Ok, so the All-Star Game and surrounding events were kinda fun, but now it's back to real hockey! Sweet!! I'm glad the guys get a break, we all deserve one now and then. But it's nice to have real games starting up again tomorrow.
The Wild play at home against the LA Kings.
And the guys are practicing today...this from Kent Youngblood:
#mnwild practice at 2; John Madden along with a couple of rookies and both goalies on ice 15 minutes early
Ah, that's our hard-working José...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
All-Star Weekend, So a Look Back at José's All-Star Appearances
Since we are in the doldrums of the All-Star Break (it has felt excrutiatingly long) let's look back at José's two All-Star Appearances (2002 and 2004.)
2002
2002
He was 25 here, but looks like he's 18!
2004
With Roberto Luongo, Lou's pads are HUGE!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
1/19/11 Video of José Talking about His Injury
Thank you, Berni, for reminding me I needed to check Fox Sports North's website! I had just thought yesterday and today that I hadn't been there in a while, since José hasn't played. And I knew I should still check, just in case there was something. And sure enough, there was a video from 1/19/11 of him talking about his injury. The audio is awful...loud people in background coupled with microphone not being close enough to him...hard to hear sometimes. But here it is.
Here was a screen capture of Theo and Backs tonight after the game from Berni. The game was blacked out on Gamecenter for me, since it was in Chicago, so she was kind enough to share her screen cap with me. I'll get more after the blackout is over in 48 hours. Yay for happy goalies!!!
The Wild beat the Blackhawks tonight, so that was a great way to go into the All-Star Break. It will be a week before they play again. I will have withdrawal...
Here was a screen capture of Theo and Backs tonight after the game from Berni. The game was blacked out on Gamecenter for me, since it was in Chicago, so she was kind enough to share her screen cap with me. I'll get more after the blackout is over in 48 hours. Yay for happy goalies!!!
Gameday, Wild @ Blackhawks (But José Is Not Starting)
From Kent Youngblood's twitter, since Russo is not in Chicago:
Backstrom in nets. Two line changes: Cullen centers Kobasew and Bouchard. Madden with Nystrom and Staubitz.
The game is at 7:30 CST. They won't play again until Feb. 1, at home, against the Kings (after the All-Star Break.)
And I just wanted to post a drawing from thepatronsaintx today, because her drawings are so cool.
Backstrom in nets. Two line changes: Cullen centers Kobasew and Bouchard. Madden with Nystrom and Staubitz.
The game is at 7:30 CST. They won't play again until Feb. 1, at home, against the Kings (after the All-Star Break.)
And I just wanted to post a drawing from thepatronsaintx today, because her drawings are so cool.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A few José Tidbits the Day Before Gameday
I guess I'm still riding a high after that Russo profile of José. I didn't want to move it down the line, but time marches on, and so does my blogging. ;o) Wow, I made myself sound so much more important than I am!! Haha!!
Anyway, this week Saku Koivu (former Montreal Canadiens' teammate of our favorite goalie) made a return to Montreal with the Anaheim Ducks. Russo had a few quotes from José about Saku:
Because of the three-hour time change between east and west coast, Wild captain Mikko Koivu was hoping to catch the start of Saturday's Anaheim-Montreal game. It was older brother Saku's first return to Montreal, the team he captained for nine of his 13 seasons with the Canadiens.
"It's going to be very emotional for him," said Mikko Koivu.
Wild goalie Jose Theodore was longtime teammates with Saku Koivu in Montreal.
"There are a lot of similarities between Mikko and Saku," Theodore said. "Very educated, very honest. You can see they came from the same family. Saku, it's almost like me and him grew up together. We started the same year, we played together seven or eight years, he was my captain.
"I even sometimes catch myself calling Mikko 'Saku' because they kind of look alike."
And here is a photo of José and the elder Koivu in 2002. This was Saku's first game back after his battle with cancer.
