Separation of Church & Crease: No Room for Thomas in Boston

Tim Thomas has officially told Boston to go cluck itself.  Thomas issued a post on Facebook Thursday stating that he “stands with Chick – fil – A”.  In case you missed it, Chick-fil-A has been in the headlines recently for it’s president’s comments over gay marriage.

Politics of the matter aside, this is Timmy’s third strike.  Even the hapless Red Sox understand that means you’re out.  First a presidential snub, then a self imposed NHL exhile.  While hard to swallow, most B’s fans could have probably overlooked these moments in light of a strong return, either in the form of Thomas himself, or a nice trade haul.  Now?  The next time you see Thomas at the Garden expect him to take the Luongo route and ride it out from the safety of the bench.  He’ll be booed unmercilessly.  Speaking your mind is one thing, but an unprovoked statement that goes against the general moral standards of your “hometown” is another altogether.  Remember, New England is made up of blue states, liberal territory.  Most fans around here, are likely to disagree with Thomas’ stance.  Mayor Thomas Menino has been lauded for a poignant letter he sent to the Chick-fil-A brass.  One can smell the protests cooking up on the Freedom Trail should the fast-food chain ever get a permit to build in Faneuil Hall.  Why Thomas would take a stand against the Mayor and the the first state to recognize same sex marriages is beyond me.

Tim Thomas said he was taking time off this year to concentrate on the three F’s.  Friends, Family, and Faith.  While you can’t really blame a man for that, perhaps he should add a fourth F to the equation.  Focus.  As in, why are you focusing more attention on yourself?  One of the prevailing thoughts when Thomas opted out of this year was that he needed time away from the media circus.  Yet here he is, drawing more attention to himself.  The timing is certainly interesting, especially with such a controversial issue… in an election year.  I know former Governor Mitt Romney hasn’t chosen a running mate yet, but c’mon Timmy, all that flip-flopping you do in the net doesn’t qualify you for VP(though I’ll give you the winning smile).

In essence, Thomas has punched his ticket out of Boston.  You might even say he jumped the gun on Facebook’s proposed “want” button and just did it himself.  Chiarelli will wait a few weeks for the commotion to breeze over and then you can expect Thomas to be shipped out for a bag of pucks and an old Zamboni blade.  He can likely also kiss his Olympic aspirations good bye, especially if fiery GM Brian Burke has anything to say about it.  Burke is a strong supporter of gay rights and launched the You Can Play program in honor of his openly gay son Brendan, to help end homophobia in hockey.  Current Bruins Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron have both appeared in videos supporting the program.  Bottom line, the NHL has spoken out that it has no room for discrimination in it’s circles and Thomas has clearly gone against the grain on this one.  He doesn’t have to support a cause he doesn’t believe in.  But he really doesn’t have to upset a whole lot of people by speaking out against it either.

So now Peter Chiarelli has no choice but to give Thomas the “Manny treatment.”  A one time superstar who’s overstayed his welcome and let antics get in the way of his Boston legacy.  I’m all for character, which Timmy has given us plenty of over the years, but when it comes to politics and hot-button issues, sometimes it’s best to leave the goalie mask on.  Like it or not, Boston is the kind of blue collar town that doesn’t want to hear politics from it’s players.  Sometimes, it’s just all about awareness.  Thanks for the Cup Timmy… but don’t let the door hit you on the way out.