If the 2.74 goals allowed average, .913 save percentage, and 5-3-0 record that Tim Thomas produced in January looks familiar to you, it's likely because you've seen something very similar before. Last February Thomas, in 7 starts, compiled a record of 4-3-0, with a 2.74 GAA and .906 save percentage. What happened from March (really the last 2 starts in February) on, as we all know is history. In his last 13 regular season starts, Thomas went 7-3-3 with a 2.09 GAA and a .934 save percentage. He then followed that up with an even more impressive run to a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy, going 16-9, with a 2.06 GAA and .937 save percentage in the playoffs.
The lesson, as always, is you never want to be too quick to count out Tim Thomas, who has made a career out of proving people wrong. As the 2nd half of the season gets into full gear, it will be really interesting to see if one of the great sports stories of our generation can deliver a repeat performance.