A The way this conference is going, it's hard to imagine the Wild not being in it. But if the postseason is a long shot by the Feb. 28 deadline, I expect Chuck Fletcher to shop potential unrestricted free agents Andrew Brunette, John Madden, Chuck Kobasew, Antti Miettinen and Jose Theodore. If it's got a chance, the Wild should have the cap room to make a move, perhaps for a scoring winger. But the Wild's hoping defenseman Marek Zidlicky will be back by then and maybe Guillaume Latendresse after that.
Q Does Josh Harding have any chance of being re-signed or will the Wild keep Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom? -- eighteen
A With Dennis Endras perhaps coming across the pond and developing youngsters Matt Hackett and Darcy Kuemper in the fold, I think Harding will have to sign a two-way contract elsewhere to reestablish his career. Theodore has been good and a great teammate, but he may get a better shot elsewhere to be a No. 1. The Wild will consider bringing him back at the right money.
Q Did you actively seek a job in MN to cover the Wild? If so, why? If not, why? -- dahockeyguru
A Funny, Theodore asked me Wednesday if I was "transferred" here. Doesn't work like that. I was interested in the job when it was open in 2003 but never pursued it aggressively. When it was open again in 2005, I did. After the lockout, I sensed the Panthers were becoming less and less relevant with my former newspaper and in the marketplace, and I wanted to remain a hockey writer and in a hockey market.
******************************************************************
I read somewhere that when José went 100% at practice on Friday, he felt perfect. But now I can't find that, so I guess you'll have to take my word for it until I find it again. Stupid geriatric brain...
Anyway, this week Saku Koivu (former Montreal Canadiens' teammate of our favorite goalie) made a return to Montreal with the Anaheim Ducks. Russo had a few quotes from José about Saku:
Because of the three-hour time change between east and west coast, Wild captain Mikko Koivu was hoping to catch the start of Saturday's Anaheim-Montreal game. It was older brother Saku's first return to Montreal, the team he captained for nine of his 13 seasons with the Canadiens.
"It's going to be very emotional for him," said Mikko Koivu.
Wild goalie Jose Theodore was longtime teammates with Saku Koivu in Montreal.
"There are a lot of similarities between Mikko and Saku," Theodore said. "Very educated, very honest. You can see they came from the same family. Saku, it's almost like me and him grew up together. We started the same year, we played together seven or eight years, he was my captain.
"I even sometimes catch myself calling Mikko 'Saku' because they kind of look alike."
And here is a photo of José and the elder Koivu in 2002. This was Saku's first game back after his battle with cancer.
Then in Sunday's StarTribune, Russo wrote his Sunday Insider, where he answered fans' questions. There were a few mentions of Theo.
I'll post those bits, and here's the whole article if you're interested.
Michael Russo opened up his blog to reader questions. Here's a sampling of what was on your minds.
Q If the Wild is outside the playoff bubble, do they sell at the deadline or make a push? --Ryan, Saint Paul
A The way this conference is going, it's hard to imagine the Wild not being in it. But if the postseason is a long shot by the Feb. 28 deadline, I expect Chuck Fletcher to shop potential unrestricted free agents Andrew Brunette, John Madden, Chuck Kobasew, Antti Miettinen and Jose Theodore. If it's got a chance, the Wild should have the cap room to make a move, perhaps for a scoring winger. But the Wild's hoping defenseman Marek Zidlicky will be back by then and maybe Guillaume Latendresse after that.
Q Does Josh Harding have any chance of being re-signed or will the Wild keep Jose Theodore and Niklas Backstrom? -- eighteen
A With Dennis Endras perhaps coming across the pond and developing youngsters Matt Hackett and Darcy Kuemper in the fold, I think Harding will have to sign a two-way contract elsewhere to reestablish his career. Theodore has been good and a great teammate, but he may get a better shot elsewhere to be a No. 1. The Wild will consider bringing him back at the right money.
