During Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Monday, goalie Tim Thomas was summarily mocked by Washington Capitals fans for his decision not to attend the White House's celebration of the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup victory in January.
Fans brought signs, masks and giant cardboard heads featuring President Obama. Coincidentally or not, Thomas played his shakiest game of the series.
So it's understandable that Thomas might look for the most Obama-free place he could find in D.C. during the down time between games. On Tuesday, he visited such a place: FreedomWorks, a political group founded by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey that advocates for lower taxes, less government and more freedom, a.k.a. things found on Tim Thomas's Facebook page.
Dean Clancy, FreedomWorks VP, tweeted: "The Bruins' goalie Tim Thomas just described to @FreedomWorks staff why he declined to visit the Obama White House."
This really shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, given that Thomas donated to FreedomWorks before the Nov. 2010 election and given that he wears Tea Party iconography on his mask. It is one of the first times we can recall an active NHL player posing with a Presidential bumper sticker, as he is here with policy analyst Julie Borowski, offering a quasi-endorsement of America's wacky grandpa, Ron Paul.
s/t Charlie Vidal.