"Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins -- For the second year in a row, Thomas was spectacular. He was the primary reason the Bruins won the Northeast Division, had the best record in the Eastern Conference and fought for the best record in the NHL down to the second-last game of the season.
Thomas led the NHL with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage and had five shutouts. He went 36-11-7, gaining 83 percent of the available points in his games for his team.
Thomas, 35, tied Anaheim's Jonas Hiller for the league lead with four shootout road wins and stopped the only penalty shot he faced.
Facing power plays, only Backstrom and New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist were better than Thomas's .905 save percentage.
"Look at a guy like Tim Thomas," Mason said. "He really earned his time in the spotlight. It took awhile, but when he was given his chance, he made the most of it and has been one of the dominant goalies for the past three or four years. He's looking at an extremely long playoff run now."
Did the Bruins make Thomas look better, or vice versa? Well, only nine teams allowed more shots on net than Boston, 30.8 per game, but the Bruins allowed the fewest goals-against per game, 2.32. That's relying on the man behind the mask, or in Thomas's case, the mage, the term he uses to describe his hybrid mask/cage.
The lone weakness in arguing on Thomas's behalf is that he played only 54 games in a season in which he was healthy. That's because the Bruins have another veteran, talented, higher-paid goalie in Manny Fernandez, who went 16-8-3 in 28 games, or 63 percent of the available points in his games.
Patrick Roy played 48 games when he won the 1989 Vezina Trophy and 54 when he repeated a year later.
Thomas has already accumulated three honors this season. He played in the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal. He won the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award for best save percentage and shared with Fernandez the William M. Jennings Trophy, which rewards the goalies on the team that permitted the fewest goals.
Thomas is an amazing goalie in that his style is a hybrid of classic butterfly and wild improvisation, not unlike athletic goalies Dominick Hasek and Terry Sawchuk. It's one thing to see those lighter goalies twist and flip and lunge, it's quite another to watch the heavier Thomas move with such quickness." -NHL Official Press Release
Hub Hockey: Thank GOD! Tim Thomas may not win the trophy and be robbed of what he rightfully deserves by the leagues GM's but at least he got nominated for it. I mean he has been one of the leagues top goaltenders for the past two seasons yet still didn't even get put on the ASG ballot for the last two seasons, so why would I expect a Vezina nomination? So do I think Thomas will win though?
Basically, picking who should win the trophy is a no brainier. I am obviously choosing Thomas as the odds on favorite to take home so extra hardware this season, and this is why. The Vezina Trophy is given to the goaltender who is most valuable to their team during the regular season. And right out the box I think the definition of the trophy should eliminate Niklas Backstrom from the running. Backstrom had a great season and there is no doubt that he is one of the league elite in net. But the Wild didn't make the playoffs. I understand he may have gave them a chance at them, but when I hear the words most valuable I think of someone leading and helps to accomplish a unified goal. Not helping just enough but coming up just short. Backstrom you're great but you really don't deserve to be mentioned in my opinion. Number may be there but there is no results really.
As for Stevie Mason, I love the kid but he has plenty of time to take this award home with him. He had a great season and put up an amazing 10-shutouts but he just went 0-4 in the playoffs. I know its a regular season award but the playoffs have to have some impact. Also, a lot is being made about the amount of games Thomas started when compared to the other candidates. Mason had 61-starts this season and only 33-wins. While Thomas had 54-starts and 36-wins. So whats the big deal...? So Mason started more games giving him a better chance to improve his stats plus giving him the opportunity and possible edge when comparing records. Yet Thomas still finished the year ahead of Mason, so I guess I just don't get how some people think games played should have such a big impact on the outcome.
As for "The Tank" himself, Thomas ended the season leading the league in two of the main goaltendeing stat categories, goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.933%). No to mention the fact that he (along with Manny Fernandez) has already won the William M. Jennings Trophy this season for allowing the fewest total goals against out of all the teams in the league. Also the man even helped out the offense (once) by adding an assist to his resume this season. And this is when just talking about stats. Timmy also is an unofficial leader of the team on and off the ice, inspiring his team to always play with the passion he shows night in and night out. So in the end I say its a toss up between Mason and Thomas. but if one more person says Mason should win because he is a rookie then I'm going to stop blogging. How does someone deserve something more because they are a rookie? Makes no sense to me...
The flu that Thomas was reported to have doesn't look like it has cleared up like reports are saying. Manny needs to get to work and get that guy some DayQuil and then rub down his chest with some Vick's Vapor rub (no homo).
