Thursday, December 29, 2011
José Wearing a New Set of Pads at Practice
A friend of mine that lives in Florida went to practice yesterday and took some photos (thanks, Nelly!) He was wearing a new set of pads with small yellow stripes on them.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Gameday, Panthers vs. Maple Leafs, W (5-3)
From On Frozen Pond:
Jose Theodore doesn't speak on game days because of days (re: lots of media) like today. He was very discreet in sneaking out the back door of the locker room. I saw you bubba. Theodore in net versus the Leafs.
(I thought the "sneaking out the back door" comment was pretty funny.)
José has bounced back yet again. Resilient, this man is. He's turned aside all 11 shots he's faced, and he's looked really sharp. The Panthers have only had 4 shots, but at least they scored with one of those, so they lead 1-0.
José stopped 12 of 13 shots in the 2nd and the Panthers lead 4-2.
He saved 7 of 8 that last period (the one goal was a deflection, he had no chance) for a total of 29 saves on 32 shots. The Panthers won 5-3.
Jose Theodore doesn't speak on game days because of days (re: lots of media) like today. He was very discreet in sneaking out the back door of the locker room. I saw you bubba. Theodore in net versus the Leafs.
(I thought the "sneaking out the back door" comment was pretty funny.)
José has bounced back yet again. Resilient, this man is. He's turned aside all 11 shots he's faced, and he's looked really sharp. The Panthers have only had 4 shots, but at least they scored with one of those, so they lead 1-0.
José stopped 12 of 13 shots in the 2nd and the Panthers lead 4-2.
He saved 7 of 8 that last period (the one goal was a deflection, he had no chance) for a total of 29 saves on 32 shots. The Panthers won 5-3.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Gameday, Panthers @ Bruins (Bad)
Not gonna lie. I fully expected this to be a bad game, and it is. The Panthers aren't playing defense and aren't doing anything offensively. And they trail 4-0. At least one of those was a pretty bad goal on José. The rest were team goals. It's ugly and will be a long 40 minutes if things don't change.
He faced 14 shots on goal.
Clemmensen started the 2nd period. After 2 periods the Panthers trail 6-0. Bad, bad, bad.
The Panthers lost 8-0. Not much more to say about that.
He faced 14 shots on goal.
Clemmensen started the 2nd period. After 2 periods the Panthers trail 6-0. Bad, bad, bad.
The Panthers lost 8-0. Not much more to say about that.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Gameday, Panthers @ Senators, 3-4, OT
Clemmensen in goal (sorry for the late update. I had a dentist appointment.)
FYI, José is 13-7-4 with a .923 save % and 2.31 GAA. I'm so proud of him I could just about burst. And I'd like to see what that Versus analyst has to say now (the one who early in the season said the Panthers would be looking for a new goalie by Christmas.)
The Panthers lost in OT last night. They lost Stephen Weiss to an upper body injury early in the game. That's 7 forwards they are short to injury right now. Weiss will not be back for tonight's Boston game. :(
FYI, José is 13-7-4 with a .923 save % and 2.31 GAA. I'm so proud of him I could just about burst. And I'd like to see what that Versus analyst has to say now (the one who early in the season said the Panthers would be looking for a new goalie by Christmas.)
The Panthers lost in OT last night. They lost Stephen Weiss to an upper body injury early in the game. That's 7 forwards they are short to injury right now. Weiss will not be back for tonight's Boston game. :(
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Gameday, Panthers vs. Coyotes, L (1-2)
After one period the Panthers trail 1-0. That wouldn't seem so bad, except that one goal came with less than 10 seconds left in the 1st during a 5 on 3 PK. The Panthers have been taking stupid stick penalties all game, and that one led to the goal. Right before the buzzer. Let's hope they can bounce back, which we've seen all season long they can. He faced 7 shots on goal. There was a lot more skating than shooting on both sides (the Panthers also had 7 shots.)
After two periods, the Panthers trail 2-1. José faced 9 shots that period, the same amount Smith faced for Phoenix. The shots have been exactly the same this game. Difference is the Panthers have had more penalties, and both goals were on the PP.
I do like to see José push/shove/punch the opponents in the back when they're too close. ;o)
Well, that was painful, because it was so close. They had a chance to tie it up with less than 20 seconds left with a penalty shot. And Weiss' shot was so close, it sat on the goal line. Ugh! But José played well, and saved 20 of 22 shots.
After two periods, the Panthers trail 2-1. José faced 9 shots that period, the same amount Smith faced for Phoenix. The shots have been exactly the same this game. Difference is the Panthers have had more penalties, and both goals were on the PP.
I do like to see José push/shove/punch the opponents in the back when they're too close. ;o)
Well, that was painful, because it was so close. They had a chance to tie it up with less than 20 seconds left with a penalty shot. And Weiss' shot was so close, it sat on the goal line. Ugh! But José played well, and saved 20 of 22 shots.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Theodore Proving Critics Wrong
Frank Rekas of The Rat Trick wrote a great piece about José today. I'm so glad he did, because I would like to say what he said to all the fans who doubted when the Panthers signed him this summer. But if I say it, people will say it's just because I'm an overzealous fan who can't see the truth. Well, Frank is an intelligent hockey fan, not JUST a José fan, and people will listen to him more than they will me. Haha. (Not that I think I'm NOT intelligent, but you know what I'm saying.)
Anyway, here's the article.
