Sunday, October 31, 2010

My 100th Post, Let's Make it a Walk Down Memory Lane

Some photos of José through the years...

Rookie season, 1996

2002


2003

2004

2005

2007

2008

2009

 

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Wild to Go With Same Lineup Tonight

Which means José will not be starting. And this is what he thinks about that...

Friday, October 29, 2010

Sometimes I love tumblr

I've come across some awesome photos on tumblr over time. Today I found these photos of José (obviously before his new mask was completed) that were blogged by "goalies." Thanks for posting!



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

José Theodore's Wild Mask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much to InGoal Magazine!! They come through again for me!!! Look at this sweet mask! This has now become my favorite Theo mask. I LOVE it!!!








As sad as InGoal Magazine will be to see Jose Theodore’s temporary “Mummy” mask disappear before Halloween, the new Minnesota Wild backup has good reason to switch it out.

And as happy as InGoal was to be the first to bring you pictures of Theodore’s taped-up temp, it’s with even greater pleasure that we debut the replacement.

Painted by legendary Minnesota-based painter Todd Miska – a first for Theodore – the new lid offers a unique combination of the former Hart- and Vezina-Trophy winning goaltender’s former masks in Montreal, Colorado and Washington.

Theodore’s last mask with the Canadiens featured Gargoyles perched on a brick wall on either side, a reference to their guardian, or gatekeeper, status that has also long been featured on the masks of current Chicago Blackhawks No.1 Marty Turco. When he moved to Colorado, the Gargoyles stayed, but their wings were iced over. After signing in Washington, they were replaced appropriately by bald eagles.


Now Theodore is in Minnesota, a late signing Oct. 2 after scheduled backup Josh Harding blew out his knee in a preseason crease crash, and the Gargoyles are back – sort of.

Replacing the bald eagles on the new mask is the animal-shaped head of the Minnesota Wild logo (the franchise has never clarified if it’s a bear or a wildcat, simply referring to it as a “wild animal”). But if you look closely at the ice that the creature appears to breaking out of, you will notice a set of wings, Gargoyle style. Instead of a wall, the clawed creature is perched on the emblem being used to celebrate the Wild’s 10th season. Missing from the new mask is the “LX” symbol that used to be chiseled into the wall the animals were perched on, a Roman numeral reference to his No. 60, and something he also carries permanently in the form of a tattoo.

The number “60″ does appear on the new backplate (pictured below), part of familiar in theme on the rear of Theodore’s masks over the years. It includes his nickname “Theo” and a small elephant.

“The elephant is just a luck charm,” Theodore once told InGoal Magazine of his design.

Also returning on the back of the new mask are the stylized letters “R” and “C” with crosses hanging from them, tributes to Theodore’s young daughter Romi, and Chase, the infant son he lost prior to last season after complications stemming from his premature birth.

Theodore turned his personal grief into a positive by establishing Saves for Kids, a foundation created in his son’s honor to benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, with Theodore donating money for every save, win and shutout – and inspiring others to do the same. After reclaiming the No.1 job with the Capitals during the regular season, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last summer as a result of his charity work and strong play in the face of adversity, an award given to “the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

Added on 11/6/10:



Backstrom Gets the Start on Thursday, Not José

From Russo's twitter:

Russostrib
Michael Russo


Niklas Backstrom starts tomorrow vs. #Caps


Just for fun...a couple screen captures from last season from interviews I just happened upon today...


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Gargoyles are Making a Comeback!!! (José's New Mask) No Photos Yet

From Russo's Rants...José is going to be sportin' gargoyles again!! I'm so excited. I adored his Colorado masks with the gargoyles, so I hope this one will be just as snazzy.

Here are the tidbits about José in Russo's Rants today.

"Wild, after its team picture this morning on the Xcel Energy Center ice, had an optional practice. Nine guys skated, including rookie Colton Gillies and recouping Pierre-Marc Bouchard, plus goalies Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore.

Theodore's new mask is in. Neat looking thing -- another Todd Miska creation. He's always had gargoyles on his mask in Montreal and Denver, so Miska put one on each side with the head being a Wild logo.

Lastly, Richards said he'll decide Wednesday which goalie starts vs. Washington. He says both have good reasons to start -- Backstrom's playing well and Theodore's a former Cap. For my money, Backstrom is a no-brainer. He's playing great and Theodore, coming off a five-goal outing vs. Vancouver, is not ready to once again be thrown in behind a fragile group facing Washington's ridiculous firepower.

