Before Tim Thomas was a superhuman goalie in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs and winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy, he was Tim Thomas, draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques. Back in 1994, the Quebec Nordiques used their ninth round pick, 217th overall, to select Thomas, a freshman, out the University of Vermont.
And one year later, the Nordiques relocated, of course, to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. Thomas finished out his career at Vermont and played some minor league hockey for Birmingham in the ECHL and Houston in the IHL. He eventually moved on to the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent and spent some time in Europe as well. He didn't make his NHL debut until the 2002-03 season, playing for the Boston Bruins.
Congratulations to Tim Thomas for being the first American since 1994 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, a truly deserving accomplishment.
For more on the Boston Bruins' win, visit Stanley Cup of Chowder and SB Nation Boston. For more on the NHL, visit our NHL hub.