[ad_1]
Rick Middleton will become the eleventh player in the history of the Boston Bruins franchise to see his number dropped Thursday night, 30 years after his retirement.
Honoring Middleton has left a doubt about who the next Bruin could be, and some are pointing to the Stanley Cup goalkeeper. Tim Thomas.
Asked about Thomas, Bruins president Cam Neely did not rule out his 30-number draw, but said it was unlikely because of the club's short but successful goalie career.
"There is no doubt, this team in 2011, what it meant for the Bruins and New England fans. Timmy, what he did in the playoffs, not just in the final, but in all the playoffs, was pretty impressive, "said Neely at The Athletic. "I do not want to exclude anything, but if you look at some of these guys, they have a bigger sample of what they've been doing throughout their Boston career."
Thomas played 378 games during his eight-year term with the Bruins, posting a record of 196-121-45. He won two Vezina trophies during his tenure and received the Conn Smythe Trophy while leading the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup in 39 years in 2011.
He holds the NHL All-Goals career playoff percentage in the playoffs at 0.933, and has supported the Bruins in four consecutive playoffs after taking the lead role. in 2007.
Of the 11 players whose numbers were removed by the Bruins, Lionel Hitchman appeared in the smallest games, also at 378, although his number was withdrawn in 1934. The seven Bruins to be removed their number since 1975 (Bobby Orr, John Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, Terry O'Reilly, Neely and Middleton), all participated in more than 500 games with the franchise.
The Bruins have never canceled the number of goalkeepers, despite elders including Gerry Cheevers, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, who supported the Stanley Cup two-game team. Cheever also wore number 30 for the Bruins.
"I must also look at the story of who was placed there, why and who was not," said Neely. "There must be reasons why, long before I had the opportunity to make such decisions."
The time Thomas spent with the Bruins ended horribly when he decided to end the 2012-13 season, leaving the Bruins a $ 5 million loss. The team exchanged their rights against the New York Islanders on the trade deadline in 2013, although it never played a game with the Islanders.
He returned to the league for the 2013-14 season and played 48 games with the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars before announcing his retirement. He also made headlines for his decision not to return the team's visit to the White House in 2011.
"Tim is a unique individual," said Neely. "I have nothing bad to say about him. Everyone has their own opinions and values - things that happen in their own lives and that you may not understand. For me, it's more about what you did on and off the ice, mostly on the ice, for a long time if you were a Bruins player. "
[ad_2]
Source link