Admit it. You were wrong. You passed judgement too early, and you had a knee jerk reaction that you’d like to take back from that summer day in July when Dale Tallon announced that Jose Theodore was signed to a two year contract to become the Florida Panthers next goaltender. When it became obvious to Dale that veteran Tomas Vokoun and his “camp” weren’t going to accept what the Florida Panthers were offering, Tallon had to act quickly. He grabbed what he thought was the first and only choice to be the new Panthers netminder. And he hasn’t looked back.
Personally I had predicted this scenario if Vokoun didn’t sign because I always had faith in Theodore as a strong and more than capable backstop. Besides the fact that he’s been a fan favourite in many places he’s played, he always seems to respond to adversity. This year after what coach Kevin Dineen called a “stinky” pre season, Jose Theodore is displaying the type of goaltending that won him the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP in 2001-2002.
Let’s take a look at some stats:
* Games played: 24. On pace for 60.
* Wins: 13. On pace for 32.
* Goals against average: 2.32.
* Save percentage: .923.
I think that most readers would agree that they were nervous going into the season with Jose as the number one goalie, especially with that “stinky” pre season display. But one thing about Jose that you’ve seen on the ice, and we have seen in the dressing room is his demeanor. His confidence, and his personality reflect the way he plays. Nothing rattles him, nothing disturbs him, and he knows and believes he can do the job. It’s not that he’s overconfident, but it’s that he believes in himself and his ability. This was never more evident than two weeks ago when the New Jersey Devils visited the Panthers and blew open a three goal lead, prompting virtually everyone to think that a goalie change would be made following a horrendous first period. Not so, as Theo shut the door for the remaining 50 minutes, and with each save, his teammates became more confident, and went on to win one of the most thrilling games in Florida Panthers history, by a score of 4-3.
In talking with Jose after that contest, not once did he think he was going to be pulled, but he also had all the confidence in the world that as things settled down, and his teammates rallied around each other, they all knew that the game wasn’t over. His steady play between the pipes has been not only refreshing, but infectious to the rest of the team, allowing the Panthers to be able to take that odd offensive chance here and there, and be willing to force the play knowing that Jose has their back.
The speed and skill that this Panthers team has requires them to play a more uptempo style game, and thankfully the dump and chase drek of years past is gone. While being 35 years old, you have to remember that Theodore is just two seasons removed from a 30 victory year with the Washington Capitals, which was preceded by 32 the year before. His mishandling in the playoffs by a panicky head coach (Bruce Boudreau) led to his ultimate demise in Washington, and possibly to that teams playoff failures.
While this Florida Panthers team gets most of it’s energy and recognition from the performance of the FlashMob Line of Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann, everyone knows that you must have a solid goaltender that needs to keep you in games, and steal a few as well. Jose Theodore has provided the stability, and reliability in net that we’ve needed to keep this team in games, and be a true back bone for a club that continues to surprise.
Anyway, here's the article.
Admit it. You were wrong. You passed judgement too early, and you had a knee jerk reaction that you’d like to take back from that summer day in July when Dale Tallon announced that Jose Theodore was signed to a two year contract to become the Florida Panthers next goaltender. When it became obvious to Dale that veteran Tomas Vokoun and his “camp” weren’t going to accept what the Florida Panthers were offering, Tallon had to act quickly. He grabbed what he thought was the first and only choice to be the new Panthers netminder. And he hasn’t looked back.
Personally I had predicted this scenario if Vokoun didn’t sign because I always had faith in Theodore as a strong and more than capable backstop. Besides the fact that he’s been a fan favourite in many places he’s played, he always seems to respond to adversity. This year after what coach Kevin Dineen called a “stinky” pre season, Jose Theodore is displaying the type of goaltending that won him the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP in 2001-2002.
Let’s take a look at some stats:
* Games played: 24. On pace for 60.
* Wins: 13. On pace for 32.
* Goals against average: 2.32.
* Save percentage: .923.
I think that most readers would agree that they were nervous going into the season with Jose as the number one goalie, especially with that “stinky” pre season display. But one thing about Jose that you’ve seen on the ice, and we have seen in the dressing room is his demeanor. His confidence, and his personality reflect the way he plays. Nothing rattles him, nothing disturbs him, and he knows and believes he can do the job. It’s not that he’s overconfident, but it’s that he believes in himself and his ability. This was never more evident than two weeks ago when the New Jersey Devils visited the Panthers and blew open a three goal lead, prompting virtually everyone to think that a goalie change would be made following a horrendous first period. Not so, as Theo shut the door for the remaining 50 minutes, and with each save, his teammates became more confident, and went on to win one of the most thrilling games in Florida Panthers history, by a score of 4-3.
In talking with Jose after that contest, not once did he think he was going to be pulled, but he also had all the confidence in the world that as things settled down, and his teammates rallied around each other, they all knew that the game wasn’t over. His steady play between the pipes has been not only refreshing, but infectious to the rest of the team, allowing the Panthers to be able to take that odd offensive chance here and there, and be willing to force the play knowing that Jose has their back.
The speed and skill that this Panthers team has requires them to play a more uptempo style game, and thankfully the dump and chase drek of years past is gone. While being 35 years old, you have to remember that Theodore is just two seasons removed from a 30 victory year with the Washington Capitals, which was preceded by 32 the year before. His mishandling in the playoffs by a panicky head coach (Bruce Boudreau) led to his ultimate demise in Washington, and possibly to that teams playoff failures.
While this Florida Panthers team gets most of it’s energy and recognition from the performance of the FlashMob Line of Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann, everyone knows that you must have a solid goaltender that needs to keep you in games, and steal a few as well. Jose Theodore has provided the stability, and reliability in net that we’ve needed to keep this team in games, and be a true back bone for a club that continues to surprise.
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