Thought you might enjoy a video I made at www.jibjab.com tonight with my 5 favorite Panthers.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Jose Theodore Bringing It (from On Frozen Pond)
Click here to see article.
By George Richards
RALEIGH, N.C. – Remember how bad Jose Theodore looked during the Panthers preseason? Seems like a long, long time ago.
Theodore has been terrific for the Panthers this season, and put many questions following a shaky training camp to rest after shutting out the Islanders 2-0 in the season opener.
“We're well beyond how stinky he was in training camp,'' coach Kevin Dineen said. “Part of the advantage he had was he was a veteran and I was able to believe in him. Give him the benefit, believe in the resume that he could go out and do it. Since the beginning of the year, he's given us a chance to win every night.''
Since that night, Theodore has won 10 games with a point in three of his losses. On Tuesday, he gave up one goal as the Panthers won their NHL-tying best seventh road game.
Coming into the season, Florida's goaltending was a question mark as starter Tomas Vokoun left the team and landed in Washington. Theodore was pegged as Vokoun's replacement and has fared well. Going into Wednesday, Theodore has stopped 92 percent of shots faces and is allowing an average of 2.29 goals per game.
Vokoun, whose Capitals trail the Southeast Division leading Panthers by five points, trails Theodore in both save percentage and goals-against. Both have 10 wins this season.
“It is always good to start the season off on the right foot,'' Theodore said. “The team is playing great and I'm feeling good.''
Although Dineen jokes that he was lying a bit when he said he wasn't concerned about Theodore's uneven showing in training camp now, Theodore says he stands by what he said at that time. “You remember,'' he said. “It didn't bother me.''
Now in his 14th NHL season, Theodore said in September that he wasn't worried, that when the lights of the regular season came on, he would be ready.
The Panthers weren't too sure. Before Scott Clemmensen needed knee surgery, there were rumblings that he may open the season on Long Island instead of Theodore. When Clemmensen went down, the Panthers went all in with Theodore. So far, so good.
There's little doubt Theodore enjoys being Florida's top goalie after spending last season as the backup in Minnesota. Theodore was thankful for that opportunity, mind you, after not being signed during the summer of 2010. An injury led to the Wild signing Theodore on the eve of the 2010-11 season opening.
“Last year was still a good experience for me and my career,'' said Theodore, who signed a two-year deal with the Panthers on July 1. “I had to find wins when I played, even though I didn't play every game. Right off the bat when I came here, they told me they wanted me to be the guy. I knew it was a challenge, my job to lose. But you still have to prove yourself every night. It's fun.''
Unlike Minnesota, Theodore had time to come to South Florida and get settled. With some family already living in the Boca Raton area, Theodore knew a little bit about the region and wanted to be here. Theodore isn't the only one comfortable with that arraignment. The Panthers are as well.
“Jose has the ball and he keeps running with it,'' Dineen said. “It's a ground game right now and he keeps going and going and going. He's doing a great job.''
Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/flapanthers/2011/11/flapanthers-jose-theodore-bringing-it-keaton-ellerby-ready-to-go-with-dmitry-kulikov-out-mark-cullen.html#ixzz1fCpy0jRi
By George Richards
RALEIGH, N.C. – Remember how bad Jose Theodore looked during the Panthers preseason? Seems like a long, long time ago.
Theodore has been terrific for the Panthers this season, and put many questions following a shaky training camp to rest after shutting out the Islanders 2-0 in the season opener.
“We're well beyond how stinky he was in training camp,'' coach Kevin Dineen said. “Part of the advantage he had was he was a veteran and I was able to believe in him. Give him the benefit, believe in the resume that he could go out and do it. Since the beginning of the year, he's given us a chance to win every night.''
Since that night, Theodore has won 10 games with a point in three of his losses. On Tuesday, he gave up one goal as the Panthers won their NHL-tying best seventh road game.
Coming into the season, Florida's goaltending was a question mark as starter Tomas Vokoun left the team and landed in Washington. Theodore was pegged as Vokoun's replacement and has fared well. Going into Wednesday, Theodore has stopped 92 percent of shots faces and is allowing an average of 2.29 goals per game.
