Yesterday's 1-0 win over the New York Rangers gave the Bruins enough points to officially claim the Eastern Conference title, effectively guaranteeing the team home-ice advantage for as long as they are in the Eastern portion of the playoff table.They may, in fact, still be able to leap-frog the Sharks for the President's Trophy (most points in the League), as the Sharks only stand one-point ahead of the B's as of this morning's writing. To do so would give the B's home-ice advantage in every round of the playoffs, including the Finals. While it makes it hard to type, my fingers are crossed that they can reach the Finals to take advantage of this.
Yesterday's win was remarkable on a few fronts. The shut-out was Tim Thomas' 5th of the year, and his first since inking a 4-year, $20 million dollar deal with the Bruins on Thursday. Thomas was set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent this summer, and there was a lot of talk about whether he would test the open market as this may be his last opportunity to find that giant payday that every UFA desires. Instead he chose a fair deal with the one NHL team that has given him the chance to prove himself at the highest level, and he rewarded the team with his loyalty.
For his part, Thomas is currently the NHL leader in goals-against average and save percentage, and this year enjoyed his second consecutive first-team All-Star appearance. To my mind, he is on that short list of players on the Bruins' squad that could have been born to be Bruins: he's the ultimate underdog, remaining signed (by Colorado) but not playing in the bigs before being cut, then posting League MVP rankings in other professional leagues before being given another shot at the NHL (ridiculous in the face of so many porous goalies who are still kicking around the league – particularly in Colorado), his style (and gear!) is unorthodox but ridiculously effective, and he he's a tremendous competitor, never giving up on a play and always playing with pride, even when the odds seem stacked against him.
That last point was especially evident in yesterday's match up against the Rangers. During a routine stoppage in play, Thomas was in front of his crease, stretching, when Uber-Douche Sean Avery skated by and clocked Thomas in the back of the head with his stick. In typical Avery fashion, he then just skated away like it was completely unintentional, obviously expecting no retribution for his bullshit.
Thomas, who clearly has no fear of mixing it up with anyone, got up and charged Avery, punching him in the back of the head, and drilling Frederik Sjostrom in the face when he came in to Avery's defense (surely an unpalatable situation for any of Avery's teammates), as other players went to work on Avery. In the typical form of NHL justice, Avery and Thomas were both given minor penalties on the play.
After the game, Thomas explained that he actually enjoys competing against Avery's tenacity during the game, but in being clubbed in the back of the head with a stick, intentionally, during a stoppage in play, Avery once again shows that he has trouble understanding what everyone else sees as the normal boundaries of competition in the NHL.
Personally, I don't want to spend any of my time thinking or writing about Avery, who is little more than Steve Downie with a Vogue subscription, but I will say that I hope someone fills him in (and smartens him up) in a manner not dissimilar to what Jordan Tootoon recently experienced. If there's any lesson the NHL seems to teach again and again, it's that what goes around, comes around.
And that lesson (in a positive sense) was just reiterated to Thomas, whose commitment to the every shot on every play for the Bruins was recently rewarded with a new contract. Just in time for a nice, long playoff run. Fingers crossed.
Of Note: The B's have not registered 50 wins since the 1992-93 season; if the playoffs started today, the Bruins would face these same Rangers in the first round; by re-signing Thomas the Bruins have slotted in one piece of the UFA puzzle – questions remain about whether Fernandez will be re-signed in the off-season, or whether Tuuka Rask will be brought up from Providence to back up Thomas; the Bruins' next game is on Tuesday, against the Senators in Ottawa.
5 comments:
Ok I'm not trying to defend Avery (and nice description by the way - Downie with a Vogue subscription - though I think Avery has better and more manicured hands) but...
I wouldn't go so far as to say he "clubbed" TT in the back of the head. He ran his stick into the back of his helmetted head. Certainly lame and an attempt to piss TT off (success!) but we're not talking Marty McSorley here. No?
ever been hit in the head with a stick?
if you watch the footage carefully, even though avery pretends to be looking away, he gives a short, sharp chop with his hands just as the stick nears the back of thomas' head. ie: a club.
but no, we're not talking mcsorley. of course not.
i don't think it was an attempt to chop his head right off, but i think it was comparable to an elbow to the face, or a butt end. nothing that would break you in half, but something you would feel, for sure.
that's all i was trying to get across, that it was hard enough to feel. guys in the NHL get penalties for lighter taps with the stick (ie: accidentally tapping a guy as you try to bring your arms over on an inside-out).
btw: are you and avery dating now? i figure he's probably NOT seeing alisha cuthbert anymore....
i dont date elisha's sloppy seconds.
well i guess we'll just disagree as to how hard that "chop" was. TT takes 100 mph slap shots off that helmet. my mild dislike of avery is vastly overshadowed by my heavy hatred of "the code" and TT's response felt like the "don't you disrepect me" kind of retaliatory violence the NHL needs to get rid of (i think its a worse problem than the sean averys of the league). although... it IS TIM THOMAS and dude gets wound up over ANYTHING.
i should say - i DO love thomas BECAUSE he gets fired up at the drop of a hat. is rask going to be his back-up next year? THAT guys fit a month ago was awesome.
well, i know what yr saying. tt does fly off the handle and then comes back and chops the handle up and kills the handle's family. and that's why he's awesome.
and i DO know what yr saying about "the code" (i assume this code is "nobody messes with our goalie ever", right?), but i'm not convinced that this was what was going on here. i think this has more to do with avery himself.
i think tt's comments about actually respecting avery's tenacity, etc., means that getting messed with during the play is just part of the job; ie: TT would expect it and roll with it in kind, you know? that's why tt likes avery (and pro'lly why you do too).
but any kind of extra-curricular stuff after the play from avery should be dealt with pretty fast and pretty severely. because its avery. nothing is accidental with him.
i would feel the same way if (MTL's) latendresse "accidentally" ran someone from behind. or if tootoo "finished a check" on an obvious icing call, etc. or, if jaarko ruuutuuu took a slapshot a few beats after the whistle on the off-side. some dudes are repeat offenders with such things, i guess, and the reaction is - and should be - in kind.
we can disagree on the clubbing, but NOT on the fact that the handle (and its family) gets exactly what it deserves.
well the "dont mess with our goalie" is only one aspect of 'the code". let me put it a different way.
if avery chops tt after the whistle... if jaarko takes a shot after the whistle... the refs should deal with it. it shouldnt result in a five on five brawl. if the refs dont see it and TT jumps avery then so be it - TT takes the rap - not every crime in this world gets punished fairly. and if avery gets caught doing that, give him 10 and a game.
this is probably in light of all this talk about whether there should be fighting in the NHL.
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