Tim Thomas' Political Views Will Not Be a Distraction for the Boston Bruins

Tim Thomas posted another political message to his Facebook page on Wednesday but there's no reason this statement or any future ones will affect the Boston Bruins negatively because Thomas has posted these for months.

UPDATE: Thursday, Feb. 9 at 3:20 p.m.

Tim Thomas spoke to the media after an intense Bruins practice on Thursday but the conversation was short-lived when the goalie's Facebook post from Wednesday became the main talking point.

Per NBC Sports:

"

“I’m going to use my right to remain silent,” Thomas said, courtesy CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty. “You have the right to ask the questions and I have the right not to answer those questions.

“This is my job. Facebook is my personal life. If you guys don’t understand the difference between individual and job, there’s a problem.”

Thomas then said “I’m out…peace,” before ending the interview and walking away.

"

I applaud Thomas for sticking up for himself and his beliefs. The reporters have to ask these questions but Thomas is doing the smart thing by not commenting on his Facebook posts so the focus isn't taken away from hockey.

If Thomas or the Bruins aren't playing well, it's not because of his Facebook messages. Nathan Horton hasn't played recently because of concussion issues, Joe Corvo is struggling at both ends of the ice, and the team isn't playing physical enough.

Those are some reasons why the team is struggling. If Thomas starts to not play well, it's not going to be because his Facebook posts and the reaction to them are bothering him. He's very firm in what he believes and that's not going to change.

Thomas has the mental toughness to hear the criticisms of his political posts and not be negatively affected by them.

It doesn't matter if Thomas' Bruins teammates support his political beliefs, because at the end of the day, they knew that he felt this way before the White House incident, and it won't cause them to play any less hard for Thomas on the ice.

Thomas' latest post began with him supporting the Catholics, then he included a quote from notable anti Nazi theologian Martin Niemoller:

"

“I Stand with the Catholics in the fight for Religious Freedom.

“In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

"

Thomas has posted political statements on his Facebook page many times since becoming a player for the Bruins, but it has never been an issue until he refused to join the team at their White House visit last month.

His teammates know he has strong beliefs, but they have no reason to believe it will be a major distraction in the locker room or on the ice.

The Bruins players knew about Thomas' feelings toward many issues during the team's run to a Stanley Cup championship last spring, but it did not affect their ability to play for each other and accomplish their ultimate goal.

The Boston media has done a terrible thing by making a massive deal out of Thomas' political feelings. He has strong opinions, some of which you or I may not agree with, but as an American he has the right to say what he wants.

Why do hockey fans and the media care about his political beliefs when there's no evidence it's hurting his ability to stop pucks or distracting the team?

The Bruins are not playing well right now, and are 2-4 since visiting the White House, but don't believe for a second that the reason for their recent dip in performance has anything to do with Tim Thomas not going to the White House or because of his political messages on Facebook.

Tim Thomas has a right to believe what he wants, and the only thing Bruins fans should worry about is his ability to stop pucks and win games.

Until the team becomes distracted and the players have an issue with Thomas' political messages, there is absolutely no reason to care about his Facebook posts.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.