Q Did you actively seek a job in MN to cover the Wild? If so, why? If not, why? -- dahockeyguru
A Funny, Theodore asked me Wednesday if I was "transferred" here. Doesn't work like that. I was interested in the job when it was open in 2003 but never pursued it aggressively. When it was open again in 2005, I did. After the lockout, I sensed the Panthers were becoming less and less relevant with my former newspaper and in the marketplace, and I wanted to remain a hockey writer and in a hockey market.
******************************************************************
I read somewhere that when José went 100% at practice on Friday, he felt perfect. But now I can't find that, so I guess you'll have to take my word for it until I find it again. Stupid geriatric brain...
Friday, January 21, 2011
José Theodore lives in the moment
The veteran NHL goalie stood up to some of life's hard shots and, at least for now, is savoring his time in the Wild's net.
By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune
Last update: January 21, 2011 - 10:01 PM
SAN JOSE, CALIF
Only one NHL team can boast that its backup goaltender once was the NHL's most valuable player.
That's the Wild, and on Wednesday night, that injured former Hart Trophy winner, José Theodore, settled in the Saddledome press box high above the Calgary ice.
Things are slower way up top. You can see every passing and shooting lane and can't grasp how little time and space there actually is. Even the immense traffic in front of the net doesn't seem as menacing.
"The game's easy up here," the goalie said. "My [four older] brothers, they'll sit behind the net when I'm playing and are amazed at how little I can see."
Just like that, Kyle Brodziak sets up Martin Havlat with a lunging pass. "What a play by Brodzy!" yells Theodore.
A couple of minutes later, Mikko Koivu whistles a power-play goal through Andrew Brunette's screen. "See what I mean? Look at Bruno. Perfect position," Theodore says.
Theodore was vested, with lines like, "Nice save, Backy [Niklas Backstrom]!" and "Come on, boys!" and "Huge goal!"
Theodore, 34, didn't adhere to the "no cheering in the press box" mandate on this night, a 6-0 Wild blowout. But Theodore is not accustomed to watching games in a press box either.
From decoration to desolation
Theodore, who practiced Friday and will back up Backstrom on Saturday night against the Sharks after missing four games because of a hip injury, is one of the NHL's most decorated goalies. He has won 253 games and a Vezina Trophy and is one of six goalies in NHL history to win the Hart.
Heck, as Theodore jokes, "not too many goalies can say Patrick Roy was his backup." In Montreal, Theodore played one career game with the Hall of Famer -- a preseason game, in which Theodore started and Roy rode the pine.
Wild fans especially know Theodore's ability. As Brunette, his former Colorado Avalanche teammate, says, "Theo can take his game to another level." It was Theodore who held the Wild to 12 goals and Marian Gaborik to none in six games during Colorado's 2008 playoff upset of the division-winning Wild.
But Theodore is the first to admit he has suffered ups and downs in his career. Still, for reasons Theodore doesn't entirely understand, he went unsigned last summer and nearly got squeezed out of the NHL until the Wild's Josh Harding tore his right ACL and MCL in September.
Theodore played for the high-risk Washington Capitals, yet went 30-7-7 with a .911 save percentage last season and didn't lose in regulation the last 24 games.
"You start to get worried," Theodore said. "I wanted to stay positive, but when training camp started, I didn't know what to do, where to get ice to keep training. I knew I still had a lot to give. It was frustrating. For whatever reason though, I had a feeling it wasn't it."
A turn for the tragic
It was an extraordinary season that followed a tragic offseason for Theodore.
On August 20, 2009, Theodore and his wife, Stephanie, were devastated when their infant son, Chace, died of respiratory complications two months after being born premature.
"It still hurts," Theodore, with eyes watering, said. "It's a day-to-day battle because there's always something out there on TV, in the stands, talking to somebody, that reminds you. It's always tough.
"I think that's why I'm so proud of how I played last year. I didn't know how I'd react. You never know. You never prepare for a tragedy like this. Nobody understand until it happens. I never wish anybody should live this."
