Tim Thomas: From NHL Castaway to Vezina Favorite

"Is this real?"

This question has undoubtedly ran through the mind of Bruins netminder Tim Thomas at one point or another during his incredible season in between the iron for the Boston Bruins.

Tim Thomas, yes the same Tim Thomas who just five years ago found himself playing in Europe wondering if he'd ever have another chance to step on an NHL rink is finally just a few votes away from reaching a milestone his career rightfully deserves.

Tim Thomas, who turned 35 in April has seemingly gotten better every year during his tenure in Boston. Called up as an injury replacement for Hannu Toivonen in the midst of the horrid 2005-06 season, Thomas immediately earned a reputation as a wild-man in net. His style, or lack thereof made him a unique character on a rebuilding Bruins team.

As the season continued, Thomas eventually took over for the near useless Andrew Raycroft and went 12-13-10 with a .917 SV%. He was rewarded witha 3-year contract extension at mid-March and with the trading of Andrew Raycroft to Toronto, the job of full time starter for Boston was Thomas' for the taking.

Thomas went 30-29-4 with the Bruins in 2006-07 as the team failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Thomas' numbers drop was often attributed to coach Dave Lewis' "over-working" of The Tank, who before 2006 had never played more than 54 games in any setting.

Despite Thomas' play, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli felt that the team had lacked the 'number one' goalie needed to guide the team back into the playoffs. This put the Bruins in the market for a goaltender, and the they got one.

On July 1, the Bruins went out and traded for Minnesota Wild netminder and Jennings Trophy co-winner Manny Fernandez in exchange for prospect Petr Kalus and a 2009 4th round pick.

However, fate found Thomas' in Boston's crease yet again. After Fernandez went down with a season-ending knee injury just four games into his tenure with the Bruins, Thomas was once again relied on to be the starter in Boston's push for the playoffs. 

A new coach and style of play found Thomas in a favorable position, his numbers went up, and for the first time in his career Thomas was playing in the NHL All-Star Game. Thomas continued to lead the Bruins and played a pivotal role in the team's return to the playoffs and near upset of the number one seeded Montreal Canadiens. 

To put it simply, the 2008-09 season was Thomas' year. He dominated virtually every goaltending categoryin the NHL, finishing with the best SV percentage (.933) and GAA (2.10) among all NHL goalies. He continued to play up to his numbers during the Bruins bid for their first Stanley Cup in 37 years. 

With no disrespect to the seasons of Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom and Columbus phenom Steve Mason, there's no conceivable reason why Thomas will not be leaving the Sin City without some hardware and an answer of "Yes, this is real." You've earned it.