Boston Bruins goalie and former Vermont Catamount Tim Thomas brought the Stanley Cup back to Burlington and his alma mater on Saturday.

Thomas paraded the Cup and his other pieces of hardware, the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Vezina Trophy, up Church Street. An estimated crowd of between 5,000-10,000 lined the pedestrian walkway in downtown Burlington to get a glimpse of the Stanley Cup Playoff MVP.

At the end of the parade route, Thomas and other officials said a few remarks. Thomas and his wife Melissa, also a UVM grad and native of Essex Junction, Vt., were presented with the United States and Green Mountain battle flags, by the Vermont National Guard. The flags flew over Afghanistan on the day the Bruins won the Stanley Cup.

"The two most fun things I've experienced since winning the Cup are the parade in Boston and now this parade in Burlington," said Thomas.

Following the parade, Thomas made a stop at the UVM Davis Center where he was honored by the UVM Alumni Association. He was presented with the 2011 Alumni Achievement Award. Read more about this year's award winners.

UVM Interim President John Bramley presented Thomas with a citation for his career accomplishments as a collegiate and professional athlete and his stature as "an iconic hero of American sports."

Thomas was awarded a second date with the Cup and choose to bring it to Burlington, a city that has supported his career for many years. Thomas runs a successful summer hockey program in the area that sells out yearly.

The Davidson, Mich. native had a four-year career with the Catamounts (1993-97), compiling a school record 81 career wins, and helped Vermont make back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament and the school's first trip to the Frozen Four in 1996.

Thomas led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Championship, behind a 37-save effort in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and became the first goalie in NHL history to win a Game 7 with a shutout on the road. The Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver to win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.

Thomas went 16-9 in the postseason and led all playoff goaltenders with a .940 save percentage, 1.98 goals against average, and four shutouts. He set NHL records for most saves in one playoff year (798), most shots faced in one playoff year (849), and most saves in a Stanley Cup Final (238).

Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs and took home his second Vezina Trophy in three years as the league's top goalie. He joined Bernie Parent as the only goaltenders in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe, and Vezina in the same season.

Thomas is a three-time All-Star and won a silver medalist for the U.S. Hockey Team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Thomas also raffled off signed memorabilia during his stay in Burlington and the proceeds will go to help the Vermonters affected by Hurricane Irene.