So How Good Was Tim Thomas This Year?

Not only is Tim Thomas one of the nicest, most humble guys in the NHL, he was clearly the best goalie in the league, in the regular season as well as the post season. His Stanley Cup Finals play may have been the best in history in a seven game series, when he only allowed eight goals in seven games, setting an all time record.

Thomas was the clear-cut Conn Smythe Trophy choice and was finally able to lift the Stanley Cup after last night's win. He is the odds on favorite to pick up the trifecta of hardware next Wednesday night at the NHL Awards Show in Las Vegas when the Vezina Trophy winner is announced.

Make the jump to see just how good he has been with information provided by NHL Media Services...


BRUINS' THOMAS WINS CONN SMYTHE TROPHY AS PLAYOFFS MVP

Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas has won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to “the most valuable player to his team in the playoffs.” The winner is selected in a vote by a panel of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Flint, Michigan native is the second U.S.-born player to take the Conn Smythe, joining New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch in 1994, and, at 37 years of age, is the oldest Conn Smythe recipient.

Thomas was the Bruins' only goaltender during their Stanley Cup-winning run, finishing the playoffs with a 16-9 record, 1.98 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and four shutouts.

Thomas Statistics, Series-By-Series

Series GP Mins W L GAA SV% SO
Eastern Conf. QF vs. Montreal 7 454 4 3 2.25 .926 0
Eastern Conf. SF vs. Philadelphia 4 254 4 0 1.65 .953 0
Eastern Conf. Final vs. Tampa Bay 7 417 4 3 2.73 .916 2
Stanley Cup Final vs. Vancouver 7 417 4 3 1.15 .967 2
TOTAL 25 1542 16 9 1.98 .940 4

Thomas' Playoff Highlights

* set NHL record for most saves in one playoff year (798)

* set NHL record for most shots faced in one playoff year (849)

* set NHL record for most saves in the Stanley Cup Final (238)

* fourth all-time for most shots faced in the Stanley Cup Final (246)

* finished with an 11-1 record when facing 35 or more shots

* led all NHL goaltenders in goals-against average (1.98) and save percentage (.940) and shared lead in shutouts (four) in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs

* became the first goaltender in NHL history to post a shutout on the road in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final

* posted a 1.15 goals-against average in the Stanley Cup Final, the lowest in the modern era among goaltenders with at least five appearances

* posted a .967 save percentage in the Stanley Cup Final, third all-time and tops among goaltenders with at least five appearances

* became the 13th goaltender since 1927 to post multiple shutouts in the Stanley Cup Final (two)

* made 52 saves on 54 shots in the Bruins 3-2 win at Philadelphia in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal

* stopped all 24 shots in posting a 1-0 shutout victory over Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final

* posted the first shutout by a Bruins goaltender in the Stanley Cup Final since May 18, 1978, when Gerry Cheevers made 16 saves to blank Montreal 4-0 in Game 3 at Boston Garden (Game 3)

Thomas' Regular-Season Highlights

*Thomas enjoyed a record-setting bounce-back season after undergoing off-season hip surgery.

*He won his first eight decisions, which broke a club record set by Tiny Thompson in 1937-38, and won his first nine road games -- becoming the first NHL goaltender to do so since Chicago's Glenn Hall in 1965-66.

*The 2009 Vezina Trophy winner finished the season with a 35-11-9 record and .938 save percentage, eclipsing Dominik Hasek's .937 with Buffalo in 1998-99 as the best since the statistic was introduced in 1976-77.

*Thomas also led all goaltenders in goals against average (2.00) and ranked second in shutouts (nine).

More Later...

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