Tim Thomas From Hero to Villain Within a Year

After the Bruins were eliminated by the Caps in the first round of the playoffs, more Thomas drama surfaced. This time the issue was the fact that after their Game 7 loss to the Washington Capitals Thomas referred to his teammates as “they” and not “we,” multiple times, feeding fuel to those who thought Thomas was a selfish person.

Truthfully, when that even became a "story" it was a bit ridiculous. Now? Not so much. Perhaps it was foreshadowing.

The Thomas criticism continued when there were reports of him moving his family out of Boston and to Colorado mid-season. Again, at the time this didn't seem like a big deal but all the pieces of the puzzle were finally put together on June 3, via Facebook:

“From the earliest age I can remember, I've wanted to be a hockey player. I've been blessed in my life to not only be able to live that dream, but to achieve more than I ever thought possible.

The singleminded focus that is necessary to accomplish a dream of this magnitude entails (by necessity) sacrifice in other areas and relationships in life.

At the age of 38, I believe it is time to put my time and energies into those areas and relationships that I have neglected. That is why at this time I feel the most important thing I can do in my life is to reconnect with the three F's.

Friends, Family, and Faith.

This is what I plan on doing over the course of the next year.

On top of this, I will continue to train using the ARP/POV system www.ultrafitevosport.com and work with G-Form www.g-form.com in the development of protective equipment.

What does this portend for the future?

We'll see….God's will be done.

TT “

That was all it took. Thomas announcing his decision to sit out next year sent vibes around the hockey world, but they weren’t the same ones he produced just a year ago. There were those that criticized him for his actions -- like they did during the White House incident -- and there were those that respected his choice to miss next year.