Tim Thomas

Tim Thomas was a big deal yesterday in his hometown of Flint, Mich., where the Bruins goalie had his day with the Stanley Cup. But in East Conway, N.H., Thomas is a really big deal.  Via the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce , we discovered the above photo of Thomas's image etched out into the corn field at Sherman Farm . Visitors to the farm are welcome to explore the maze beginning Sept....

Peter Chiarelli made it clear Friday afternoon, amid the solemn end-of-season locker cleanout at the Garden, that a first-round knockout in the playoffs won't compel him to make wholesale roster changes. So if anyone is conjuring up a big move - like, say, wishing Tim Thomas bon voyage - that ship isn't likely to sail. "I've seen speculation about us moving a goaltender," noted the Bruins general manager, "but I am not inclined to do that. " Now, "not inclined" in April can lead to lengthy, sincere explanations over the summer about why another club made an offer for Thomas...

Tim Thomas separated himself from his Bruins' teammates yesterday afternoon when he refused to join them at the White House, a day meant to celebrate their 2011 Stanley Cup championship. The two-time Vezina Trophy winner later in the day issued a statement, released by NHL.com and on Thomas's Facebook page just after 6 p.m., noting his disillusionment with the United States government and offering that as his reason not to stand with his team. "I believe the federal government has grown out of control," he stated, "threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people.

The no-movement clause in Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas's contract will expire on July 1. The same day, backup Tuukka Rask will become a restricted free agent. The Bruins could move Thomas and allocate part of his $5 million annual cap hit toward Rask's next contract. General manager Peter Chiarelli, however, downplayed any possibility of trading Thomas. "I know I've seen speculation about moving a goalie and all that stuff," Chiarelli said. "Certainly, I'm not inclined to do that.

Even Vezina Trophy winners can look human when staring down Steven Stamkos. In the first period, Stamkos foiled Tim Thomas with what the goalie termed a perfect shot - a wrister from the right circle that slipped through the puckstopper. In the third, during a power play, Stamkos set up at his preferred work station: the left circle. With the help of a Dennis Seidenberg screen, Stamkos hammered home a one-timer so fast that it would have needed clearance from air traffic control at Logan Airport.

TWO SECONDS. That's all it took. With 10 minutes and 43 seconds left in the game at TD Garden last May 23, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas squatted low and watched as an opponent reared his stick back. The Boston Bruins were leading the Tampa Bay Lightning 2 to 1 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Fortunately for Thomas, the shot fired by the Lightning's Eric Brewer whizzed past him 3 feet wide of the goal. But it's what happened next that entered those two seconds into the Greatest Boston Sports Moments and vaulted Thomas into the class of Orr, Havlicek, Bird, Vinatieri, and...

Some people hit the lottery. Tim Thomas conquered a sport. The oldest NHL player ever to win it all - a Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and a Vezina Trophy as the season's best goaltender - the 37-year-old Bruin became the king of hockey. Rags-to-riches royalty. Long a nowhere man - Thomas has spent most of his life overcoming hardship and a cavalcade of doubters - he emerged from leading the Bruins to their first championship since the Vietnam War to find himself in celebrity's golden embrace.

Tim Thomas never even saw the goal that ended the Bruins' season. He was locked in on Mike Knuble from the moment the puck hit the Capitals' forward in the shinpads and he started rushing toward the net trying to sneak in a scoring opportunity as Boston made a line change. Knuble had Joel Ward with him on his right side, but he had no intentions of passing it. "I was going right to the crease with that one," Knuble said. Thomas was waiting for him, sizing him up. "He had himself in a position - he's a big strong guy - to where it looked like he knew he could cut across...

WASHINGTON - While answering rapid-fire questions from reporters, Bruins goalie Tim Thomas maintained a strong gaze on the inquiring contingent, eyelids slightly drooped. A 4-3 overtime victory having forced a Game 7 Wednesday in Boston, Thomas was asked about playing in sudden death. How the pressure can creep into a goalie's head and shake his confidence. Especially when allowing a goal means the end of a season, as it would have for the Bruins Sunday at Verizon Center. Suddenly, Thomas's eyelids rose.

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas spoke to fans outside TD Garden before the rolling rally.

Tim Thomas never even saw the goal that ended the Bruins' season. He was locked in on Mike Knuble from the moment the puck hit the Capitals' forward in the shinpads and he started rushing toward the net trying to sneak in a scoring opportunity as Boston made a line change. Knuble had Joel Ward with him on his right side, but he had no intentions of passing it. "I was going right to the crease with that one," Knuble said. Thomas was waiting for him, sizing him up. "He had himself in a position - he's a big strong guy - to where it looked like he knew he could cut across the net or...

Hardly half an hour had passed since Joel Ward ended the Bruins' march toward a second Stanley Cup in two years. As the Bruins tried to process what had taken place - a 2-1 overtime loss to the Capitals Thursday night at TD Garden in Game 7 - assistant equipment manager Jim "Beets" Johnson made his way to every locker room stall. He wiped the blades clean and hung the skates on their pegs. Johnson placed each glove just so above the stalls. He swiped the visors and propped the helmets in place.

The nature of hockey, often full of curious endings, crazy calls, nutty bounces, and pinball justice, is that teams are often left with less than they deserve. That is not the case with the 2011-12 Bruins. The defending Stanley Cup champions wrapped up their season at the Garden Wednesday night, bounced from the playoffs in the first round for the first time since 2008, and they were never really close to being the team that last June won its first Cup in 39 years. In a series that saw all seven games decided by one goal (an NHL first)

Hardly half an hour had passed since Joel Ward ended the Bruins' march toward a second Stanley Cup in two years. As the Bruins tried to process what had taken place - a 2-1 overtime loss to the Capitals Thursday night at TD Garden in Game 7 - assistant equipment manager Jim "Beets" Johnson made his way to every locker room stall. He wiped the blades clean and hung the skates on their pegs. Johnson placed each glove just so above the stalls. He swiped the visors and propped the helmets in place.

By Gary Dzen, Globe Staff With all seven games in the series decided by one goal, it would be dishonest to pick apart the Bruins shortly after their Game 7 loss to the Capitals. The Bruins certainly could have won the series, and a bounce of the puck -- whether squarely onto Patrice Bergeron's stick or deftly away from Mike Knuble -- could have given the Bruins the win. But there are some reasons why the Bruins, the defending Stanley Cup champions and the conference's No. 2 seed, never took control of the series.

It was not a good New England winter for ice. Maybe that was a sign. The Boston Bruins, Stanley Cup champions who skated until mid-June in the glorious spring of 2011, are done for the season. The Spoked-Bs were sent home Wednesday night, losing Game 7 of their first-round series to the upstart Washington Capitals, 2-1, in the third minute of overtime, in front of a stunned TD Garden sellout crowd. Winger Joel Ward scored the winning goal, muscling the puck past Tim Thomas after a rush by former Bruin Mike Knuble.

Wondering where Tim Thomas (front right) was while his teammates were getting their heads shaved Wednesday? The Bruins goalie, who also bypassed the "Cuts for a Cause" fund-raiser last year before the B's won the Stanley Cup, was at Arbella Insurance in Quincy, cheering on 400 folks who will represent Arbella in Project Bread's annual Walk for Hunger May 6. Thomas pledged to partially match donations made by employees.