SportsNation Blog Archives Tim Thomas

Did Tim Thomas put himself before team?

January 24, 2012

Jan

Selfish act or principled stand?

Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas wasn't with the Bruins when they visited the White House to be honored as Stanley Cup champions. Thomas explained his political objections on Facebook.

Is there a right time to speak out?

Whether it's visiting the White House or the recent controversy about the MLB All-Star Game in Arizona, should athletes make political statements?

Is Thomas still the best goalie in town?

Thomas was also notably absent in a weekend showdown against the Rangers, as the Bruins opted instead for Tuukka Rask (above, left).

Our hockey gurus give you their take on the proper pecking order in professional hockey each week with the ESPN.com Power Rankings, but that's only part of the equation. What's your take on the contenders, the pretenders and everyone else?

Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche
26-22-2, 54 PTS

Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks
29-14-6, 64 PTS

Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets
13-28-6, 32 PTS

Blues

St. Louis Blues
29-12-6, 64 PTS

Bruins

Boston Bruins
31-13-2, 64 PTS

Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens
18-21-9, 45 PTS

Canucks

Vancouver Canucks
29-15-4, 62 PTS

Capitals

Washington Capitals
25-19-3, 53 PTS

Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes
21-20-8, 50 PTS

Devils

New Jersey Devils
26-19-2, 54 PTS

Ducks

Anaheim Ducks
18-22-7, 43 PTS

Flames

Calgary Flames
23-20-6, 52 PTS

Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers
28-14-5, 61 PTS

Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes
17-24-9, 43 PTS

Islanders

New York Islanders
19-21-6, 44 PTS

Jets

Winnipeg Jets
22-20-6, 50 PTS

Kings

Los Angeles Kings
23-16-10, 56 PTS

Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning
20-23-4, 44 PTS

Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs
23-19-5, 51 PTS

Oilers

Edmonton Oilers
17-26-4, 38 PTS

Panthers

Florida Panthers
22-15-10, 54 PTS

Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins
27-17-4, 58 PTS

Predators

Nashville Predators
28-16-4, 60 PTS

Rangers

New York Rangers
30-12-4, 64 PTS

Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings
32-15-1, 65 PTS

Sabres

Buffalo Sabres
19-24-5, 43 PTS

Senators

Ottawa Senators
27-17-6, 60 PTS

Sharks

San Jose Sharks
26-14-5, 57 PTS

Stars

Dallas Stars
24-21-2, 50 PTS

Wild

Minnesota Wild
23-18-7, 53 PTS

Your Rankings

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SUBMIT

Comment »

Crosby Doesn't Have Ovechkin's Hart

June 19, 2009

Jun

Earlier this week, Tony Kornheiser joked on "PTI" that Sidney Crosby ought to pull up to Alex Ovechkin's house and honk away until his rival came out to admire the Stanley Cup. The only problem is Ovechkin could now answer the door with his arms full of Hart Trophies.

A week after the Penguins stunned the Red Wings in Detroit, NHL luminaries gathered in Las Vegas (Las Vegas?) to hand out the season's other hardware. Winners included Columbus goalie Steve Mason as top rookie, Boston's Zdeno Chara as biggest human on skates (and best defenseman) and fellow Beantown resident Tim Thomas as top goalie.

They also included Ovechkin, who became the first player since Dominik Hasek more than a decade ago to win the Hart Trophy in back-to-back years as the league's MVP. And in SportsNation's eyes, winning the top individual honor twice by the age of 23 is more impressive than captaining the Stanley Cup champions at 21.

Then again, SportsNation would have handed the Hart to Evgeni Malkin.

“
Malkin is the best player in the game today when you take everything into consideration (Crosby 2nd, Ovechkin 3rd). Ovechkin is the best offensive player in the NHL and I love how he hits and plays physical, but he can't play a stitch of defense. Crosby is a great player and can play all around, but his defense is just solid at best and his finishing skills need work. Malkin needs work on his finishing as well, but is ahead of Sid in that regard and he has really stepped up his defensive efforts over the past 2 years - especially the past 4 months.
” -- skas412

“
If it were an award for point scoring- there wouldn't be voting. If it were an award for not turning it over- there wouldn't be voting. If it were an award for shooting percentage, shots taken, or assists- there wouldn't be voting. It is a SUBJECTIVE award based on perceived value to a players own team. In theory, a player could win the award without scoring a single goal- so don't throw individual stats out to compare.
” -- vweaver69