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NHL STANLEY CUP FINALS: BRUINS v CANUCKS

June 14, 2011

Tim Thomas

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA: Practice Day

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tim Thomas.

Q. Tim, just kind of, your thoughts on the plane ride and what you were thinking of and how excited are you for the opportunity tomorrow night?
TIM THOMAS: The plane ride I'm sure for both teams is never enjoyable. That's a long plane ride. Both teams have to go through it. We're here, that's good. Both teams I'm sure are getting ready for tomorrow, and, you know, it's Stanley Cup finals Game 7. Not much more needs to be said, you know.

Q. Tim, just wondering, you played a couple of Game 7s in this postseason. Is there any different feeling as you get ready for a Stanley Cup versus Tampa or Montreal Game 7s?
TIM THOMAS: Every one is different, the one against Montreal we played Game 6 the night before, so we traveled back to Boston and it was a funny day. This time we had a day off in between. If anything that would be similar to the Tampa one with the day off between the game.
Nothing really changes. It's a long series and a long playoffs for both teams. I believe we both played the same exact amount of games, right?

Q. Yes.
TIM THOMAS: So the same rule that applied earlier in the series applies now. It's up to the individual players on each team to get as much rest as they can and to get their bodies and their minds as ready to play to do the job as they can for tomorrow.

Q. Just wondering, with your career, if you could speak to the feeling of needing to cease this moment tomorrow not knowing when you'll ever get it again or if you will ever get it again.
TIM THOMAS: Yep, the reality is, for me anyways, this may be the only Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals that I ever have in my career. If we happen to make it again, hopefully we can win before 7. But it's a big game. When we're in the garage or driveway playing as a kid and you're fantasizing, well, I was Stevie Yzerman, which doesn't make sense for a goalie, but you're saying to yourself, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, you're not saying Game 6, you know?
So this is really, you know, what every kid dreams about.

Q. As a hockey club, Tim, how much pressure are you guys feeling going into Game 7?
TIM THOMAS: I wouldn't call it pressure like that. It's more we want to win. We want to win. We want all the work that we've put into this whole season and this whole playoffs to payoff and accomplish that goal that we've set ourselves towards, which is winning the Stanley Cup.
I can only speak for myself, but I'm not thinking of it as pressure. I'm thinking of it more of this is the reality. The series is tied 3-3; Game 7 tomorrow; we're on the road; we have to find a way to win this game to get what we want, which we all know what that is.

Q. Obviously every guys wants to win the cup individually, but do you feel like your teammates somewhere might want to win the cup for you, also?
TIM THOMAS: I can't speak for them, I know I want to win the Cup for them, so I'm assuming the feeling is mutual. I guess I can speak for them, I'm sure that, you know, some of them would say that they want to win the Cup for me, but the feeling is mutual. I want to win the Cup for them, too.

Q. You started in Prague, how long ago does that seem now?
TIM THOMAS: It does seem like a long time ago. I'm not going to lie.
It's really not the time to look back here because we've got to look forward to tomorrow, but, you know, we've been through a lot as a team. Not just Prague, but we had a team bonding thing in Vermont and there is a lot of things that led us to build throughout the year that has allowed us to be in the position where we're at, to have the opportunity that we have.

Q. Tim, as we're standing here going into Game 7 --
TIM THOMAS: You're sitting, so am I (laughter).

Q. Sitting, standing, whatever. As we're sitting here going into Game 7, the consensus is that you have been the most valuable player in these playoffs. Does that mean anything to you? Does the personal accolades mean anything to you?
TIM THOMAS: I'll take some time this summer to reflect and, you know, think about those type of things. As of right now, the most important goal that we've set for ourselves as a team is still not accomplished. As of right now, all the focus is on that one thing and I'll try to answer your question better when it's all over.

Q. Kesler was just in here recalling during the Olympic gold medal he had 18,000 fans screaming against him. Do you thrive on that tomorrow night given the stage of Game 7 and everyone against you in this building?
TIM THOMAS: This stadium holds more than 18,000, doesn't it? I think it's one of the larger ones, isn't it (laughter)?
I don't thrive or not thrive -- the crowd is basically just background noise when we're on the road and when I'm playing. When you're at home, you can feel the positive energy. But when you're on the road, I don't feel the negative energy. It's just there. It is, you know?
I'm sure it will help actually having some family members in the crowd for tomorrow to give you something a little extra to play for. But I wouldn't say I thrive on it, but it's not really a factor too much.

Q. Tim, your team has had three, tough one-goal losses in this building so far. How have you been able to bounce back?
TIM THOMAS: This team has bounced back all year long, whenever we had a set-back or lost or been challenged or had our backs against the wall. I can't say exactly how we do it, it's just a group effort and it seems like we come together and rally around each other.
We find a way to get the job done, and that's what we've done throughout these playoffs. Being down 2-0 against Montreal, going into Game 7 with Montreal, playing Tampa and being down 2-0, going into seven games. In this series, we found a way to come back. I don't know exactly why. It's a good thing and it shows the character of the team.

Q. You saw what Nathan Horton's appearance in the Garden did last night. The fact that he got on the plane and made the trip and so forth, is here, what does that mean to you guys?
TIM THOMAS: I was very happy to see him, and I'm very happy to have him around. I just spent some time talking to him in the locker room. He's a positive guy. His joy for the game and life is kind of like a little kid, and that's a great thing, and I personally feed off of that.
So I was happy to see him today. Actually last night on the screen, I was so focused I didn't realize he was up there until near the very end. I looked up, I hadn't been tapping my stick or anything because I didn't know what was going on. I've heard from my wife that it was pretty emotional when he was up there.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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