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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 5, 2011

JENNIFER RAIMONDI: Good afternoon. I'm Jennifer Raimondi of the National Hockey League, and I'd like to welcome you to today's call. With us today we have Boston Bruins' forward Mark Recchi and goaltender Tim Thomas. Thanks to Mark and Tim for taking the time to join us and answer your questions.
Recchi is set to compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 15th time in his 22 NHL seasons. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and he ranks fifth on the Bruins in scoring this season with 48 points in 79 games.
Thomas has posted a 33-11-9 record in 55 appearances this season, leads the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage, and ranks second in shutouts.
We'll now open for questions.

Q. Just wanted to ask you, as a guy who split duty not 50/50 but obviously playing with Tuukka this year, he got in a lot of games, that's really becoming the standard in the league if you look at a guy like Luongo also playing a little less and Cory Snyder coming in. There's so many good goalies. Do you think the nature of being a No. 1 guy is changing in that maybe you won't be expected to play the 75 games as once upon a time you were versus now where it's kind of about getting two guys time and those two guys are really going to have to work together?
TIM THOMAS: Well, I don't think it's always been the case that goalies are playing 78 to 75 games. If I look back in history, there were a lot of tandems where it was more of a split. I'd have to look up stats and stuff, but I think it was pretty much one of the modern-day things that the goalies started to play that many games.
But I think since all the rule changes in the NHL and the way that the game has opened up and the chances that they have, I think it's much more difficult for the most part, unless you have a team that plays a very, very good trap, to play as many games as guys used to be able to there for a little while.

Q. I mean, is it good to have two guys pushing each other, too? Goaltending is such a funny spot in that only one guy can play. But if you have two guys who are really bringing it in practice even, can that help both guys?
TIM THOMAS: Well, I don't think it should be set up that way. I think you should be teammates and I think it should be more of a tandem thing than it is an actual competition, like when Zdeno Chara is on the ice, the other defensemen aren't competing against Zdeno Chara, they're all on the same team and they're all going towards the same goal. I think it just happens to be set up that way in the media more than it is in reality as far as the competition aspect.
I'm not competing against Tuukka, I'm competing against myself every night and trying to play to the highest level that I can. That's my standard. Not that I can play better than Tuukka or worse than Tuukka; that really has nothing to do with it. It really is whether I feel like I lived up to the level that I can play at on any given night.

Q. Mark, what were some of the similarities that you took away from the teams that you were on that won the Cup as opposed to maybe some of the other really good teams that you were on that didn't make it?
MARK RECCHI: Okay, the question was similarities to the two Cups and then teams that didn't make it? Is that what the question was?

Q. Yeah, what made them stand out, I guess.
MARK RECCHI: Well, obviously, number one, the two things that stood out is the depth on each team was great, how close the team was and held each other accountable and were very -- just a great group of guys. Obviously you have to be if you're going to go that far and you're going to go through stuff. You have to pull through together and you've got to build together through it, throughout the course of the season to build that trust, that strength, and the Playoffs are just going to -- hopefully you can stay healthy and move forward and keep going.
And obviously non-Playoff teams don't really -- a lot of times you don't have that. It could be young teams, could be a lot of different things. But there's lots of factors that play into not making the Playoffs. But obviously like you'll see on the Stars, they're a young team rebuilding, they're going in that direction. There's teams that just don't get off to good starts that just can't find their way again. They're supposed to be a Playoff team but they get lost and certain things happen and they can't get it back together.
You know, but I think obviously you want to be a team that's very strong and trust each other when it comes to Playoffs, and that's -- you can keep building and keep building your strengths throughout.

Q. Tim, I want to know with the Vezina voting just around the corner, how do you like your chances and who would be your pick?
TIM THOMAS: Well, that's a loaded question.

Q. Yeah, totally.
TIM THOMAS: Well, first of all, I don't really want to talk about my chances because all I can do is play. It's the GMs that vote on it. It's not like politics, thank goodness, where you've got to lobby for it.
You know, but as far as who would be my vote, I mean, selfishly of course I'm going to say myself. But you know, I do recognize that there are lots of other goalies out there that have had great years, Pekka Rinne has played great, Lundqvist has played great for the Rangers down the stretch, and you know, a lot could be said for a lot of the different goalies.

Q. Question for Mark. I was just wondering how you're doing physically at the end of another season at your age, and looking forward to another possible long run in the Playoffs, are you up to this?
MARK RECCHI: Absolutely, I feel great, yeah, ready to roll. You know, I hope we can go on a long run, and that's what we're planning on. But I definitely feel good physically. Nothing is nagging right now, and just getting lots of rest before it starts next week and be ready to roll.

Q. So you're not considering retirement at all, hasn't even entered your head, nor should it by the sound of things?
MARK RECCHI: You know, that's something at the end of the year I'll think about. You know, I hope we go on a long run and can make it easy, and I can just walk out on the high end. But we'll just see at the end of the season, see how I feel like I do every year right now and see if I'm able to train, see if I'm able to -- am I really going to be able to do what I need to do to get ready.
JENNIFER RAIMONDI: Thank you, Tim and Mark, for your time today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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