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Timing Is Everything
November 12, 2003
Story by: Eric Theis
For some players in the NHL, timing is
everything. New Jersey forward Michael Rupp
had to play in only 26 regular season and
four playoff games before celebrating a
Stanley Cup Championship with the Devils
last season. Steve Thomas on the other hand,
has played in 1191 NHL games over 19 seasons,
and still has yet to reach hockey's ultimate
peak.
Ironically both of these players faced
off in the Stanley Cup Final last season,
Thomas having come over to the eventual
Western Conference Champion Anaheim Mighty
Ducks at the trade deadline. While none
of the active players sitting above Thomas
in number of games played without a championship
(Thomas sits 4th, behind Dave Andreychuk,
James Patrick, and Scott Mellanby) have
ever come closer, it was not to be for the
man known to his team mates as "Stumpy",
as the Devils clinched the their 3rd championship
in 9 years with a 3-0 win over the Ducks
in Game 7 of the finals.
For many players in Thomas' position, getting
to game 7 of the Cup Final would serve as
the perfect culmination of a long, successful
career. After all, Thomas turned 40 this
past July, and entered this season as an
unrestricted free agent; for other players
the writing might be on the wall.
Other players are not Steve Thomas. If
anything, getting as close as he did to
having his name etched on Lord Stanley's
Cup has made the former Maple Leaf winger
hungrier than ever before for a championship.
"When you get that close, it gives
you that much more desire to get back to
that level again," said Thomas "It
was the greatest experience I've ever had
in hockey."
However for Thomas to surpass last year's
success would take more than just desire.
At the beginning of NHL training camps,
Thomas was one of several grey beards around
the league, still without employment, in
spite of impressive job credentials - the
unsigned included such big name players
as Adam Oates, Cliff Ronning and Phil Housley.
Absence from a team's camp did not keep
Thomas from engaging in an excruciating
weekly workout regiment designed to keep
his impressive physical conditioning (which
Thomas is a disciple of) in top shape.
" I took a month off after the season.
I've been training since late July, including
3 or 4 days a week in the gym, mountain
biking 4 days a week," Thomas reported.
"I've been skating since August 1st."
None of that, dedicated as it might be,
can replace the preparedness that comes
from taking part in a team's training camp,
a fact that Thomas is well aware of. "Missing
training camp, the preseason and the first
10 games or so is tough. It is a difficult
transition from practice to game situations,"
established Thomas. "I liken it to
when you are coming back from an injury
- you do all the work necessary to be ready,
to step back in and make a difference."
To that end, Thomas could be found daily,
skating and practicing with the Toronto
St. Michael's Majors, putting himself through
endless skating, shooting and puck handling
drills. To watch him, Thomas' age was visible
only in the small creases that have begun
to appear on his face. Thomas still skates
with explosiveness and jump, and maintains
his bullet accurate shot, both tributes
to his dedicated physical preparations.
Yet it is perhaps Steve's intangible attributes
that make him most attractive to NHL teams.
Certainly his experience with the Ducks
last year showed that he still has much
to offer offensively, and can still play
with aggressive fanaticism game after game.
In fact Thomas feels that this style is
infectious amongst team mates.
"I'm a competitive guy in anything
I do, sports or otherwise. I am still playing
in the league because of my work ethic -
I give it everything I have every night,
and playing with that level of enthusiasm,
that rubs off on a lot of people."
History would seem to agree with Steve.
While his career regular season numbers
are very respectable, including his current
record for overtime goals (12- tied with
Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Fedorov), Thomas
has had his ups and downs. The playoffs
however are where he truly excels; when
his fiery competitiveness kicks into overdrive.
Consider that since 1999, Thomas has 37
points in 66 playoff games, and his 23 goals
in that time period place him in a tie for
7th in the NHL. With so many young teams
seemingly in the hunt for a potential playoff
spot this season, Thomas's consistency in
the post season would appear to make him
a beneficial commodity to be had. Yet Thomas
remained unsigned.
That is until Detroit came knocking.
An errant slash to Red Wing sophomore Henrik
Zetterberg last Monday placed the young
winger on the Injured Reserve list, and
Thomas into the must-have category for Detroit.
Thomas inked a 1 year deal with Detroit
on Wednesday, and should be ready to take
to the ice with his new team this week.
For Detroit, his arrival comes in the wake
of several key injuries and overall inconsistent
play so far this season: and it is hoped
that Thomas's presence will help to stabilize
both areas for the Wings.
It is a good fit for both sides, as Thomas
adds to a Detroit team overflowing with
veteran talent; a team with the dedicated
intent to bring home a championship. For
Thomas, what might be his last kick at the
can will take place on a team in which he
already has a large number of friends and
acquaintances: he is close with Steve Yzerman,
Kris Draper and Chris Chelios. More importantly,
Detroit offers Thomas what might be his
best chance in his now 20 seasons to go
all the way, and this will undoubtedly bring
out the best in what Stumpy has left in
his 40 year old tank.
Sometimes timing is everything.
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