From the Hassle to the Horse

Remember back in the summer, during the weeks between the Cup finals and the NHL entry draft, when trading Tim Thomas was among the top priorities on their offseason checklist? Remember the widely criticized rumors of trading Marc Savard, too? Fans were up in arms about the idea of losing #91, but they were unanimously on board with dumping Thomas to whatever team would accept his $5 million salary -- even if it was in exchange for a bag of used pucks. Something tells me Bruins fans and Peter Chiarelli alike are satisfied with the alternative outcome.

Tim Thomas has gone from the offseason hassle to the regular season horse of the Boston Bruins. Now, the only thing teams would bring out the bags of used pucks for is to give themselves a better chance of beating Thomas during the game. Overwhelmingly, the league has struggled to put the one puck they're allotted past Thomas and into the cage this season. All those teams who scoffed at the idea of trading for the Tank back in the summer might now be better suited to offer some prospects in exchange for a mere decision by Boston to rest their ace against them. He's been that good. Coming off a surgically repaired hip, the 36-year old goaltender is playing like he's in his mid-twenties again. His numbers are on pace to shatter not only his own career-highs, but even some all-time NHL records. With 7 shutouts, he has already set a career high. He's a long-shot for any NHL record -- the all-time single-season record is 22 by George Hainsworth -- but he still has a good chance of posting the highest total in nearly 50 years. If his 1.82 goals against average holds steady, he would be the first goalie to post an average that low since Miikka Kiprusoff in the 2003-04 season. And if he maintains his .945 saves percentage -- well, that would shatter the all-time record by 8 saves-percentage points. No matter how you break it down, the numbers are flat out amazing. We're likely seeing a second Vezina season for Thomas, but might we be seeing him take a shot at the Hart Trophy? Or dare I say an even greater honor?

We won't get ahead of ourselves, but anyone can speculate. If Thomas were to keep up his numbers, win his second Vezina trophy, and ultimately lead the Bruins to a championship -- would he be looking at an even more historic title? Would he be the greatest Bruins goaltender of all-time? The B's haven't won a Cup since 1972. There have been some great goalies between then and now, but Thomas could separate himself from the pack with a Stanley Cup. It's a long way away, and no one is in a position to suggest the Bruins will win anything this season -- we've learned time and time again that droughts can last much longer than we expect, and it takes a truly special team to reach the ultimate prize. Does this team, led by their ace goaltender, have that special composition? Only time will tell, I suppose.