Tim Thomas was drafted in 1994 by the Quebec Nordiques with 217th overall pick. (Courtesy of mlive.com)

Written by Carter Hochman

As a Bruins fan, it’s almost impossible to forget the prodigious performance that Tim Thomas had in the 2011 season and postseason in particular. It was arguably the greatest postseason play by any NHL goaltender in history.

He had Boston fans pulling their hair out as he miraculously stopped breakaway after breakaway in style. Winning both the Vezina and Conn Smythe trophies were an accurate representation of his 2011 season. The Vezina trophy is given to the National Hockey League’s (NHL) goaltender who is “adjudged to be the best at this position”, according to the NHL, and the Conn Smythe trophy is given to the “most valuable player for his team” in the National Hockey League playoffs. It was Thomas’ second Vezina winning season (his first was in 2009).

Throughout the 2011 playoffs, Thomas posted a .940 save percentage, 1.98 goals against average and added four shutouts. He also wrote his name on three NHL records in the process. He amassed 798 saves; the most by any goaltender in the postseason. He faced a total of 849 shots, again, the most by any goaltender in the post-season. And in the final series against Vancouver alone, he made a total of 238 saves, the most in the history of the NHL.

Tim Thomas was truly the backbone of that 2011 Stanley Cup winning season. It’s a season that Bruins fans everywhere will remember and continue to get goose bumps.