WASHINGTON, DCTim Thomas was the first goaltender off the ice at Verizon Center at Mondays morning skate, and will get the call for the Bruins against the Washington Capitals in Game 3.
There may be Obama masks or Yes, we can! chants waiting for the Bruins goaltender on the Caps home turf as the Washington hockey fans exact revenge against Thomas for skipping out on a meeting with the President back in January.
More than a pro-Obama crowd, it will be a pro-Capitals crowd, and it will do all it can to get underneath Thomas' skin.
Thomas has a .964 save percentage, a 0.83 goals against average and a shutout for the Bruins during this series as things head to the nations capital. But none of his Bs teammates are worried Thomas being thrown off his game in Washington.
Tuukka Rask, his goaltending partner for the last three seasons, was asked how Thomas might react if the Washington crowd is especially vitriolic toward him after dissing the POTUS.
Theyre going to be angry at him? I think everybody is angry at him because hes so good. You guys know him almost as well as I do. He doesnt give a shoot about that stuff, said Rask. It doesnt bother him at all.
Its one of the biggest parts of goaltending is staying calm and staying loose in the tight spots. Hes a veteran guy. Hes been around in the tight spots. Its one of those situations where overtimes or tough buildings away from home dont bother him at all.
You can see it in his face when hes smiling while the double-overtime is going on the other night. Hes not feeling that pressure at all.
So the Bruins are hoping that the Caps fans bring their Obama Fatheads or White House sing-song chants because its liable to make the dogged Thomas more determined than ever to quiet them when the final buzzer sounds.