LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — While most of his teammates can appreciate the history of their temporary training ground, Tim Thomas is the only Bruin to really feel the touch of history in Lake Placid.
Thomas is the only American to have played for the Bruins so far in their first-round playoff series against Montreal. With an extra day between games at the Bell Centre, the Bruins ventured away from the Montreal fishbowl and set up shop in Lake Placid for two days.
For Thomas, it was a chance to visit the spot where his own hockey dreams were born.
“I already had some inkling that I wanted to be a goalie, but those Olympics and Jim Craig sealed the deal,” said Thomas, who was 5 when Team USA shocked the hockey world by winning gold at the 1980 Olympics. “That’s why I became a goalie and my goal from age 5 until really probably about 20, was to play in the Olympics, not the NHL. Not that I didn’t want to play in the NHL, but the main goal was the Olympics.”
That became a goal for many American kids after a group of underdog U.S. college kids stunned the dominant Soviet Union squad, then completed the run to gold with a win over Finland.
“I’ve only been in the room for 30 seconds,” Thomas said while standing in the locker room where coach Herb Brooks gave his legendary pep talk to the club. “I haven’t had much time to take it in, but already in my head the wheels are turning, kind of recreating what happened those couple of weeks during the Olympics.”
Thomas visited Lake Placid once before, and actually got to play in the same rink as his Olympic heroes when his University of Vermont squad played in the ECAC Championships there during his junior year. But this trip has allowed Thomas a little more time to really experience the history of the place.
“It was kind of a blur,” Thomas said of his visit with Vermont. “We kind of came in, played and left. I didn’t really get to see too much of the town or the arena. I was too focused at the time. But that’s another reason it’s nice to be here. On non game days you can kind of relax and soak it in and see where history was made without the pressure of having a game.”
Thomas fulfilled his Olympic dreams while playing for Team USA last year in Vancouver, where the Americans took home the silver medal. And while he’s enjoying the chance to experience American hockey history, his focus is strictly on the NHL these days and the ongoing battle with Montreal in particular.
The Bruins opened the series with two straight losses at home before winning Game 3 in Montreal on Monday. Despite falling behind in the series, Thomas doesn’t see the Bruins being in need of any miracles.
“We’ll see on Thursday, but really the main focus is already switching to Thursday and playing in Montreal,” Thomas said. “This isn’t the Olympics. It wouldn’t be a miracle if we were able to win Thursday. It’s a totally different situation.”
For Thomas, nothing can compare to the miracle that helped change the course of his hockey life.
“It’s more inspirational in life than to this one game in Montreal coming up,” Thomas said. “This was a huge moment for hockey in the United States and also just for the United States as a country. In 1980, we were coming out of the stagflation of the 1970s. We were in a Cold War with Russia. The Russian team was supposed to be unbeatable, and a team of college kids was able to put it together and basically have a miracle tournament. So that really is on a whole different, higher level than Boston and Montreal. Now if it was the Stanley Cup Finals it might be different, but this is the first round. It’s very, very important, don’t get me wrong, but the Miracle on Ice was a totally different beast.”
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — While most of his teammates can appreciate the history of their temporary training ground, Tim Thomas is the only Bruin to really feel the touch of history in Lake Placid.
Thomas is the only American to have played for the Bruins so far in their first-round playoff series against Montreal. With an extra day between games at the Bell Centre, the Bruins ventured away from the Montreal fishbowl and set up shop in Lake Placid for two days.
For Thomas, it was a chance to visit the spot where his own hockey dreams were born.
“I already had some inkling that I wanted to be a goalie, but those Olympics and Jim Craig sealed the deal,” said Thomas, who was 5 when Team USA shocked the hockey world by winning gold at the 1980 Olympics. “That’s why I became a goalie and my goal from age 5 until really probably about 20, was to play in the Olympics, not the NHL. Not that I didn’t want to play in the NHL, but the main goal was the Olympics.”
That became a goal for many American kids after a group of underdog U.S. college kids stunned the dominant Soviet Union squad, then completed the run to gold with a win over Finland.
“I’ve only been in the room for 30 seconds,” Thomas said while standing in the locker room where coach Herb Brooks gave his legendary pep talk to the club. “I haven’t had much time to take it in, but already in my head the wheels are turning, kind of recreating what happened those couple of weeks during the Olympics.”
Thomas visited Lake Placid once before, and actually got to play in the same rink as his Olympic heroes when his University of Vermont squad played in the ECAC Championships there during his junior year. But this trip has allowed Thomas a little more time to really experience the history of the place.
“It was kind of a blur,” Thomas said of his visit with Vermont. “We kind of came in, played and left. I didn’t really get to see too much of the town or the arena. I was too focused at the time. But that’s another reason it’s nice to be here. On non game days you can kind of relax and soak it in and see where history was made without the pressure of having a game.”
Thomas fulfilled his Olympic dreams while playing for Team USA last year in Vancouver, where the Americans took home the silver medal. And while he’s enjoying the chance to experience American hockey history, his focus is strictly on the NHL these days and the ongoing battle with Montreal in particular.
The Bruins opened the series with two straight losses at home before winning Game 3 in Montreal on Monday. Despite falling behind in the series, Thomas doesn’t see the Bruins being in need of any miracles.
“We’ll see on Thursday, but really the main focus is already switching to Thursday and playing in Montreal,” Thomas said. “This isn’t the Olympics. It wouldn’t be a miracle if we were able to win Thursday. It’s a totally different situation.”
For Thomas, nothing can compare to the miracle that helped change the course of his hockey life.
“It’s more inspirational in life than to this one game in Montreal coming up,” Thomas said. “This was a huge moment for hockey in the United States and also just for the United States as a country. In 1980, we were coming out of the stagflation of the 1970s. We were in a Cold War with Russia. The Russian team was supposed to be unbeatable, and a team of college kids was able to put it together and basically have a miracle tournament. So that really is on a whole different, higher level than Boston and Montreal. Now if it was the Stanley Cup Finals it might be different, but this is the first round. It’s very, very important, don’t get me wrong, but the Miracle on Ice was a totally different beast.”
