Tim Thomas

President Barack Obama welcomed the Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins to the White House Monday. Of all players on the Bruins' roster, only two (Goalie Tim Thomas and Defenseman Steven Kampfer) are American.

A championship team visiting the White House is routine. It makes for a nice photo op for the President and the team but that's about it... until one of the players decided to decline the invitation.
Thomas was not present at the ceremony. He released a statement that was available through many sources including Facebook and nhl.com saying, "the federal government has grown out of control threatening the rights, liberties and property of the people."

Thomas' snub as well as the subsequent reporting and commentary throughout the newspapers and talk radio at a time when the Bruins appear to be on their way to another Stanley Cup Final. Currently, only two team in the NHL have more points than the Bruins (64). As a whole, teammates are not commenting publicly on the matter. The Bruins chose not to have Thomas present at a charity event in Washington D.C.

Thomas' actions and explanations have created an off-ice story. I believe he was within his right to not attend. He doesn't agree with the direction the country appears to be headed (Who does?). He didn't call a press conference about it. He didn't go to the White House and make a scene. He simply declined an invitation and, when questions arose, he explained it.

Many people are calling for Thomas to move to Canada. Many people think he should leave the country if he doesn't like it. Thomas never said he doesn't like the country. He simply stated he felt the American Government was too bloated and was not happy with the actions and inactions of the people elected by the people to get things done for the people. This is not incendiary rhetoric. It is someone who believes what he believes and later offered an explanation when people asked about it.