Wednesday, August 31, 2011

José Theodore's 2011-12 Panthers' Mask

I love this mask!! It's so adorable. And I don't care if goalie masks "aren't supposed to be adorable", because this one is, and I love it. The Panther family is José, Stephanie (check out her bikini bod) and Romy (with the cute little pink bow in her hair.) How fun must it be for Romy to be on Daddy's mask! As a little panther!!! I'd be ecstatic!! He's such a good Daddy.

Artist: David Gunnarsson
Article from the Panthers' beat writer's blog about the mask.

Of course the "R" on the back is for Romy, with the cross hanging from it as in all past seasons since she's been born. The "C" of course is for Chace, the son they lost in 2009. Notice the cross is surrounding him more...beautiful touch.

The license plate on the backplate is hard to see, but it's a Florida plate with "LX 60' on it. And the palm trees are really sharp. Beautiful and fun mask. I highly approve. And then the more traditional Panthers' logo is on the chin.

This is definitely a departure from what he's done in all his past seasons...but I love the change and couldn't be more pleased and proud of him for going out on a limb with this one. And you can't get better than portraying your family on your mask...as Panthers!! That's just cool! As Berni said, it just shows how important his family is to him, and that's just super sweet.




José's New Mask Photos Later Today!!!

There will be photos of José's new mask later today...the beat writer for the Panthers tweeted that, and I'm sooo excited!!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

José is Working out with other Panthers

@TheRealWeinberg posted some photos from today's workout that a few of the Panthers participated in.

Yesterday was the first report of a small group of the guys working out together.

Then this was the photo from today of Clemmensen and José. That is a new mask José is wearing, but we can't see the details yet. TheRealWeinberg said, "Theodore's mask is SICK!"

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

José Has Made the Move

Of course I don't know that it's the "final" move before the season. But it was tweeted that he was in the airport on Sunday with his family headed to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. And here he is...always obliging to his fans.

(This photo was posted on a twitter account that does not protect their tweets, so it came up in a general José search. If it's someone's photo that doesn't want it here, just let me know.)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

It's always nice to see José get props from other goalies

It’s always nice seeing other goalies giving the proper respect to José for his influence. Mike McKenna (who will be playing for the Binghamton Senators come October, but has played a few games for Tampa and NJ) said he was influenced by José’s footwork.


If you’re a fan of goalies, McKenna is a good follow on twitter @MikeMcKenna56. He’s pretty active with his followers, although I’m sure once the season starts his activity will decrease. He’s from St. Louis and spent 2 years here in Springfield, IL during high school playing for the Springfield Jr. Blues.

Another nice photo showed up on tumblr today

Sometimes I get tired of all the bickering and drama between hockey fans on tumblr, but I'd never leave. Just for this reason...when I think I have found every possible photo there is of José online, someone posts one I havent' seen. And I'm like this :D Case in point today: he looks like he's playing poker? Maybe a Casino Night or a charity event, etc. Gosh, he looks so good in black.


I'm thinking it might have been during his Colorado years, because he's wearing his ring. I started noticing that during Colorado after Romy was born, and I'm not sure how much earlier than that he wore it.

Another Photo of José from the Simple Plan Show

Thanks so much to fellow Theo fan, Sheena, for allowing me to post this photo. This was from after the Simple Plan show from earlier this summer. Wow, he looks so adorbs...and tanned! ;o)

Friday, August 19, 2011

New Panthers Coach Kevin Dineen Keeps his Door Open

The Hockey News (online) talked to Kevin Dineen the other day. He mentioned José, very briefly. I'm desperate for new news! Please hurry up, training camp. Actually, we should see his new mask before then...maybe? Hopefully?

By Ryan Dixon 2011-08-17 14:41:00

It seems like having a sense of humor is a bit of a must for any coach, even if he’s never had Alex Kovalev on his team.

The Florida Panthers’ new hire, Kevin Dineen, fits the bill. When asked what his former Portland Pirate players would say if questioned about what kind of coach he is, Dineen quickly quipped, “I would hope they would tell you a few lies.”

Beyond the jokes, Dineen talked about a desire to have constant communication with his charges, including both informal chats and scheduled meetings at regular intervals. What’s striking about speaking to Dineen is how he stressed that learning isn’t just for young players. Feedback might be more crucial for players still trying to find peak form, but Dineen said when he was a player, he always craved information, even well into his 30s. Chances are, that mindset is part of why he became a coach in his post-playing days.

“Players still want to develop,” he said, citing new Florida vets such as Ed Jovanovski and Jose Theodore.

In addition to the aforementioned desire to learn, Dineen’s family history in the game also seems to make him a natural for life behind the bench. Like Kevin, his father, Bill Dineen, also played in the NHL. He then went on to coach in the defunct pro Western League, the World Hockey Association, the American League and the NHL basically every season from 1969-70 to 1992-93, when he coached Kevin on the Philadelphia Flyers. Kevin’s brother, Gord Dineen, also turned to coaching after his NHL career came to an end and has spent the past seven seasons in the AHL.