Theodore won the 2010 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
"The [NHL Awards] ceremony was almost exactly a year later, June 23. Chace was born June 22. That's why I was so emotional," Theodore said.
To honor his son's sadly short 54-day life, Theodore created Saves for Kids, a fundraising program that benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's National Medical Center in Washington. The Washington Capitals have kept the program going.
The drug test fiasco
Theodore has been a fascinating player over his 14-year career.
In 2006, he made news when he failed a random drug test before the Olympics that led to a two-year ban on international play.
The drug found in his system was finasteride, an ingredient in the hair loss-prevention medication, Propecia, that can be used to mask a performance-enhancing drug taken by bodybuilders. Theodore, who needs a heavy breakfast to weigh 180, is not a bodybuilder.
"It was kind of funny because I started taking the pill at 21 or 22 for prevention, I take it once a day and I was tested maybe seven times over the years -- in the world championships at 23, in Europe during the lockout, in the World Cup, in the Olympic camp that August in Vancouver. Everything was always OK.
"Then November comes, and they're like, 'We found this.' I was like, 'What? I've been playing internationally for years.' I mean, Team Canada was aware. They just didn't know it was banned, I guess. But it had nothing to do with the NHL. They know I take it, and I wouldn't have made the Olympics anyway."
Hitting the right notes
Most impressive in his career may be surviving the pressure of being a French-Canadian playing under the Montreal microscope.
"It really pushed me to be good every night," he said. "In Montreal, you can win player of the month and if you have a bad game the next day, they're like, 'Who's going to be in net tomorrow?' Like a lot of other players, it gets to the point you can't win that battle and have to get out of there. But it really taught me to challenge myself."
Theodore looks and dresses as if he should be modeling for GQ. An avid guitar player and friends with lots of musicians, he has hopped on stage to play with Simple Plan, NOFX and Pennywise. He played in front of 100,000 people at a music festival in Montreal with Francophone rocker Eric Lapointe.
"I'm a big Ramones fan," Theodore said. "Actually, before Johnny Ramone's passing [in 2004], I talked to him a month before. I said, 'We're going to be in L.A. in two months. I hope to catch up.' He said, 'I hope I make it to then.'
"But I'm a big music guy. When I was a kid, I was a big skateboarder. I'd bring my skateboard everywhere and skate on everything I could find. I got into the underground punk scene, but I'm really diverse in what I like, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Linkin Park to hip-hop to Frank Sinatra."
Theodore's chest, arms and back are loaded with tattoos, from tributes to his wife and 4-year-old daughter, Romy, to his love of music to LX -- the roman numeral of his sweater number, 60.
He's also "an absolutely unreal teammate," Brunette said. "Goalies are a different breed. Not Theo. He's very normal. You go to dinner with him and he'll shoot the breeze and tell stories and make you laugh, and you don't even know he's starting tomorrow. Very laid back."
And solid in Minnesota, winning eight games, including three in a row before getting hurt.
Like last summer, Theodore's future is uncertain. If the Wild falls out of a playoff race, it might consider trading him. You can bet the Wild would love to re-sign Theodore for next season, but as he said, "I always want to be a No. 1 and still think I can be.
"But I always say, 'Whoever is playing the game that night is the No. 1 that night.' The last 25 games, I can't complain the way Todd [Richards] has been using me. Me and Backy are a great team, and I just want to support my teammates down the road. I want to play in the playoffs, and I'd love it to be here."
By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune
Last update: January 21, 2011 - 10:01 PM
SAN JOSE, CALIF
Only one NHL team can boast that its backup goaltender once was the NHL's most valuable player.
That's the Wild, and on Wednesday night, that injured former Hart Trophy winner, José Theodore, settled in the Saddledome press box high above the Calgary ice.
Things are slower way up top. You can see every passing and shooting lane and can't grasp how little time and space there actually is. Even the immense traffic in front of the net doesn't seem as menacing.
