BOSTON -- Tim Thomas is a traditional sort who subscribes to many of the normal routines and superstitions for which goaltenders are infamous.
But that didnt extend to the goalie maskor Mage as he likes to call it in a mixture of mask and cagehe debuted in Toronto on Saturday night recognizing the month of Movember and the effort to raise money and awareness for cancer research.
Movember has been centered on prostate cancer research, and any type of cancer research hits close to home for Thomas after both his parents have waged battles against the dreaded disease over the last few years.
It was appropriate Thomas first night donning the mask was his 27th career NHL shutout with the Bruins, and a win that put him over the .500 mark at 5-4 on the season.
Toronto was a good place to debut it on Hockey Night in Canada, said Thomas. Hopefully it was a big audience and hopefully we can do something good with this month. I dont want to get myself in trouble with women, but mens cancer seems to be overlooked sometimes. Both of my parents have had bouts with cancer over the last few yearsmy mom with breast cancer and my dad with colon cancerbut this Movember has become popular.
We were just trying to do something to help the cause.
The Moustache Mask will be raffled off at the end of November to raise money for the Tim Thomas Foundation that Thomas started at the beginning of this seasonand would be a collectors item for any diehard Bruins fan. The mask features the slogan Grow your Mo on each side,along with the image of Lord Horatio Kitchener made famous as a recruiting poster in England during World War Iand Kitchener is wearing a Bruins hat in the image.
Boston Bruins
Best of all: in place of the normal Beware the Bear on the back of Thomas mask, it says Beware of the Stache on the back plate. Thomas will wear the mask for the entire month of November along with a handlebar moustache grown especially for the month, and hopes that his efforts can do their part for the increasingly popular Movember movement around the NHL.
For those interested in the Moustache Mask raffle or just hoping to take a look at the mask, you can check it out at www.timthomashockey.com.