So coaching must be in Kevin’s blood, too, right?

“Before I think I resisted that comment because you’re always looking at different options and how your career path is going to play out,” he said.

Dineen spent the last three years of his playing days with the Blue Jackets, retiring after the 2002-03 campaign. From there, he joined Columbus’ front office in a player development capacity and spent three or four days a month with the team’s prospects in Syracuse. He credits former Crunch coach Gary Agnew for giving him the leeway to skate with players and get a sense for what it’s like to be around a team in that capacity. In 2005, he decided to make the jump to coaching and found a willing dance partner in former Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, who hired him to coach in Portland.
Dineen may have initially eschewed the path blazed by his family members, but there’s no doubt in his mind hanging around the Houston Aeros as a kid, while the team was winning Avco Cup championships with his father at the helm and Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe on the ice, had a huge effect on him.

“I think if there’s one thing my dad did, it’s that he always had an incredible amount of character players, specifically in Houston when we were down there,” he said.

Dineen has his work cut out for him trying to get the Panthers in the playoffs for the first time since the spring of 2000, but he believes Florida has brought in players with the right DNA to succeed and he plans to lean on that open communication policy with his troops as they try to turn things around. Discussions will be frequent, but the bottom line will be the same, in this case once again delivered with a touch of tongue-in-cheek.

“If we agree to disagree,” said Dineen, “I win because I’m the boss.”

Thursday, August 18, 2011

José at the Blink 182 Concert

José went to the Blink 182 concert at the Bell Centre earlier this week, and Val's friend, Mel, was kind enough to share this photo!! Thanks, Mel and Val!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Training Camp is One Month Away

Florida Panthers training camp begins Sat., Sept. 17th.
The first preseason game is Mon., Sept. 19th.

And the first regular season game is Sat. Oct. 8th!!

Anyone else getting excited?!!

Monday, August 15, 2011

So...yeah, the theme changed again

For some reason I was feeling fidgety about the look/theme of this blog. When I would copy and paste some of the articles, some things didn't show up with the blue background, and it took a lot of editing. So I looked around a little further at the themes, and I saw palm trees! Seemed a bit appropriate for the new Florida Panther. So...for now, this is it.

If anyone has any problems with seeing anything or is really put off by any of the appearance, let me know. I want my followers to be happy also.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

PANTHERS: 3 QUESTIONS FOR 2011-2012

There was a sidebar in the Panthers 30-in-30 article titled "3 Questions for 2011-2012", and it highlighed goaltending.

1. Were all the moves made this offseason the right moves for the team?All of the Panthers moves were made in an effort to push the team back into the postseason for the first time since 2000. Without a doubt, Florida improved its team on paper, but will it be enough to make it a top-eight team in the Eastern Conference remains to be seen, especially with the loss of goalie Tomas Vokoun.

2. How will the team's goaltending fare?
Although the team seemed to improve on forward and defense, Florida lost one of the top goalies in the League in Vokoun. His replacement, Jose Theodore, now on his fourth team in the past five seasons. In the four seasons, Theodore's teams have made the postseason three times. Theodore will be pushed by Scott Clemmensen, Vokoun's understudy in Florida.

3. Will Florida be able to improve its goals output?
The Panthers' 2.33 goals per game ranked 28th the NHL last season. Although none of the acquisitions Florida made are most likely game changers on their own, the increased depth of the roster should facilitate goal scoring and help push the team toward a playoff spot.

-- Greg Picker
Carol's addition:
I have noticed that in all I read about the Panthers' upcoming season, the biggest doubt people have is goaltending. And that really bothers me. I understand that Vokoun is an outstanding goalie. I get that. But José is no slouch. And just because he's been on 4 different teams in the past 5 seasons doesn't reflect his skill, or lack thereof. It reflects the nature of free agency and the environment of goaltending in today's NHL. I forsee José doing great things in Florida. He proved the past couple seasons that he's still an excellent goalie. He just needs the opportunity to show that. He needs a coach that will have confidence in him and allow him to play stretches of games so he can get in a groove, even if he has a bad game in there.

I look forward to José proving all the doubters wrong!

NHL.com's 30-in-30: Florida Panthers

There was very little mention of José in here, but I'll post it anyway. I want to learn as much about his new team as possible: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=585308

Remodeled Panthers hope to end playoff drought

Friday, 08.12.2011 / 3:00 AM / 30 in 30
By Dave Lozo - NHL.com Staff Writer
There isn't another franchise in the NHL that's had more futility recently than the Florida Panthers. They've made the playoffs just three times in their 17 seasons and haven't reached the postseason since 2000, the longest drought in League history.

In his second year as general manager of the Panthers, Dale Tallon spent the offseason doing everything he could to construct a winning team. There could be about a dozen new faces -- including a new coach in Kevin Dineen -- at the BankAtlantic Center, a sign that times are changing in South Florida.

