On Jan. 23, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins made a commemorative visit to the White House in order to have their accomplishment recognized by the country’s commander-in-chief. This ritual dates back to 1865, when President Andrew Johnson invited baseball teams to the White House to celebrate their victorious seasons. Nowadays, it’s an annual tradition for the championship team in any North American sport to visit the president in celebration of their accomplishments. However, in a shocking turn of events, the team visited the White House without their star goaltender and playoff MVP Tim Thomas.
Thomas, the primary reason that the team was being honoured in the first place for his Conn Smythe-worthy goaltending, claims he believes the government has “grown out of control” and is acting “in direct opposition to the Constitution.” However, the goaltender also noted that his decision was “not about politics.”
Not about politics? Thomas refused to visit the centre of American politics to meet with the commander-in-chief, citing disagreements with the state of the government. I honestly don’t see how he could have made his statement more political.
Before addressing his reasoning, the decision itself must be debated. The trip to the White House is supposed to be a celebration of the team’s success. Tim Thomas was essential to the Bruins’ victory, and yet he decided not to attend. Thomas, one of only two American-born players on the roster—the other being seventh defenceman Steven Kampfer—should have been front and centre to shake hands with Barack Obama. Instead, Finnish-born backup goalie Tuukka Rask, Czech defenseman Tomas Kaberle, and Canadian tough guy Shawn Thornton stood right behind Obama at the reception.
I will concede that Thomas has the right “as a free citizen,” as he said, to do exactly as he wants. That said, playing a team sport is about unity of purpose and the pursuit of common goals. In deciding not to attend the White House event, Tim Thomas placed himself above his teammates. He might as well have said, “My personal beliefs are more important than team accomplishments.”
What frustrates me most about the situation is Thomas’ refusal to address his decision or his political beliefs outside of a post on his Facebook page. If he truly believes that the state of American politics is horrible enough to influence his actions, then he should bring attention to the problems that exist, rather than hide from his own actions. He should have taken advantage of his position in the public eye to discuss his beliefs and increase public awareness of what he considers problematic. Instead, Tim Thomas hid behind a Facebook post and refused to comment. He simply clicked “not attending.”
As the NHL season enters its playoff stretch, the Tim Thomas story will fade into the past and will cease to be relevant as soon as the Bruins start winning hockey games. And, as I’m sure most others believe, the Bruins may very well defend their Stanley Cup title, which will only lead to another trip to the White House a year from now. As a Montreal Canadiens fan, and consequently a Boston Bruins hater, I hope that never happens. But suppossing it does, what will Tim Thomas do then? “Maybe attending” for now, I guess.
— Trevor Drummond
