Boston Bruins' Tim Thomas Turns Down Invitation to White House

President of the United States Barack Obama hosted his annual Stanley Cup visit to the White House Monday afternoon, however, not every member of the championship-winning Boston Bruins team was present.

The Bruins' star goaltender Tim Thomas declined the invitation to attend the visit, in which Obama congratulated the team for both their Stanley Cup win, and their work in the community. 

Thomas was a vital part of the Bruins' winning the Stanley Cup, as his .938 SVP and 2.00 GAA were enough to win him the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie last season.

He was instrumental in getting the Bruins into the playoffs, where he posted an even better .940 SVP and 1.98 GAA, en route to a shutout in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He was honored for his heroic playoff antics by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Thomas later released a statement on his Facebook page regarding the incident. It reads as follows:

"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. 

This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. 

Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL. 

This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"