That's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

Here was a photo from today's practice when they were preparing for team photos. I can see José down in the center, with his back to the camera, but the mask is not in sight.



And then a very blurry one of the team...is José on this end, front row? It's definitely a goalie...but the number doesn't look like 60...or is he on the opposite end of chairs? I'm sure there will be a better photo soon.


New Mask and Pads!!

Mike Russo tweeted that José was sporting new pads and mask today!! I'm waiting, very impatiently, for photos...

Russostrib Michael Russo Jose Theodore has new Wild colored pads and mask today

2nd tweet about mask...Theodore's new mask is in. Neat looking thing -- another Todd Miska creation. He's always had gargoyles on his mask in Montreal and Denver, so Miska put one on each side with the head being a Wild logo.

Edit on 11/14/10: For those of you landing on this post hoping to see Theo's mask and pads, I'll go ahead and post photos here as well.




Here are his pads, according to The Goalie Guild



And here's the post that fully explains his new mask.

José Theodore's Current Mask is Temporary

Edit: You can now find José's new mask at this post.

I actually read a comment online after Friday's game about how José put minimal effort into his Wild mask. I thought it would be obvious to folks that it was temporary, especially since the backplate is the one from his Caps mask. But I guess not. So I'll post here to make sure people realize he has a new Wild mask in the works, this is just what he's wearing in the meantime. It's simply his Caps mask with white tape covering it and the Wild decals that the other skaters use on their helmets. There was an article about it over at inGoal Magazine, calling it his mummy mask.

Halloween is still more than a week away but Jose Theodore appeared to be in the trick-or-treat mood early, making his Minnesota Wild debut Friday night in a mask that looked like it had been wrapped up mummy style.

Turns out it has.

After signing with the Wild just before the season started because scheduled backup Josh Harding tore up his knee in a preseason game, Thoedore was still waiting for his new Minnesota-themed mask to arrive from the painter.

In the meantime he has wrapped up last season’s lid from the Washington Capitals with pieces of tape and splattered it liberally with Wild stickers, creating the mummy effect that as on display against the Canucks on Friday night, complete with frayed edges where the tape wraps over the edges of the mask.

It’s easy to forgive Theodore for looking like something from the local beer league – and not just because his temporary set up is so perfectly suited to the fast-approaching candy and costumes season.

The stylish 34-year-old veteran has more than earned the benefit of the doubt for the intricate gargoyle-themed masks he wore in Montreal and Colorado before appropriately subbing in bald eagles on both sides of his mask in Washington last season.

Theodore’s helmets have long been among the more detailed paint in the NHL, with the large winged creatures on each side serving as guardians, or gatekeepers, at his first two NHL stops...

There’s no word on the incoming design for the one-year, $1.1-million contract he signed with the Wild – perhaps bears will replace the gargoyles and eagles this time – but Theodore has also typically featured an “LX” chiseled into the wall upon which the animals are perched – the Roman numeral equivalent of his No. 60, and something he also carries permanently in the form of a tattoo.

“In Montreal I used to have a mask with just with the Montreal logo that I didn’t design and then after they came up with this and I just kept it from there,” Theodore once told InGoal Magazine of his design.

The back of Thoedore’s Colorado mask featured a stylized “R” with a cross on a chain hanging from it, a tribute to young daughter Romi, his nickname “Theo” and a small elephant standing on a “33,” his lucky number growing up.

“The elephant is just a luck charm,” he said.

*************************************

And since it mentioned his tattoo...here it is:

Monday, October 25, 2010

Just for fun

The Wild are playing the Kings right now, but José isn't playing...and I don't really have time to think of a thoughtful blog post, so I'm just going to post a few screen captures that I have saved.

This one is from a 2008 interview when he was with the Capitals. It was before he had his new Caps mask, and the reporter asked when it would be arriving. José responded with a really cute smile, and here it is...

These are from his time in Colorado. I can never get too much of the sweaty hair look...

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Russo's Take on Last Night's Game

Mike Russo of the Minneapolis-St. Paul StarTribune shares his thoughts on the Minnesota loss to Vancouver.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/105578008.html?page=1&c=y




And here's a link to a post-game interview with José. His part starts at about minute 17:20.

http://wild.nhl.com/club/podcastplayer.htm?pid=25&iid=24929