Vokoun, whose Capitals trail the Southeast Division leading Panthers by five points, trails Theodore in both save percentage and goals-against. Both have 10 wins this season.
“It is always good to start the season off on the right foot,'' Theodore said. “The team is playing great and I'm feeling good.''
Although Dineen jokes that he was lying a bit when he said he wasn't concerned about Theodore's uneven showing in training camp now, Theodore says he stands by what he said at that time. “You remember,'' he said. “It didn't bother me.''
Now in his 14th NHL season, Theodore said in September that he wasn't worried, that when the lights of the regular season came on, he would be ready.
The Panthers weren't too sure. Before Scott Clemmensen needed knee surgery, there were rumblings that he may open the season on Long Island instead of Theodore. When Clemmensen went down, the Panthers went all in with Theodore. So far, so good.
There's little doubt Theodore enjoys being Florida's top goalie after spending last season as the backup in Minnesota. Theodore was thankful for that opportunity, mind you, after not being signed during the summer of 2010. An injury led to the Wild signing Theodore on the eve of the 2010-11 season opening.
“Last year was still a good experience for me and my career,'' said Theodore, who signed a two-year deal with the Panthers on July 1. “I had to find wins when I played, even though I didn't play every game. Right off the bat when I came here, they told me they wanted me to be the guy. I knew it was a challenge, my job to lose. But you still have to prove yourself every night. It's fun.''
Unlike Minnesota, Theodore had time to come to South Florida and get settled. With some family already living in the Boca Raton area, Theodore knew a little bit about the region and wanted to be here. Theodore isn't the only one comfortable with that arraignment. The Panthers are as well.
“Jose has the ball and he keeps running with it,'' Dineen said. “It's a ground game right now and he keeps going and going and going. He's doing a great job.''
Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/flapanthers/2011/11/flapanthers-jose-theodore-bringing-it-keaton-ellerby-ready-to-go-with-dmitry-kulikov-out-mark-cullen.html#ixzz1fCpy0jRi
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Gameday, Panthers @ Hurricanes (W, 3-1)
After the first period, the game is scoreless. José has stopped all 8 shots, some of them were very good chances, but he was really good.
The game is tied at 1 after 2 periods. The Panthers still haven't gotten much going, but they did score one. And the defense hung José out to dry on the Hurricanes goal. He's still been the star of the game so far though.
José ended up saving 26 of 27 shots on goal and should've been the 1st star, but he ended up as 2nd star, because Matthias had 2 of the goals near the end of the game (one was empty net.)
The game is tied at 1 after 2 periods. The Panthers still haven't gotten much going, but they did score one. And the defense hung José out to dry on the Hurricanes goal. He's still been the star of the game so far though.
José ended up saving 26 of 27 shots on goal and should've been the 1st star, but he ended up as 2nd star, because Matthias had 2 of the goals near the end of the game (one was empty net.)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Some Photos from the Past Few Games
I realize sometimes I don't post as many photos here as I do on my tumblr, so I'll try to catch up a bit here. These are some of my favorites from the past few games.
November 17, 2011
November 19, 2011
November 21, 2011
November 23, 2011
November 17, 2011
November 19, 2011
November 21, 2011
November 23, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Gameday, Panthers vs. Lightning (1-2, OT)
It's been a relatively slow game so far and is scoreless after one.
José stopped all 7 shots on goal, and a couple of the saves were big ones.
The 2nd period was quite a bit more exciting. José stopped all 13 shots he faced, and Flash scored his 10th goal of the season to make it 1-0, Panthers leading. One of the saves José made will surely show up on a highlight reel or two. I'll post if it does.
The Lightning won in OT. José ended up saving 29 of 31 shots and was named 3rd star of the game. They couldn't have asked anymore from him. He was great!
Here's a photo from the sensational save I was talking about. He did save it with his face!
