• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Boston Bruins

Yes, Tim Thomas Should Be Criticized for Skipping White House Visit

By James Neveau January 23rd, 2012

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Jim Neveau, Senior NHL Columnist

For the opposing viewpoint on this issue, check out my colleague Mike Miccoli’s piece. 

“Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.”

With those words, pulled from a statement that he released today, Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas explained why he decided to skip his team’s appearance at the White House today with President Barack Obama. The rest of his teammates were at the Executive Mansion celebrating their 2011 Stanley Cup championship, and they gave the president a team jersey and were honored with a ceremony. Nearly all of the players from that club still with Boston were in Washington for the event, but Thomas was conspicuously absent.

The real question, of course, is not whether or not Thomas should be punished for expressing his beliefs, but rather whether or not he deserves the criticism that he has been receiving from the media and fans alike.

For starters, Thomas is absolutely right in saying that he has the right not to go to the White House. No one should be forced to do anything against their will, and if there is a better representation of what our nation is about, then one would be hard-pressed to find it. Thomas expressed his right to free speech, and that is admirable.

Tim Thomas Bruins

(Dustin Bradford/Icon SMI)

We’ll get to the specifics of why Thomas’ stance can be argued against in a moment, but to answer the previous question more directly, writers and fans do indeed have the right to criticize Thomas. Especially from the average Joe’s perspective, the opportunity to meet the President of the United States is something that they likely will never have. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime shot, and even if you don’t necessarily agree with the views of the man who is sitting in the big chair, the office is still worthy of respect, and by making this political stance, Thomas didn’t seem to respect it.

In addition, the right to free speech not only extends to Thomas’ right to skip the visit, but also to the critics who say that he should have gone. This seems pretty obvious, but lost amid all the talk about Thomas’ right to express himself, it seems to be lost that critics are allowed to have their say as well. This key distinction needs to be made more often than it has.

In addition to the notion of respecting the office of president even if you don’t like the person holding the position, there is also the matter of distracting from the overall positive nature of the event itself. Of course, the publicity surrounding the Cup champions being at the White House doesn’t last for very long, but while it is on the national landscape, it is a great honor for the team. With Thomas’ decision to drop out of the team event, the focus moved intensely toward him, and took away from what was supposed to be a special day for everyone in the Bruins’ organization.

It would be difficult to argue that this was Thomas’ intent when he decided to skip the ceremony, but just because someone doesn’t intend for something to happen doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come off that way. He should have given that thought more consideration when reaching his decision, to be sure.

Overall, there are plenty of arguments that can be made to whether or not Thomas should have been at the White House today, but there is one thing that is virtually certain: it has prompted a debate about politics and the rights of Americans more than just about anything possibly could in the world of hockey. These debates are part of a healthy democracy, and it is good to see people get so passionate on both sides of the issue.

Hopefully that will be the big takeaway from this whole situation.

  • Tags
  • Barack Obama
  • Tim Thomas
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 22nd 8:35 AM
Column

Today in Hockey History: Jan. 22

Jan 21st 5:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

McDavid Has the Maple Leafs’ Number and Needs to Keep it That Way

Jan 21st 5:08 PM
Archives

NHLers by Country: On Top of Their Game and the World

Jan 21st 4:50 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Missing Klefbom and Neal on Power Play

Jan 21st 4:40 PM
Minnesota Wild

Wild’s Soucy & Sturm Look Comfortable Filling Roster Gaps

Jan 21st 4:30 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche With Career Milestones in Sight in 2020-21 Season

Jan 21st 3:45 PM
Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning & Pat Maroon Are a Really Good Fit…For Now

Jan 21st 3:35 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights’ Depth Separates Them From the Rest

Jan 21st 3:15 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier, New Faces Shine to Begin Season

Jan 21st 2:45 PM
Editor's Choice

Oilers News & Rumors: Neal, Yamamoto, Tippett, More

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information