A lot has changed over the years for both Thomas and the Bruins, who regained relevance in those years when Thomas served on a core anchored by Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron.

When stopped by Bruins fans, Thomas is still shocked at how many future netminders his frantic play seemingly provided a template to follow, as unorthodox as it was.

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“The goalies I meet, the vast majority of them tell me that I inspired them to play goalie,” Thomas said. “And I’ve met so many people that have said that I can’t believe there’s enough players left to play forward, it seems like. There’s so many goalies out there. They don’t usually ask me for any advice.”

The soft-spoken Thomas often shirks the spotlight. But he has enjoyed his recent visits to Boston, especially when he’s able to take in games at TD Garden.

“When I first was around this Garden, it was kind of in that in-between era, right? Where the parking lot was not developed at all — you walk in, there’s a huge cement wall with a little door in it,” Thomas said. “But when I started playing for the Bruins, they were barely a playoff team.

“And so to go from there to winning the [Stanley] Cup in 2011 … To see the fan energy build and the interest to come back with the Bruins to the level that it has, it did, and still back to that, was part of what I enjoyed about being here. Playing in front of the fans in the early days, where it seemed like there might only be 8,000 people … to my last few years with the Bruins being sold out every game.”

Thomas has enjoyed the fight he’s seen from the 2025-26 Bruins, especially with former teammate Marco Sturm taking over as coach.

But Thomas also doesn’t spend most of his days consuming hockey.

“I watched some,” he said. “I was thinking about it — and I really enjoyed playing hockey to the nth degree. But I’m not big on watching.”

For all of the highs Thomas achieved in hockey — culminating in the Bruins’ first Cup title in 39 years — the game that Thomas loves also has brought its challenges.

After retiring following the 2013-14 season, Thomas removed himself from the media, and the hockey world in general. When he resurfaced as a member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019, he detailed the brain damage from his playing career that derailed his life long after he stopped his final puck.

A year after his retirement, Thomas underwent a brain scan that revealed that two-thirds of his brain was getting less than 5 percent blood flow. The remaining third was only averaging about 50 percent.

“My rebound effect was like, this wasn’t worth it,” Thomas said. “That’s where I was then. Where I am today is past that. I ended up learning so many lessons out of the experience. It brought me tighter with my family. It taught me a value for life and a value for my brain that I’ve never had before. And I have appreciation for everything that I never had before. I don’t regret anything.”

In recent years, Thomas has started to ingratiate himself back in the hockey community — helping to rebuild flood-damaged homes in Vermont in 2023 while becoming a more regular face during Bruins alumni gatherings.

“About 16 months ago, I came through the other side, so to speak,” Thomas told The Athletic in 2021. “As I continued to get better and better, I’m looking for things to be involved in that are interesting. I’m looking to reconnect with friends and acquaintances that I built over my life.”

These days, Thomas doesn’t second-guess his career or the challenges that hockey has presented him.

And while Thomas was quick to brush aside praise over his heroics during that 2011 Cup run (.940 save percentage across 25 games), the two-time Vezina Trophy winner’s musings are now rooted in gratitude rather than regret.

“It’s easy for me to just forget who I was before, so sometimes stuff like this reminds me of what I have done in the past and what I’ve accomplished,” Thomas said. “I don’t spend every day sitting around thinking of what happened in the past, not because it’s a bad thing to do, just because you got to look forward in life, too.”

Conor Ryan can be reached at conor.ryan@globe.com.