And we thought that Bryzgalov was the er, eccentric goaltender?

As the NHL playoffs moved from round one to round two, much of the focus on the more colourful of NHL characters fell on the skates of Ilya Bryzgalov, the Philadelphia Flyers goaltender who could be counted on for a good quote and much in the way of head shaking at the fall out.

At times the commentary both by Bryzgalov and about Bryzgalov bordered on the side of the slightly strange to say the least, the pressure of a Flyers playoff exit it seems was destined to carry him through the summer as exhibit A that goaltenders are well, a little bit different.

But good news Ilya, buddy, the heat is off for now...

Maybe it's a bargaining position, maybe it's fact, regardless, the latest of Facebook posts from Tim Thomas, the Boston Bruins' goaltender is making for much conversation from twitter to bar room stool we imagine.

Thomas, who has been in the spotlight this year for a number of reasons, some of them even hockey related, has once again logged on to his Facebook account to somewhat cryptically offer his vision of world events and such, punctuating the latest developments as announcing his departure from the NHL for year, a decision that he states was one that revolved around friends, family and faith.

With a link to a British newspaper with dire warnings of our financial future, while also stumping for his goaltender equipment company, the Facebook posts have become a fairly entertaining trend of their own on the Twitter boards, offering of course much in the way of discussion on the possible reasons for Thomas' suggested sabbatical from the NHL.

For some it would seem that the latest from the talkative Tim is just a method to push the Bruins to trade him to a team more to his liking in a location he would rather be (we gather real estate agents west of the Mississippi should be paying attention here), while others think perhaps he's been watching too much television or listening to talk radio a bit more than he should.

Regardless of the background, for the moment anyways, it would appear that the now vacationing Bruins goaltender isn't going to play in 2012-13, leaving his 3 million or so salary behind and leaving the Bruins behind a salary cap headache that may, more than anything else push them to move him to a team that he likes, providing that team will have him.

If indeed, part of the genesis of the Thomas departure is of concerns over the US and world economy, we wonder of the wisdom of leaving a guaranteed 3 million dollars on the table, heading into the perceived financial Armageddon to come.

It's an interesting approach to financial planning, but really, considering Gary Bettman's magic with bankrupt and beyond bankrupt NHL franchises of late, who would you rather spend the financial apocalypse with?

If anyone can keep the money flowing through financial turmoil, surely with his track record it's the Commish isn't it?

Uh, ok, perhaps a bad example..

Hmm, maybe Thomas is on to something and the end is nigh and then it's every goaltender for himself...

At any rate, we imagine, considering his attention to world financials and such that he's made the required financial moves to take a year off.

However, should things go sideways for a bit, like many North Americans he could always use his credit card, you know just in case things get a little tight over the next year or so, shouldn't be a problem there...
.
.
.
Boston Herald-- Thomas makes big stop
Boston Herald-- Tim Thomas confirms he will take the year off
Boston Herald-- Bruins doubt about Tim Thomas
Boston Globe-- Thomas confirms that he won't play
Boston Globe-- Tim Thomas and the art of media delusion
NESN-- Tim Thomas confirms he won't play for Boston Bruins next year
NESN-- Tim Thomas' confusing decision puts Bruins in a bind...
Globe and Mail-- Tim Thomas confirms he's taking a year away from hockey
National Post-- Bruins' Tim Thomas announces he will sit out next season
Toronto Star-- Applaud him for putting life before Stanley Cup pursuit
Toronto Sun-- Bruins' Tim Thomas confirms year off on Facebook
Sportnset-- Tim Thomas: Why Hockey's Not Important
SI.com-- Tim Thomas will sit out 2012-2013 NHL season
USA Today-- Bruins goalie Tim Thomas explains NHL hiatus