"The game's easy up here," the goalie said. "My [four older] brothers, they'll sit behind the net when I'm playing and are amazed at how little I can see."
Just like that, Kyle Brodziak sets up Martin Havlat with a lunging pass. "What a play by Brodzy!" yells Theodore.
A couple of minutes later, Mikko Koivu whistles a power-play goal through Andrew Brunette's screen. "See what I mean? Look at Bruno. Perfect position," Theodore says.
Theodore was vested, with lines like, "Nice save, Backy [Niklas Backstrom]!" and "Come on, boys!" and "Huge goal!"
Theodore, 34, didn't adhere to the "no cheering in the press box" mandate on this night, a 6-0 Wild blowout. But Theodore is not accustomed to watching games in a press box either.
From decoration to desolation
Theodore, who practiced Friday and will back up Backstrom on Saturday night against the Sharks after missing four games because of a hip injury, is one of the NHL's most decorated goalies. He has won 253 games and a Vezina Trophy and is one of six goalies in NHL history to win the Hart.
Heck, as Theodore jokes, "not too many goalies can say Patrick Roy was his backup." In Montreal, Theodore played one career game with the Hall of Famer -- a preseason game, in which Theodore started and Roy rode the pine.
Wild fans especially know Theodore's ability. As Brunette, his former Colorado Avalanche teammate, says, "Theo can take his game to another level." It was Theodore who held the Wild to 12 goals and Marian Gaborik to none in six games during Colorado's 2008 playoff upset of the division-winning Wild.
But Theodore is the first to admit he has suffered ups and downs in his career. Still, for reasons Theodore doesn't entirely understand, he went unsigned last summer and nearly got squeezed out of the NHL until the Wild's Josh Harding tore his right ACL and MCL in September.
Theodore played for the high-risk Washington Capitals, yet went 30-7-7 with a .911 save percentage last season and didn't lose in regulation the last 24 games.
"You start to get worried," Theodore said. "I wanted to stay positive, but when training camp started, I didn't know what to do, where to get ice to keep training. I knew I still had a lot to give. It was frustrating. For whatever reason though, I had a feeling it wasn't it."
A turn for the tragic
It was an extraordinary season that followed a tragic offseason for Theodore.
On August 20, 2009, Theodore and his wife, Stephanie, were devastated when their infant son, Chace, died of respiratory complications two months after being born premature.
"It still hurts," Theodore, with eyes watering, said. "It's a day-to-day battle because there's always something out there on TV, in the stands, talking to somebody, that reminds you. It's always tough.
"I think that's why I'm so proud of how I played last year. I didn't know how I'd react. You never know. You never prepare for a tragedy like this. Nobody understand until it happens. I never wish anybody should live this."
Theodore won the 2010 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
"The [NHL Awards] ceremony was almost exactly a year later, June 23. Chace was born June 22. That's why I was so emotional," Theodore said.
To honor his son's sadly short 54-day life, Theodore created Saves for Kids, a fundraising program that benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's National Medical Center in Washington. The Washington Capitals have kept the program going.
The drug test fiasco
Theodore has been a fascinating player over his 14-year career.
In 2006, he made news when he failed a random drug test before the Olympics that led to a two-year ban on international play.
The drug found in his system was finasteride, an ingredient in the hair loss-prevention medication, Propecia, that can be used to mask a performance-enhancing drug taken by bodybuilders. Theodore, who needs a heavy breakfast to weigh 180, is not a bodybuilder.
"It was kind of funny because I started taking the pill at 21 or 22 for prevention, I take it once a day and I was tested maybe seven times over the years -- in the world championships at 23, in Europe during the lockout, in the World Cup, in the Olympic camp that August in Vancouver. Everything was always OK.
"Then November comes, and they're like, 'We found this.' I was like, 'What? I've been playing internationally for years.' I mean, Team Canada was aware. They just didn't know it was banned, I guess. But it had nothing to do with the NHL. They know I take it, and I wouldn't have made the Olympics anyway."
