Why Is No One Talking About Jose Theodore?

Maybe nobody’s talking about him because nobody wants to jinx it :)

But the conventional wisdom is that the Caps Are Playing Great But Have Goaltending Issues!! What will people say if they noticed this??

In seriousness, I knew he had been playing well, but I’m a little surprised it’s this well. I think I have more confidence in Theo than most Caps fans, but that prospect of a return to the 2008 Theodore is going to keep everyone a little nervous until, at least, round 2 of the playoffs.

Took me a second to find Theodore on that chart…didn’t think I’d need to start at the top.

Look how many more saves Ryan Miller had to make over the same number of games. I guess BUF’s shutdown days are over….

Peter Budaj’s numbers will probably keep Andrew Raycroft in COL?

Theo has been playing extremely well. Tarik, to his credit, has been talking about it and defending him quite a bit. I’m not surprised that the national press types have been focusing more on the downs than the ups though

And not that anyone’s reading, but I’ve been making a habit of posting Theodore’s #s since the Dec. 23 Rangers game in almost every game recap I’ve written for the past month. The numbers are flat out impressive, and considering how awful his start was I’m pretty damn surprised that he’s cracked .900. About three weeks ago I was thinking that if Theo finishes with a SV% around .905 and a GAA around 2.6, that’s gonna mean he went on one hell of a run and probably would mean the Caps also had a hell of a run to close out the season. Now I’m thinking .905 might be a low estimate with 30 games left.

I’ve been thinking this all along. I am glad that more people are coming around though.

When a newspaper makes a correction it always gets buried in the back of the paper. I think the same concept is at work here. Hockey reporters aren’t going to willingly admit they got it wrong on Theo.

But six weeks is a decent-sized sample from which to draw some conclusions, and it’s possible to chalk up some of his early season woes to familiarizing himself with new on- and off-ice surroundings, as well as the stellar play of his backup.

Couldn’t have said it better. Rec’d.

His numbers have been very good and for the most part I am comfortable with him as our starter. I still love the signing…2 years on Jose, 1 left on Johnson provides a perfect migration path to Varlamov and Neuvirth.

With that said, you have to admit that even during the great streak the times he does give up a goal makes you scratch your head. This will happen with a goalie that is more reaction then fundamental.

It’s hard, then, to deny that Jose Theodore is one of the best goalies in hockey at the moment… and maybe no one’s talking about him because their mouths are filled with crow.

Or maybe they aren’t talking about him because they know it won’t last? :-)

Maybe because he showed this kind of teasing promise last year only to explode vehemently in the 2nd round of the playoffs? Maybe cuz he’s a prick who held out for more money from the franchise and goalie coach that helped revived his much-maligned career? He’s french?