José stopped all 7 shots on goal, and a couple of the saves were big ones.
The 2nd period was quite a bit more exciting. José stopped all 13 shots he faced, and Flash scored his 10th goal of the season to make it 1-0, Panthers leading. One of the saves José made will surely show up on a highlight reel or two. I'll post if it does.
The Lightning won in OT. José ended up saving 29 of 31 shots and was named 3rd star of the game. They couldn't have asked anymore from him. He was great!
Here's a photo from the sensational save I was talking about. He did save it with his face!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Gameday, Panthers vs. Rangers, W (2-1)
After one period, the Panthers lead 1-0. José stopped all 8 shots he faced.
After two periods, the Panthers lead 2-1. José only faced 4 more shots.
The Panthers extended their win streak to 3 with a 2-1 win over the Rangers. José didn't face a lot of shots tonight, but he was super down the stretch when he needed to be. I'm so proud of him. He ended up saving 19 ofr 20 shots.
After two periods, the Panthers lead 2-1. José only faced 4 more shots.
The Panthers extended their win streak to 3 with a 2-1 win over the Rangers. José didn't face a lot of shots tonight, but he was super down the stretch when he needed to be. I'm so proud of him. He ended up saving 19 ofr 20 shots.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Post-Game Interview, 11/21/11
Click here for video.
And Coach Dineen's comments about why he didn't pull José after the 3 goals:
"I don’t hang those goals on my goalie. I’m not shy at making that call, but I just felt that José’s put a pretty good body of work together for us the last 2 weeks, and he deserved a chance to rally with the team as we rallied around him. At the end of the day our push-back was very strong tonight.”
I like this guy.
And Coach Dineen's comments about why he didn't pull José after the 3 goals:
"I don’t hang those goals on my goalie. I’m not shy at making that call, but I just felt that José’s put a pretty good body of work together for us the last 2 weeks, and he deserved a chance to rally with the team as we rallied around him. At the end of the day our push-back was very strong tonight.”
I like this guy.
Gameday, Panthers vs. Devils, W (4-3)
Tonight when the Devils play the Panthers, José will try to continue his stellar performance from Saturday night's game. Which we, of course, know that he can. Marty Brodeur in net for New Jersey. The battle of the two Quebecois 35+ goalies who have scored a goal.
After the 1st period, the Panthers trail 3-0. Definitely a rough start for the Panthers. Lots of turnovers and not being where they should be. I didn't think any of the goals could be called José's fault, but the rest of the team sure made him look bad. Here's hoping for a better 2nd period.
The Panthers are mounting a nice comeback!! They played much better in the 2nd, and are only trailing 3-2 after 2. José faced 13 shots the 1st period and 9 the 2nd for a total of 22 so far.
Oh wow, what a comeback!!! Flash scored the go-ahead goal with about 2:00 left in the game. It was awesome!!! And José held tough. He ended up saving 22 of 25 shots. Every team should want a goalie that can keep his composure after being down 3-0 early in the 1st and become a brick wall. This guy's experience is invaluable to the team.
After the 1st period, the Panthers trail 3-0. Definitely a rough start for the Panthers. Lots of turnovers and not being where they should be. I didn't think any of the goals could be called José's fault, but the rest of the team sure made him look bad. Here's hoping for a better 2nd period.
The Panthers are mounting a nice comeback!! They played much better in the 2nd, and are only trailing 3-2 after 2. José faced 13 shots the 1st period and 9 the 2nd for a total of 22 so far.
Oh wow, what a comeback!!! Flash scored the go-ahead goal with about 2:00 left in the game. It was awesome!!! And José held tough. He ended up saving 22 of 25 shots. Every team should want a goalie that can keep his composure after being down 3-0 early in the 1st and become a brick wall. This guy's experience is invaluable to the team.
