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Avalanche goalie adamant he shouldn't be likened to Patrick Roy

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 23, 2008 at 10:48 p.m.

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Jose Theodore.

David Zalubowski / Associated Press

Jose Theodore.

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They are of French-Canadian descent, began their NHL careers with the Montreal Canadiens, were traded to the Avalanche and . . . well, except for tending goal, the comparisons pretty much end there.

And this is just fine with Jose Theodore, who wants no part of being likened to Patrick Roy, who owns practically every significant record there is for goalies, won four Stanley Cups and has been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"I remember when I was drafted, that was the first thing that came out," said Theodore, who played four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and was the Canadiens' second-round pick (44th overall) in 1994. "I always say it's not fair. What he's done in the game, he's in a class by himself. No goalies in this league - or ever - should be compared to Patrick."

Fair enough, but Theodore is coming off a Roy-like performance against the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference quarterfinals, where he stopped 188 of 200 shots for a 1.88 goals-against average and .940 saves percentage.

Theodore stole Game 5 with a scintillating 38-save effort in a 3-2 win that gave the Avalanche the opportunity to close the series at home, which it did behind his 34 saves in a nail-biting 2-1 win.

"We were in awe, probably as much as the fans, to see a goalie have a night like that," defenseman Adam Foote said of Theodore's Game 5 efforts. "We were very thankful, too."

Now the trick is for Theodore to do it again against an even more formidable opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, and backstop a team into the conference final for the first time in his career. Even in 2002, when Theodore won the Hart and Vezina trophies with Montreal, the Canadiens' season ended with a second-round loss.

"I really do think I have more experience now and I feel better than I did a couple years back," Theodore said. "I've been in a lot of different situations, tough situations, and when you do bounce back, they always say it makes you a stronger person, and it did. I'm happy with where I'm at right now."

So are Avalanche teammates, who say Theodore's quiet demeanor can be a calming influence on the ice and in the locker room.

"His emotions, his maturity . . . maybe he was always in control of his emotions, but I see him as being very level-headed," Foote said. "He's very calm, focused on his own job. Patrick was different. Patrick was very vocal and Jose is quiet. He gives off a controlled vibe, which is good for the rest of us. He's not rattled, which is a good way to lead. If he doesn't like something the 'D' did, we just talk about it."

That wasn't always the case with the fiery Roy.

" 'Patty' would say a few things occasionally," Peter Forsberg said, laughing. "They're different that way, but both ways seems to work, so I'm not complaining. Since I've been back, every single game, it's been like 'Wow.' 'Theo's been playing great. If you're going to go far, you need a good goalie."

Theodore, a high-priced backup a year ago, when he lost the No. 1 job to Peter Budaj, insists he never doubted he could turn around his career, even after suffering a knee injury during workouts before training camp. Theodore needed arthroscopic surgery that caused him to miss the exhibition schedule and first part of the season.

"His approach in the offseason and at the start of the year was terrific," coach Joel Quenneville said. "You could sense that he wanted to prove that he wanted to recapture the net and capture that confidence in his game. He had a little setback with his knee prior to camp, and that wasn't easy, but he handled that and dealt with that little blow."

Now that it looks like his mojo is back, Theodore doesn't gloat but seems amused, maybe a little annoyed, when anyone expresses surprise he is playing so well again after a few seasons of mediocrity.

"I knew what I was capable of doing, and it was just a matter of time," he said. "I knew I always put the work in, and usually the work does pay off. I had a lot of people that didn't doubt it as well, and it's always nice to have people behind you.

"After that, like I always say, you look at the people that did doubt you and you say, 'You were wrong. I'm a goalie that can make a difference.' "

Theodore is eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season but said he hasn't given any thought to the possibility of parlaying his comeback into a big payday.

"The only future I'm thinking about is practicing and being ready," he said. "That's pretty much how I always approach each year, not thinking too far ahead."

Elite eight Starting goaltenders in the conference semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Martin Biron, Philadelphia

* Born: Lac St. Charles, Quebec.

* Age: 30.

* Season stats: 30-20-9, five shutouts, 2.59 goals-against average, .918 saves percentage.

* Playoff stats: 4-3, one shutout, 2.67, .908.

* The skinny: They soon might name a steak sandwich after him.

* Fun fact: Wore an orange tuxedo and dressed as Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber for Halloween.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh

* Born: Sorel, Quebec.

* Age: 23.

* Season stats: 19-10-2, four shutouts, 2.33, .921.

* Playoff stats: 4-0, one shutout, 1.26, .955.

* The skinny: Fourth-year pro coming into his own.

* Fun fact: Would like to have met Alexander Graham Bell to learn how he developed the telephone. Henrik Lundqvist, N.Y. Rangers

* Born: Are, Sweden.

* Age: 26.

* Season stats: 37-24-10, 10 shutouts, 2.23, .912.

* Playoff stats: 4-1, 2.35, .917.

* The skinny: Plays on Broadway and he's still underrated.

* Fun fact: Backstopped Sweden to the Olympic gold medal in 2006.

Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose

* Born: Ust-Kamen- ogorsk, Kazakhstan.

* Age: 32.

* Season stats: 46-21-8, six shutouts, 2.14, .910.

* Playoff stats: 4-3, one shutout, 2.45, .895.

