ATLANTA -– Tim Thomas wore the look of a kid in a candy store, which was understandable since he said he actually felt that way.
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| Tim Thomas loves every minute of this All Star weekend. (Getty Images) |
Thomas may have been a last minute addition to these festivities to the Eastern Conference team only because Martin Brodeur begged off, but he made no bones about coming to Atlanta with the intention of soaking up every minute.
"I think just making the NHL when you're older brings an appreciation to that accomplishment more than it might have to the younger kid and it's the same thing with an All-Star Game so I certainly don't take this for granted," said Thomas.
"For me actually, this is more than a dream come true because I didn't really dream about it. It always seemed too far away, too unattainable."
For most of his professional career, it probably was. Thomas had a standout college career at the University of Vermont and was a late-round draft of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994, but he spent the next couple of seasons bouncing around the minor leagues and then ended up establishing himself in Finland.
The Bruins brought him back to North America in 2002 as an insurance policy, but he spent most of the next two seasons in the American Hockey League, playing only four games for Boston. Thomas returned to Finland during the lockout, and when it was over, he was given his first real shot with the Bruins and finally established himself as an NHL goaltender.
Thomas became the team's No. 1 last season, and turned in decent numbers while playing a very acrobatic game for a bad team. But the Bruins obviously weren't convinced about Thomas, and traded for veteran Manny Fernandez during the summer. However, Fernandez has been out most of the season because of knee problems, and Thomas has grabbed hold of the position.
"It's paying off for him because he's worked hard and he's very competitive," Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. "He plays every puck in practice like it's a game."
Of course Thomas says he won't be that focused when he plays Sunday in Atlanta, unless its to remind the others on the ice to help him with his souvenirs from the event.
"I've got a lot of jerseys ordered and I need to get them all signed," Thomas said. "That's one of the cool things about being here."
Let 'em play
Coaches around the league are notorious for complaining about the work of referees on many nights, but Anaheim Ducks captain Chris Pronger isn't about to join the chorus.
In fact, the veteran defenseman and former Norris Trophy winner says he's actually quite pleased by what he called a more pragmatic interpretation of the rules by the guys in stripes.
"We are getting away with probably more from the top of the circles in with respect to little hook and things of that nature," Pronger said. "You're able to limit the elite players, the guys who are going to create the bulk of the chances which is a good thing for me."
Pronger, one of four members of the Stanley Cup champs on the Western Conference team, said that while players have learned to adapt better to the new rules since the lockout ended, referees have as well.
"You have to give them that leeway to judge whether that's the right time to call something," he said. "Like with five minutes left in a divisional game matchup, it's probably not the right time for some calls. The bulk of the refs understand that and let the players determine the game which is all we really ask of them."
What's in a name?
Despite being home to two of the last three Stanley Cup winners, the Southeast Division still can't seem to get any love.
With none of its teams ranking in the Eastern Conference's top eight as far as points go at the All-Star break, the derisive term "Southleast" keeps cropping up, especially from those who have a problem with the division's eventual winner automatically getting a third seed for the playoffs. But Southeast players say the numbers don't tell the real story about the division.
"The whole league has so much parity that everybody goes on winning streaks and losing streaks and keeps everything close," Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal said. "The thing is that we know it's a good division because we have two Cup winners and there are still a lot of games left so the point totals could change."
Even if they don't, Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun says it's wrong to suggest that no one from the Southeast really deserves to be a playoff team. He pointed to the Northwest Division race last year when four teams had playoff-worthy point totals, but only three earned a ticket to the dance.
"You can't say we have that many points because teams weren't doing so good, that's just the way sports works," Vokoun said. "Right now our division might benefit, but in other years you might be hurt by it so it all evens out."
And anyone who has a problem with that, well tough.
"We're competing very good with each other and everybody is beating each other," said Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier. "If people say the Southeast is not as good as other divisions, well that's their opinion, and I don't really care."
It was in the Stars
It's not uncommon for teams to go through a short term boost at least when a coach is fired during the season, but in Dallas the Stars turned their season around when general manager Doug Armstrong was let go in mid-November.
The Stars were barely a .500 team at the time, but they started finding some offense and winning games on a regular basis. Dallas is 28-20-5 and went into the break tied with San Jose for the Pacific Division lead.
Coincidence? Probably, says Dallas' leading scorer Mike Ribeiro.
"Maybe guys got scared to be traded," Ribeiro said with a laugh. "Usually you change coaches or players to have an impact on team but with us I think it was just a matter of guys starting to bear down.
"We were playing okay at the beginning of the season, not great, but we had a lot of leads that we let go in third periods and after that we just got smart. We have a good team. We just have to play the way we can consistently."
They said it
"Guys respect guys who didn't have it handed to them, who had to work for that and he's definitely one of those guys. To have him here is great not only for him, but the other players someone like that being here" -- Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood on fellow All Star Tim Thomas
