected a positive fan reaction. "But having said that, I didn't take it for granted. I was mentally prepared either way.
Despite the controversy and Thomas' period of play in the All-Star Game, head coach Claude Julien turned to Thomas in his team's first game out of the break. Thomas said he was physically fine and he finished with 30 saves.
"Everybody was probably waiting to see what the reaction was going to be, so it was pretty clear that they still respect him for his hockey skills, and they certainly are not holding anything against him for his view on the rest," said Julien.
Although he was beat clean on two odd-man rushes that resulted in the goals that put the Senators ahead, 3-1, until late in the second period, Thomas settled in and was perfect on all seven shots he faced in the third period. That enabled the Bruins to pull even on a power-play goal by Brad Marchand at 2:20 of the final stanza, and then go ahead for good on Dennis Seidenberg's blast from the red line at 7:09.
Even in Boston, triumphant athletic feats still trump minority political positions.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com. He operatesTheBruinsBlog.net and also contributes coverage to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on twitter@TheBruinsBlog.
