Conn Smythe Trophy: Should It Go to Tim Thomas Regardless of Who Wins the Cup?

First of all, I realize it is only Game 6, and anything can happen in the final two games between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. Having said that, I do not think it is premature to say that Boston’s goaltender, Tim Thomas, should win the Conn Smythe trophy barring a Game 6 meltdown. Vancouver fans may disagree, but as history has proven, the playoffs MVP must do a stellar job in the Cup finals in order to seal the deal. This is something majority of the candidates in Vancouver have struggled with, especially from the top two lines and inconsistent goaltender Roberto Luongo.

It has not been since the 2002-03 playoffs where we saw the last Conn Smythe trophy winner emerge from a losing team, and that was due to a Cinderella run from the seventh-seeded Anaheim Mighty Ducks. They were led by playoff MVP Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who posted many records only to lose in Game 7 to the New Jersey Devils.

So will Boston be forced to take it to a seventh game in order for Thomas to ultimately lock up the MVP award for the playoffs, or has the trophy already been decided, regardless of who wins Game 6 in Boston on Monday night?

There are several factors to analyze that look to prove Thomas already is guaranteed the trophy, including a breakdown of each series he has played through during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

 Round 1- Montreal

The series against Montreal was one of the best in the playoffs to date. It went all seven games and even went into overtime during Game 7, only to see Nathan Horton get the winner. Both goalies played in top form, but it was a moment during Game 5 in which Tim Thomas came up clutch as he robbed Montreal’s Brian Gionta on a 2-on-1 during the second overtime. The Bruins went on to win the game four minutes later and prompted Boston defensemen Dennis Seidenburg to remark after the series, "If he doesn't make that save, we wouldn't be here right now." His play throughout overtime during this series was the difference, as he posted a 3-0 OT record and Boston went on to face division rivals the Philadelphia Flyers in round two.

Round 2 - Philadelphia

Not much can be said about this series, mainly because Boston dominated almost every facet, and the Flyers had continuous goaltending issues. Amid the Bruins high level of offence, Tim Thomas also put up phenomenal numbers (GAA: 1.65 | Sv%: .953) and extended his OT record to 4-0, as they went on to sweep the team that beat them out of the 2010 playoffs. His play during this series was nothing short of brilliant, proven by his statistics.

Round 3 – Tampa Bay

This could be seen as Thomas’s worst series these playoffs, and is one that critics will point to statistically if they want to compare him with Roberto Luongo. Yet Thomas still posted two shutouts against the offensive Lightning, one coming during the crucial Game 7. Again, he came up clutch. His 24-save shutout during Game 7 was decisive, yet again, during a Game 5 situation (which many sports fans call the most important game) he came up with possibly the save of the playoffs by robbing Steve Downie of a game tying goal to preserve the momentum and the win. After Bruins coach Claude Julien was quoted as saying, "Timmy's been the reason why we're here right now,” it was clear that the Bruins net-minder established himself as the teams MVP.

Cup Finals – Vancouver

So far in the Stanley Cup Finals series, there is no question that Thomas has been the best player. His stats up to date, including the Vancouver series prove that he has been consistent (GAA: 2.07 | Sv%: .937). During the series he has, allowed six goals in five games with a shutout, compared to Luongo who has allowed fourteen goals in the same time span, but has two shutouts. Thomas just ended a five-period goal-less streak against the NHL’s highest scoring regular season team. The finals are not over yet, so I’m not going to make any predictions, but by going off the last five games, where we have seen questions revolving the starting role of Luongo, it is evident that the better goalie of the two so far has been Thomas. And this is where the question remains, has Luongo already played too inconsistently to earn the right of playoff MVP? For Vancouver, if not Luongo, then who else?

It has happened five times before in where the losing team provided the playoff MVP, four of those times it has been the opposing goaltender. So by process of elimination, is it hard to see Thomas as the inevitable winner of the coveted award? There is first of all, no comparison to Giguere in 2003, as Giggy finished with a 1.62 GAA, a .945 sv% and five shutouts. Not to mention the leading point scorer that playoffs was Jamie Langenbrunner with only 18. This year is much different as there were many possibilities coming into the finals including Luongo, Kesler, Krejci, the Sedin’s, and even Horton before his injury. But based on the first five games, only Krejci could emerge as the main competition, as history has proven that most Conn Smythe winners must play well in the championship series. This is something many of the top players on Vancouver have failed to do. Thomas has been clutch, consistent and exciting.

Therefore, regardless of the final two games result, unless a player like Kessler can produce two outstanding games combined with Vancouver winning the Cup, the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association will undoubtedly vote for Tim Thomas as playoff MVP.