* The skinny: Didn't look like a Vezina Trophy finalist against Flames.

* Fun fact: Speaks five languages - English, French, German, Kazakh and Russian.

Chris Osgood, Detroit

* Born: Peace River, Alberta.

* Age: 35.

* Season stats: 27-9-4, four shutouts, 2.09, .914.

* Playoff stats: 2-0, one shutout, 0.39, .981.

* The skinny: If he falters, Dominik Hasek is waiting in the wings.

* Fun fact: Favorite sport to watch after hockey is roller derby.

Carey Price, Montreal

* Born: Vancouver, British Columbia.

* Age: 20.

* Season stats: 24-12-3, three shutouts, 2.56, .920.

* Playoff stats: 4-3, two shutouts, 2.09, .925.

* The skinny: Young and unflappable; reminds some of Ken Dryden.

* Fun fact: Fourth goalie in playoff history to have Game 7 shutout.

Jose Theodore, Avalanche

* Born: Laval, Quebec.

* Age: 31.

* Season stats: 28-21-3, three shutouts, 2.44, .910.

* Playoff stats: 4-2, 1.88, .940.

* The skinny: Could be the second coming of . . . well, you know.

* Fun fact: Gargoyles are painted on his mask to help protect his net.

Marty Turco, Dallas

* Born: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

* Age: 32.

* Season stats: 32-21-6, three shutouts, 2.31, .909.

* Playoff stats: 4-2, one shutout, 2.01, .912.

* The skinny: Re-inventing himself as dependable postseason fixture.

* Fun fact: Played in four Frozen Fours with Michigan, winning national championships in 1996 and 1998.

Avalanche at Red Wings

* When: 5:30 MDT tonight.

* Where: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit.

* What: Game 1, best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals.

* TV/radio: Versus; KKFN-FM (104.3).

* Leading playoff scorers

Colorado (4-2) G A P

C Joe Sakic 2 4 6

LW Andrew Brunette 3 2 5

LW Wojtek Wolski 2 3 5

LW Peter Forsberg 1 4 5

RW Milan Hejduk 2 2 4

Coach: Joel Quenneville

Detroit (4-2) G A Pts.

C Pavel Datsyuk 3 2 5

C Jiri Hudler 2 3 5

D Niklas Kronvall 0 5 5

LW Henrik Zetterberg 2 2 4

RW Johan Franzen 2 2 4

D Brian Rafalski 1 3 4

Coach: Mike Babcock

Injuries: Colorado - D Brett Clark (dislocated shoulder), RW Scott Parker (ankle) and RW Marek Svatos (knee) are out. Detroit - LW Tomas Holmstrom (knee) is out; C Kirk Maltby (hamstring) is questionable.

* Sidelight: Datsyuk scored Detroit's goal in a 1-0 win against Colorado on Jan. 8. He recorded five assists in two other shutout wins against the Avalanche - two in a 2-0 decision Feb. 1 and three in a 4-0 decision Feb. 18.

* Notes: Zetterberg and center Valtteri Filppula each scored three goals against the Avalanche during the regular season. . . . Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the Avalanche has won only two of 12 games against the Red Wings, including one win in six games at Detroit. . . . Since moving to Colorado, the Avalanche has won three of five playoff series against Detroit. The previous time the teams met in the second round was in 2000 in a series the Avalanche won in five games. . . . The Avalanche had two goals in 76 shots in its four losses to Detroit this season. . . . Maltby missed all of Detroit's first-round series against Nashville because of his injury.

Comments

  • April 24, 2008

    9 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    octopus writes:

    Not to worry, Threeorfour...NOBODY is likening you to Roy!

    You're about to find out why Detroit is the most dangerous offensive team in the NHL, and why Nashville played their best 1-2-2, rope-a-dope game in our first series. If the Avs open it up and try to play run-and-gun with Detroit, you're going to see a shot-disparity of around 20 shots per game, and a goal-disparity around 2-3 per game, conservatively.

  • April 24, 2008

    11:30 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mike1969 writes:

    Yeah we'll see about that Octopunk. The Avs have beaten Det in 3 of 5 playoff series. Sakic is healthy, which he wasn't last time we played, along with Stastny, Hejduk, and Smyth all in and healthy for the quest! Oh and we added a couple of guys..maybe you've heard of Salei and Foote? ..and what was that other guys name? I can't recall but I think it rhymes with Scoresberg...you'll be hearing that name alot!

  • April 24, 2008

    3 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mike1969 writes:

    The Avs will be swallowing Champaign form a certain large silver cup. As for the Wings, they will just continue to swallow their normal dosage of that white milky substance. I'll check back in about 5 hours after we finish up with our first appetizer of Wings and see how much trash talking I hear then. The MN geeks are all very quiet now as Det fans will also be shortly..hey even though your season is almost over at least you guys didn't sell your hockey team to Dallas to build a mall.

    Hope you and your boys are ready for some golf.

  • April 24, 2008

    5 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    WingNut1967 writes:

    Good evening Avs Fans... I am so excited about this series, it's been a while since we have played the Avs in the playoffs... Should be a great time... Enjoy... Go Wings!!!

  • April 24, 2008

    5:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    WingNut1967 writes:

    AVSWALLOW

    How correct you were, just anounced Forsberg is out with a Groin injury...

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