I find the Tim Thomas sabbatical to be the strangest story I’ve heard in sports in quite a while.
I could understand him deciding to retire. He had a long season last year with the Stanley Cup win and he started 55 games this season. Rask getting hurt towards the end of the season meant a heavy workload for Thomas going into the playoffs.
So, now he is going to take a year off to focus on family, faith, and friends. He is posting links to economic apocalypse websites on his facebook page. Cite Does he really think that most people care about his nutjob political views?
He is screwing over any legacy he may have had for the Bruins. He is living in fantasy land when he thinks he will make the 2014 Olympic team, unless NHL players aren’t involved.
Why not just retire and have a nice ceremony next year? The Bruins will be fine in goal with Rask as the starter and Khudobin as a back up.
He wasn’t nearly the player Thomas is, but former baseball player Bruce Bochte took a season off in the 80s both to protest greed in baseball and do environmental research.
I fear anyone who claims “faith, friends and family” as a reason for anything has an agenda up their sleeve.
I think that once you become a professional athlete or actor, you should forget saying anything political. (Take note, George Clooney!) 
He is a professional hockey goalie. That alone may be sufficient proof that he is at least a little quirky, if not full-blown nuts. 
When I read the article about this the other day I said nearly those same words; he has lost his dang mind. He’ll never play NHL hockey again if he doesn’t start this coming pre-season w/ everyone else. Isn’t this what his family has been working toward for most of his life, success playing a game for a very good living? He better not pull the un-retire bullshit Hasek did or I’ll spit in his direction.
I was embarrassed enough to be from the same state as him when he blew off the White House visit but this? Insanity. He better not flush his family’s savings down the toilet while he’s got his crazy pants on or it will be all the worse.
Is there a chance he’s post-concussive, ya think? The helmets are well-padded, but still, he’s surely taken some headshots.
He might come back in a year better rested. He may even come back in a year in better shape, but nobody every got quicker at 40. And if he is worried about economic doom and gloom someone needs to tell him that he’ll never make the 3+ million dollars back
I heard some speculation that he was threatening to retire because he expected to be traded and didn’t want to play somewhere else. If so, he’s not the first player to do it. And if he really just wants a year off, even older guys find it easier to come back these days than they have in the past.
I am shocked, SHOCKED! I tell you. These so-called “friends” are probably fellow tea-party conspiracy theorists. I mean, usually when people give the “family” reason, it’s a sick family member. Why not just say it, Timmy – your political beliefs are more important to you than your teammates and your fans?
He may very well intend to come back – but would Boston want him?
(I wouldn’t say older guys had it so hard coming back, but you had to be a real superstar – like Gordie Howe, or Mario Lemieux. And in Lemieux’s case, he was his own boss.)
Here’s the most bizarre part of his retirement announcement: he includes a plug for his training program and equipment supplier!
The iphone video was pretty cool, though. Thomas needs to ditch that stupid mustache.
If he retires his income is going to decrease a great deal.