A lot has changed over the years for both Thomas and the Bruins, who regained relevance in those years when Thomas served on a core anchored by Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. <\/p>\n
When stopped by Bruins fans, Thomas is still shocked at how many future netminders his frantic play seemingly provided a template to follow, as unorthodox as it was. <\/p>\n
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\u201cThe goalies I meet, the vast majority of them tell me that I inspired them to play goalie,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve met so many people that have said that I can\u2019t believe there\u2019s enough players left to play forward, it seems like. There\u2019s so many goalies out there. They don\u2019t usually ask me for any advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
The soft-spoken Thomas often shirks the spotlight. But he has enjoyed his recent visits to Boston, especially when he\u2019s able to take in games at TD Garden. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first was around this Garden, it was kind of in that in-between era, right? Where the parking lot was not developed at all \u2014 you walk in, there\u2019s a huge cement wall with a little door in it,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cBut when I started playing for the Bruins, they were barely a playoff team. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so to go from there to winning the [Stanley] Cup in 2011 \u2026 To see the fan energy build and the interest to come back with the Bruins to the level that it has, it did, and still back to that, was part of what I enjoyed about being here. Playing in front of the fans in the early days, where it seemed like there might only be 8,000 people \u2026 to my last few years with the Bruins being sold out every game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas has enjoyed the fight he\u2019s seen from the 2025-26 Bruins, especially with former teammate Marco Sturm taking over as coach. <\/p>\n
But Thomas also doesn\u2019t spend most of his days consuming hockey. <\/p>\n
\u201cI watched some,\u201d he said. \u201cI was thinking about it \u2014 and I really enjoyed playing hockey to the nth degree. But I\u2019m not big on watching.\u201d<\/p>\n
For all of the highs Thomas achieved in hockey \u2014 culminating in the Bruins\u2019 first Cup title in 39 years \u2014 the game that Thomas loves also has brought its challenges.<\/p>\n
After retiring following the 2013-14 season, Thomas removed himself from the media, and the hockey world in general. When he resurfaced <\/a>as a member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame\u2019s Class of 2019, he detailed the brain damage from his playing career that derailed his life long after he stopped his final puck. <\/p>\n A year after his retirement, Thomas underwent a brain scan that revealed that two-thirds of his brain was getting less than 5 percent blood flow. The remaining third was only averaging about 50 percent. <\/p>\n \u201cMy rebound effect was like, this wasn\u2019t worth it,\u201d Thomas said.<\/a> \u201cThat\u2019s where I was then. Where I am today is past that. I ended up learning so many lessons out of the experience. It brought me tighter with my family. It taught me a value for life and a value for my brain that I\u2019ve never had before. And I have appreciation for everything that I never had before. I don\u2019t regret anything.\u201d<\/p>\n