It's been quite some time since the hockey world has heard from former Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup winning goaltender Tim Thomas. In fact, Thursday's media availability ahead of his induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall-of-Fame was the first public appearance for Thomas since he hung up the pads in 2014.
The now 45-year-old Thomas did not have the luxury of ending his career on his own terms, instead, being forced out due to the devastating effects of a serious concussion that he suffered during his final season. Sadly, this is becoming all too common with athletes involved in contact sports.
Thomas did not land in the National Hockey League until his 30's, playing most of his career in Europe and in the minors. His late arrival did not impede his ability to excel at the highest level, however, even at an advanced age. He proved that when the 37-year-old led the Boston Bruins to their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1972.
In his final season, the Flint, Michigan native split time with the Florida Panthers and the Dallas Stars, playing 48 games, but he was never quite the same following a serious concussion he sustained in a December 2013 game while he was with the Panthers. A concussion, that Thomas said changed his life.
"I woke up the next morning after it and I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat, where I wanted to go," Thomas said. "I couldn't plan a schedule. I survived following the team schedule the rest of the year and just made it through that season."
Not only did Thomas finish that season, he also played in the World Championships the following spring.
A noticeably emotional Thomas had a difficult time facing the media on Thursday.
"I couldn't communicate with anybody for a few years," Thomas told reporters, "I didn't call my dad. I didn't talk to anybody. There was a time period, yeah, where I hated the game, so to speak. I didn't sit there and [say] 'I hate it.' My rebound effect was like, this wasn't worth it."
Head trauma can really do a number on a previously healthy and happy individual, causing confusion and sending them into a deep and crippling depression. The scary thing about depression is that it has a way of taking over a person's entire life. It does not discriminate either. It has the ability to consume a person regardless of who they are or what they do for a living. Whether they're tall or short, young or old. Whether they are single or married and have a family.
"I didn't want to talk about this," Thomas said. "I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to tell the world this stuff. Not till I felt ready, and I didn't feel ready yet. But here I am."
You have to admire the courage of Thomas, who largely, until now, has dealt with this issue on his own, keeping it away from the public eye but is finally opening up about his personal struggles.
"On the ice, I was able to be like 97 percent maybe, 95 percent of what I was before, but off the ice, like I said, I still can't choose," Thomas said. "I'm so much better, but I wake up every day and basically I have to reorder everything in my mind for the first couple hours of the day and then make a list and try to make some choices to get some stuff done."
Thomas took part in the ceremonial puck drop at the Bruins-Capitals game on Wednesday night, the first NHL game he had attended since retiring.
"I couldn't follow the game anymore," Thomas said. "My brain wasn't functioning well enough to be able to keep up with the game, so I sat out in the woods for a few years. I didn't watch much hockey. There's not much TV out there."
Thomas had a great time at the game, catching up with captain Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask for the first time since walking away from the game.
Since his retirement, Thomas has relied heavily on his wife and children as well as his brother to help him cope with the affects of his post-concussion syndrome. He also pointed to Ken Dryden's book "Game Change" as a tool that has aided him in building a better understanding of head trauma.
"It actually helped my family understanding what was going on," Thomas said of the book. "That, to me, was a step forward as far as understanding that other people are going through the same deal. I just thought I was unique. When you're going through it, you just can't understand."
There's no doubt that Tim and his family have many challenges ahead, but his dedication to learning about head trauma along with his willingness to undergo experimental treatments such as oxygen therapy show that Thomas is not ready to give up. With these treatments yielding positive results in his overall brain function, our hope is that Thomas' quality of life can improve, because after all, there is more to life than just hockey.
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