My Theo Story on The Rat Trick
I've become friends with Frank Rekas from The Rat Trick (Panthers blog hosted on Fansided), and we talk hockey now and then through twitter and e-mail. I was so excited about my experience at the game in St. Louis last week that I sent Frank an e-mail telling him about it. He was so impressed with what José did that he asked me if I'd be willing to share my story with The Rat Trick readers. At first I was hesitant. Putting myself out there to a larger audience of readers is pretty scary for me. This site is my creation, so I feel I can be my silly and off-beat self, and I won't be judged. I wasn't sure how The Rat Trick readers would take me. But I decided that I wanted more people to know how amazing José is, so I decided I'd do it.
I even allowed my photo to be published? Was I high? Haha. Hopefully everyone will focus on the man standing next to me and just ignore whatever else is in the photo. ;o)
Here's where you can find the article.
No negative critiques please, because it's already published, and I can't change anything now. Thanks.
I even allowed my photo to be published? Was I high? Haha. Hopefully everyone will focus on the man standing next to me and just ignore whatever else is in the photo. ;o)
Here's where you can find the article.
No negative critiques please, because it's already published, and I can't change anything now. Thanks.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Highlight Saves from 11/19/11
Here are a few of my favorite saves from last night. Embedding them takes up so much room on here, I'll just put the link.
Breakaway Save on Cooke, 1st period
Double save on Neal, 2nd period
When things got crazy around the net in the waning minutes of the 3rd, he stood tall.
Save on Malkin, 3rd period
Save on Staal with less than a minute left
And then there was this save that's gotten a lot of attention on nhl.com today. He lost his stick, and the puck bounced off of it. I kind of think it would've gone just wide anyway, without the stick, but people are focusing on this one save rather than all of his beauties.
"Stick save"
Breakaway Save on Cooke, 1st period
Double save on Neal, 2nd period
When things got crazy around the net in the waning minutes of the 3rd, he stood tall.
Save on Malkin, 3rd period
Save on Staal with less than a minute left
And then there was this save that's gotten a lot of attention on nhl.com today. He lost his stick, and the puck bounced off of it. I kind of think it would've gone just wide anyway, without the stick, but people are focusing on this one save rather than all of his beauties.
"Stick save"
Post-Game Interview, 11/19/11
From Fox Sports Florida (remember, their videos tend to disappear after a while, so don't expect this to stick around forever.)
Click here for video.
Click here for video.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Gameday, Panthers vs. Penguins, W, 3-2
Theo will be the starter tonight against Pittsburgh in Florida. In other Panthers goalie news, Clemmensen didn't practice due to soreness, and they have recalled Markstrom to be Theo's backup tonight. The Panthers are also missing important forwards Goc, Upshall, and Bradley due to injuries.
After one period, the Panthers and Penguins are tied at 1. José saved 6 of 7 shots. The one goal was a bit of a flub on his part. He almost knocked it in himself after what looked like a mishandle, but a Penguin did actually touch it. But then he came back later to stone Cooke on a breakaway, so he redeemed himself quite well. One of the best things about him...he can shake off a bad goal and just move forward. Years of experience help with that.
After 2 periods the score is tied at 2. José was hit with 16 more shots on goal that period. Lots of good saves.
It's like that first goal really made him mad, and he was a beast the rest of the night. He saved 39 of 41 shots, and the last period he stood on his head. He saved their bacon numerous times, especially in the last 3 minutes. Wow, it was crazy. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. He always keeps his cool and stays calm. Such composure.
After one period, the Panthers and Penguins are tied at 1. José saved 6 of 7 shots. The one goal was a bit of a flub on his part. He almost knocked it in himself after what looked like a mishandle, but a Penguin did actually touch it. But then he came back later to stone Cooke on a breakaway, so he redeemed himself quite well. One of the best things about him...he can shake off a bad goal and just move forward. Years of experience help with that.
After 2 periods the score is tied at 2. José was hit with 16 more shots on goal that period. Lots of good saves.
It's like that first goal really made him mad, and he was a beast the rest of the night. He saved 39 of 41 shots, and the last period he stood on his head. He saved their bacon numerous times, especially in the last 3 minutes. Wow, it was crazy. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. He always keeps his cool and stays calm. Such composure.
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