"The first game I ever put the jersey
on, I was sitting in the dressing room, I looked down and I had the Leaf
on my chest. I mean, that probably in itself was the biggest thrill
that I've ver had."
from the magazine Hockey Night
in Toronto
Steve Thomas #32
Height: 5-11
Weight: 185
lbs.
Last Amateur Club: Toronto
Marlboros (OHL)
Shoots: Left
Born: July
15, 1963 in Stockport, England
Drafted: Not drafted by
an NHL team.
Acquired: Traded
by the New York Islanders to the New Jersey Devils for Claude Lemieux on
Oct. 3, 1995.
Signed as an unrestricted
free-agent from New Jersey on July 12, 1998. Originally signed as
a free agent by the Maple Leafs on May 12, 1984.
Personal:
Is the only NHL player who was born in England ... Avid Blue Jays fan ...
Worked in a lumber yard for $3.50 an hour in his first job.
Married, wife's name is Lori...Daughter
Lauren is 5 and son Christian is 6...Spends his off-season in Toronto...Most
memorable moment was defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993 Conference
Quarterfinal...Nickname is “Stumpy."
Favorites:
PRO SPORTS TEAM: Manchester
City MUSICAL GROUP: Beastie Boys TV
SHOW: Married With Children
Steve Thomas is tied with Bob
Sweeney for 2nd in career overtime
goals
with 8 - trails only Mario Lemieux
with 9.
1995-96 Served as Captain for Team
Canada at the World Hockey Championships in Vienna, Switzerland (scored
2 goals and 3 assists in 8 tournament games).
Steve Thomas was born in Stockport, England but his family immigrated to Canada in 1967. Steve played in the Markham Minor Hockey League up until the midget level. He then played for the Markham Waxers when he was 17 and 18 years old (they later on retired his number: 16). He wasn't drafted by the OHL, partly because he didn't put weight on until he was 18 or 19 years old, but by his 2nd year in Tier II the Marlie's GM Frank Bonello gave him a chance to play for them in the playoffs and they decided to keep him on for the next 2 years.
Steve finally signed on as a free agent with the Maple Leafs on May 12, 1984. His rookie year he scored only 2 points, but he only played 18 games as he spent most of the season in the minors with St Catherines. His sophomore season he scored 57 points (20 goals & 37 assists) in 65 games. The next season after that 35 goals and 27 assists in 78 games.
In 87-88 he was traded to Chicago for 4 years. During this time Steve was injured alot, he had a stomach problem and had both shoulders operated. He says his 1st 2 years in Chicago were difficult but the last 2 were easier. In fact in 89-90 he reached the 40 goal plateau!
In October 1991 he was sent to N.Y.
with the Islanders. With the Islanders he made it to the final 4
in the '93 playoffs by beating Washington in 6 games and Pittsburgh (2X
Stanley Cup Champions) in 7 games.
In '94 he helped lead Team Canada
to a Gold Medal in the World Championships.
But Steve was on the move again,
this time to New Jersey where he led the team with 26 goals in 95-96.
He spent 3 seasons as a devil,
but then he signed a 3 year deal as an unrestricted free agent once again
with the Leafs in 98-99, where he got 25 goals and 45 assists. With
the leafs he shared the 1st line with Captain Mats Sundin and Fredie Modin
(occasionaly replaced by Lonny Bohonos).
1997-98 Season
Signed as a free agent, July 12,
1998. Missed 20 games with groin strain. Missed four games with bruised
ribs. Missed three games with back
spasms.
The Finesse Game
Steve Thomas, checking winger? No
one would ever have thought it possible when Thomas was scoring 40
goals in his stints with Chicago
and the Islanders, but those days are long gone. Thomas is no longer the
powerful offensive force he once
was, and if he has to play on a third line to stay in the lineup then that's
what
he'll do. Thomas has a great shot
and he loves to fire away. He looks to shoot first instead of pass, sometimes
to his detriment, but subtlety is
not his forte. His game is speed and power, but with injuries in the past
two
seasons he has lost an edge in both
departments. He has a strong wrist shot and a quick one-timer. He likes
to win the battle for the puck in
deep, feed his centre, then head for the right circle for the return pass.
Playing
the left side he was not as effective.
Thomas has a very short backswing, which allows him to get his shots
away quickly. Thomas is a wildly
intense player. His speed is straight ahead, without much deking or trying
to
put a move on a defender. He works
along the boards and in the corners, willing to do the dirty work.
The Physical Game
Thomas is hard-nosed and finishes
his checks. He is a very good forechecker because he comes at the puck
carrier like a human train. He is
not big but he is wide, and tough. He is great along the boards and among
the
best in the league at keeping the
puck alive by using his feet. He is a feisty and fierce competitor and
will
throw the odd punch.
The
Intangibles
Few players try harder than Thomas
and accomplish less. It's tough getting down on him, because he cares
passionately about his team's success,
and he is harder on himself than any coach or teammate could be.
Steve's Career Stats