Hitting the right notes
Most impressive in his career may be surviving the pressure of being a French-Canadian playing under the Montreal microscope.
"It really pushed me to be good every night," he said. "In Montreal, you can win player of the month and if you have a bad game the next day, they're like, 'Who's going to be in net tomorrow?' Like a lot of other players, it gets to the point you can't win that battle and have to get out of there. But it really taught me to challenge myself."
Theodore looks and dresses as if he should be modeling for GQ. An avid guitar player and friends with lots of musicians, he has hopped on stage to play with Simple Plan, NOFX and Pennywise. He played in front of 100,000 people at a music festival in Montreal with Francophone rocker Eric Lapointe.
"I'm a big Ramones fan," Theodore said. "Actually, before Johnny Ramone's passing [in 2004], I talked to him a month before. I said, 'We're going to be in L.A. in two months. I hope to catch up.' He said, 'I hope I make it to then.'
"But I'm a big music guy. When I was a kid, I was a big skateboarder. I'd bring my skateboard everywhere and skate on everything I could find. I got into the underground punk scene, but I'm really diverse in what I like, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Linkin Park to hip-hop to Frank Sinatra."
Theodore's chest, arms and back are loaded with tattoos, from tributes to his wife and 4-year-old daughter, Romy, to his love of music to LX -- the roman numeral of his sweater number, 60.
He's also "an absolutely unreal teammate," Brunette said. "Goalies are a different breed. Not Theo. He's very normal. You go to dinner with him and he'll shoot the breeze and tell stories and make you laugh, and you don't even know he's starting tomorrow. Very laid back."
And solid in Minnesota, winning eight games, including three in a row before getting hurt.
Like last summer, Theodore's future is uncertain. If the Wild falls out of a playoff race, it might consider trading him. You can bet the Wild would love to re-sign Theodore for next season, but as he said, "I always want to be a No. 1 and still think I can be.
"But I always say, 'Whoever is playing the game that night is the No. 1 that night.' The last 25 games, I can't complain the way Todd [Richards] has been using me. Me and Backy are a great team, and I just want to support my teammates down the road. I want to play in the playoffs, and I'd love it to be here."
José Tidbits from today...
All I found today about José was from Russo.
First from Twitter during practice in San Jose:
"I don't know if I've ever seen two goalies stretching more in practice than banged-up Backstrom/Theodore."
Then from his blog later:
"Jose Theodore practiced fully today and he will back up Niklas Backstrom vs. San Jose. Theodore felt great, he said, and "he looked great," coach Todd Richards said. Speaking of Theodore, I did a big profile on him for Saturday's paper. Also YouTube Jose Theodore and NOFX and Jose Theodore and Simple Plan and Jose Theodore and Pennywise, I believe.
Theodore is an avid guitar player and is buddy buddy with a ton of bands. He's been on stage with many during concerts."
I'm sure most of you knew about Theo's trips onstage with those bands. He loves to play guitar.
Here's the one with Pennywise
With NOFX
Looking forward to the "big profile" in tomorrow's paper!
First from Twitter during practice in San Jose:
"I don't know if I've ever seen two goalies stretching more in practice than banged-up Backstrom/Theodore."
Then from his blog later:
"Jose Theodore practiced fully today and he will back up Niklas Backstrom vs. San Jose. Theodore felt great, he said, and "he looked great," coach Todd Richards said. Speaking of Theodore, I did a big profile on him for Saturday's paper. Also YouTube Jose Theodore and NOFX and Jose Theodore and Simple Plan and Jose Theodore and Pennywise, I believe.
Theodore is an avid guitar player and is buddy buddy with a ton of bands. He's been on stage with many during concerts."
I'm sure most of you knew about Theo's trips onstage with those bands. He loves to play guitar.
Here's the one with Pennywise
With NOFX
Looking forward to the "big profile" in tomorrow's paper!
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