If you could have any Bruins goalie at his peak to start Game 4, who would you choose?
Debate the answer with Chad Finn and Boston sports fans at The Sports Q.
Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, email, his Friday chat, and any other outlet you prefer. He’ll pick one each day (except for Saturday) to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation.Welp, looks like it’s must-win time for the Bruins after that overtime debacle. It wasn’t Tuukka Rask’s fault by any means, but watching the winning goal get past him after the Bruins’ great comeback made me think about past B’s goalies who might have pulled out the win in that situation. So here’s my Sports Q: Which past Bruins goalie would you want in net in Game 4 if you could choose any one of them at their peak? Has to be the guy Tuukka used to back up, right? – Friend of Fluto
Any friend of Fluto’s is a friend of mine … even one who kind of blames Tuukka even if he says he (or she) isn’t blaming Tuukka. I get it, though. Life of a goalie. You’re supposed to stop everything even when there’s a 21-year age gap between the defensemen on your first pairing and the Hockey East Alumni Honorable Mention All-Stars of the 2000s is what you have for desperation depth. If we know nothing else about this Bruins team, we at least know they’re pretty resilient, coming back from a three-goal hole last night despite its tattered D corps.
To actually answer the question though, yeah, it has to be Tim Thomas, Spring ’11, doesn’t it? He won the Conn Smythe, delivered shutouts in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final and the Stanley Cup Final (on the road), and allowed just 8 goals in the final round while making ridiculous saves throughout the entire playoff run. Gerry Cheevers, Eddie Johnston, and Andy Moog all had their moments. But Thomas at his best was better than any playoff goalie they’ve ever had. More fun, too.
Agree? Disagree? Fire off a few slapshots in the comments and I meet you there to kick them aside, Matt DelGuidice-style.
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