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Tim Thomas says that he doesn’t have any issues with Roberto Luongo

Boston Bruins v Vancouver Canucks - Game Seven

during Game Seven of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Bruce Bennett

There are quite a few revenge cliches out there, but I prefer the upbeat tone of “Living well is the best revenge.”

Practically speaking, that advice might fall a bit short of being useful for many people. When you’re angry with someone, it’s tough to imagine your own triumphs burning that opponent as much as a direct confrontation. In most cases, it should probably be said that “Living well is the best [way to avoid the messy consequences of] revenge.”

Sports are one of the rare places in which you can put that philosophy to direct use, though. Winning individual trophies and the Stanley Cup must be the best hockey example of “living well,” so it makes sense when Tim Thomas says that he has no issues with Roberto Luongo, whom he beat out for the Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup in 2010-11.

Perhaps Thomas should even thank Luongo for deflating his tires in that championship round. It’s hard to imagine a player getting more inspiration to succeed than the chance to raise the Cup, but Thomas was also asked to defend his unorthodox style even after proving its merit countless times during the winding road that has been his NHL career.

Luongo recently admitted that he regrets his comments about Thomas during that seven-game series, but
Thomas reiterated that he doesn’t have any hard feelings for Bobby Lou.

Tim Thomas had his second day with the Stanley Cup on Saturday, taking the trophy back to his alma mater the University of Vermont, where he played four seasons (1993-97) and led the Catamounts to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, including a Frozen Four in 1996.

Thomas was asked about his unorthodox goaltending style, and he referenced that opponents still question his technique. Following a press conference at the university, Thomas was asked if he had the chance to speak with Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo -- who earlier this summer admitted that he regretted questioning Thomas’ goaltending style following Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals -- at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

Thomas said it was never an issue as far as he was concerned.

“That was the media,” Thomas said. “We’re fine.”


At this point in his career, Thomas shouldn’t have much more to prove. Thomas proved that his first Vezina Trophy season wasn’t a fluke by adding another one to his mantle while also earning a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy. Going forward, his feisty competitive spirit (and maybe a dark horse candidacy for a Hall of Fame bid?) are the two things that might drive him to maintain his place as an all-world goalie.

Thomas is probably used to slights after fighting through European leagues and finally finding a place in the NHL, so it’s nice that he’s not bothered by those comments - or at least he’s saying the right things publicly. His opponents might want to think twice about critiquing his style in the future, though.