"From the earliest age I can remember, I've wanted to be a hockey player. I've been blessed in my life to not only be able to live that dream, but to achieve more than I ever thought possible.
"The singleminded focus that is necessary to accomplish a dream of this magnitude entails (by necessity) sacrifice in other areas and relationships in life.
"At the age of 38, I believe it is time to put my time and energies into those areas and relationships that I have neglected. That is why at this time I feel the most important thing I can do in my life is to reconnect with the three F's.
"Friends, Family, and Faith.
"This is what I plan on doing over the course of the next year.
"On top of this, I will continue to train using the ARP/POV system www.ultrafitevosport.com and work with G-Form www.g-form.com in the development of protective equipment.
"What does this portend for the future?
"We'll see….God's will be done."
In other words, Tim Thomas will be taking his talents to Colorado to spend time with his family and friends. He's got three kids and a wife. He's already accomplished some amazing things in his hockey career. I have no problem with this. He says he's taking a year off. Will he come back? I think he'll make a decision on that in about a year.
And anyone who criticizes him for this move is soulless. We live in a sports society that puts salary above all else. Then we criticize athletes for chasing money. Thomas says he wants to spend time with his family. Call me corny, but I think that's nice. His profession does demand a lot of time on the road and in the rink, and does require considerable sacrifices. It sounds like now he wants to sacrifice hockey for family, and that's commendable.
And any sportswriter who wants to mock Thomas' using the word "portend" should look at their own writing. They'll see that they too occasionally use that odd flowery word to make their writing sound more important than it is. It's part of the writing milieu.
We'll have more on this tomorrow.
