Going into last night I fully expected a street fight between the Avalanche and Ducks, and not to disappoint both teams made it their mission to hit each other as much as possible.
In true Ducks fashion they even made it a point to crank Super Joe on at least one occasion.
With all the playoff hockey around it was easy to see that it was a game that the Avalanche could have easily lost, had it not been for one French Canadian left hander between the pipes.
Let's get something straight, I was a fan of Jose Theodore for precisely one round of playoff action, when he and the Avs put Dallas out of the first round two years ago. Then the bottom fell out.
And for the better part of a year and a half Theo couldn't stop a drunk bantam league team.
So it was fitting that coming into this season the biggest complaint from fans and experts was that the Avalanche had no depth at goaltending. With some analysts predicting that this season would be Theodore's last in the NHL, considering Joel Quennevilles penchant for despising goalies.
But as it turns out we should have known better than to doubt a former Hart Trophy winner in a contract year.
For the better part of the last two months Theo has been not only one of the best players on the Avalanche, but one of the steadiest goalies in hockey. And last night in a 27 save shutout of the defending Cup champions, Jose may have regained his prominence as one of the preeminent goaltenders in the game.
(...and yes I just wrote that...it hurt. I am having pain in the head and neck region now.)
In a year in which even the best goalies have had their fair share of rocky performances Jose Theodore since December has put up stout numbers, while not allowing his team to see any horrible blowouts.
Whodathunkit!
So here comes the big admission, as I cannot deny it anymore: Jose Theodore is good.
There, I said it. I will now stare directly into the sun so that I may never see again...
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3 comments:
I'm totally in the same boat as you are Aaron. I don't necessarily go out of my way to cheer for him, but I do like what Theodore has done lately. You know, as a goalie yourself, you need to give your team a chance to win every night if possible. He's done that lately and more. Let's hope he keeps it going to a long time to come. I'll admit he's good too, but I'm still not cheering for him (and I still don't know why.)
Just wanted to introduce myself as well: My name is Jay Vean and I have been producing an Avalanche podcast called "The Avs Hockey Podcast" this hockey season. I post a show about every week and it covers pretty much everything that has to do with the Avalanche. I just came across your blog and am looking forward to reading it in the future. I, like many other Avs fans, like to read as many different perspectives as I can about our favorite NHL team.
So far, a link for my show has been posted on the "In the Cheap Seats" and Shane Giroux's "Avs Talk" blog.
If you have a few extra minutes, please check out my show here: http://avshockeypodcast.podomatic.com/ If you like what you hear would you please consider adding my show to your "Ringers" list? I would really appreciate you helping a fellow huge Avs fan out. I'm just trying to get the word out to as many other Avs fans out there as possible.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at avalanchepodcast@comcast.net. Take care and of course, Go Avs! Jay Vean
You sir, are a better man than me. Part of my inability to publicly admit that Theo has done a good job this year IS the fact that it is a contract year. Part of me really wonders if his suddenly-inspired play has a deep rooted connection to him wanting to get paid by SOMEBODY ELSE next season. Still, as long as the Avs are the beneficiaries, who am I to complain?
I don't think there is anything Theo will ever be able to do to gain back the respect of the fans, or the elite status he had when he won his league hardware. Everyone is going to be looking over their shoulders, waiting for the meltdown to come. He has, most likely, seen his last big contract, and if he earns over half his salary in his next contract, I'll be amazed.
I know the fear I have every time he goes in net, wondering if this is going to be the time he loses his cool. Faith is a hard thing. He makes it harder.
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