For all the talent Tallon acquired in June and July, the Panthers didn't clean house entirely.

Their three leading scorers -- centers Stephen Weiss and Mike Santorelli along with David Booth-- remain with the team. All three had at least 20 goals last season and could improve on their totals with the influx of offensive talent acquired by Tallon.

It will take a lot for the Panthers to improve on their last-place finish (72 points) in the Eastern Conference and reach the postseason in 2011-12, but perhaps Tallon's overhaul will do just that.

Departures
By far the biggest loss for the Panthers was that of Tomas Vokoun, who signed a one-year deal with Southeast Division rival Washington in July. As bad as the Panthers have been in recent years, none of the blame could be pinned on Vokoun. In his four seasons with the Panthers, he never posted a save percentage worse than .919.

The Panthers' other departures since the end of the season are more about quantity than quality.

Gone are forwards Steve Bernier, Sergei Samsonov, Byron Bitz, Mike Duco, Patrick Rissmiller, Niclas Bergfors,  Marty Reasoner and defensemen Alexander Sulzer and Clay Wilson.

Of that group, only Samsonov has scored 20 goals during an NHL season, and that most recently occurred in 2001-02. There isn't a true difference-maker in the bunch, but there's young talent in there that could be effective for other clubs in the coming years.

To truly grasp how much the Panthers have changed since the start of last season, it's important to look at what Tallon pulled off at the 2011 trade deadline as well. He shipped out defenseman Bryan McCabe, Dennis Wideman and Bryan Allen along with forwards Cory Stillman, Michael Frolik, Chris Higgins and Radek Dvorak.

There's probably no other fan base in the League that needs to buy the opening night program more than Panthers fans.

Arrivals
All of those departures means there must be an equal amount of arrivals to balance things out. There are enough newcomers with the Panthers that it's almost necessary for them to wear name tags when they show up for training camp.

Starting with the forwards, the Panthers added Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky, Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, Matt Bradley and Ryan Carter.

Fleischmann received the biggest free-agent contract of any new Panther, a four-year, $18 million deal. He's battled concussion issues and a pulmonary embolism during the past two seasons, but when healthy, he's an offensive threat with terrific speed. The Panthers clearly weren't afraid of his health problems.

At 27, Upshall is just entering his prime but has yet to realize his potential. His 22 goals last season, split between the Phoenix Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets, were a career-best, and the Panthers are expecting him to build on that success.

In Versteeg and Kopecky, the Panthers get two players who were key cogs in the Stanley Cup championship of the Chicago Blackhawks, a team Tallon basically built from scratch. Their leadership and experience could be invaluable.

Bergenheim made a name for himself with his terrific playoff run last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He finished tied for third in playoff scoring with 9 goals despite the Lightning failing to get past the Eastern Conference Final.
Goc is a fourth-line center who is effective on faceoffs. Bradley brings toughness, while Carter will likely open the season in the AHL.

Tallon also bolstered the team's blue line, acquiring Brian Campbell from the Blackhawks in a trade and signing former Panther Ed Jovanovski to a four-year deal. The pair will bring stability to a blue-line corps that has severely lacked that quality in recent seasons.

To replace the workhorse that is Vokoun, the Panthers picked up Jose Theodore in free agency. He'll likely split time with Scott Clemmensen until one of them emerges as the No. 1 goaltender.

Two wild cards are defenseman Erik Gudbranson and forward Jonathan Huberdeau, the Panthers' No. 1 draft picks the past two years. Gudbranson appears to be ready for the NHL, but he'll need to prove that to Dineen during training camp. Huberdeau was the third pick in this year's draft and will be given a chance to earn a spot.

Outlook
There's no doubt the Panthers will be a much-improved team in 2011-12, but will they be good enough to earn a postseason spot? Dineen is a rookie coach with the unenviable task of getting all these newcomer to work as a team, something that would appear difficult for even the most seasoned coach.

But the Panthers have a lot of things they've been lacking in the past, including speed and Stanley Cup championship experience. Depending on how quickly everyone comes together, the Panthers could surprise a few people by the end of the season.

A lot of that will depend on the goaltending. For years, the Panthers had one of the best keeping them in games in Vokoun. If Theodore and Clemmensen keep the Panthers in games, a major turnaround could be in store.

Friday, August 5, 2011

No, José is Not Single

I can tell how people land on my site and what search phrases they use, etc. I noticed that someone searched "Is Jose Theodore married?" So I thought I'd just throw this up here...he has been with the lovely Stephanie Cloutier, since 1998, and they have an adorable daughter, Romi, who was born in March 2006.


Edit 5/15/14: I made a later post with all my favorite photos of them, and you can find it here.











This was from their first "official, out-in-public" date at the opening of Planet Hollywood, July 28, 1998. They had met in June.