Jose Theodore: Perseverance Personified
by Becca H on Apr 8, 2010 11:04 AM EDT
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PrintThe Masterton Trophy [...] is given to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. - NHL.com
There never seems to be a shortage of amazing candidates for the Masterton Trophy; the NHL is filled with people who have defeated personal demons or physical ailments, who have persevered through obstacles both professional and personal. They simply personify strength, dedication and character.
And while many of the Capitals embody these traits, there is absolutely no better selection than this year’s nominee, Jose Theodore.
For Theodore, this season has been about dealing with a tragedy unimaginable to most of us – the loss of a child. Anyone who has experienced loss at any sort of personal level knows that just getting through the day can often be a struggle. That Theodore was back at work just a few short weeks after the tragedy was, in itself, a testament to his dedication to hockey; that he has not only rebounded from a shaky start but thrived, a sign of his strength and resiliency.
"I can remember sometimes, it could be a 2-2 game, and you start thinking about your son, or you start thinking about different stuff. Or you could be getting dressed [in pads] and trying to get focused and you get carried away thinking."
After a back-and-forth start to the year, Theodore has firmly established himself as the Capitals’ starting goaltender, stringing together performances that ranged from good to spectacular with very few bumps along the way. He played a key role in helping the Caps win 14 straight games and is unbeaten in regulation over the last 22 games (19-0-3) and counting - a franchise record.
It's what he's done off the ice, however, that reveals his true character. Theodore has turned his personal grief into a way to help others by establishing Saves for Kids - a foundation created in his son's honor that benefits the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's National Medical Center. Theodore donates money for every save, every win and every shutout and has inspired others to give what they can, as well; his way of giving back to the people who helped his family through a tough time.
Through it all Theodore has been the utmost professional and, over the last few months, a big reason for the Caps' success. He's taken personal tragedy and used it to fuel his performance while helping others, finding strength and comfort in the sport of hockey to help him through this tough time.
In short he has been everything the Masterton Trophy stands for... and more.
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Chace, your dad is an amazing man.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
by EmilyB on Apr 8, 2010 11:08 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I’m sure there are many amazing stories behind these nominees, but I cannot imagine a more inspiring one than Theo’s. Here’s hoping for the storybook ending.
I don’ know if winning an award would be considered “storybook” after the loss of a child. While of course I’m rooting for him, I wonder if him winning this award would almost be more painful than not? It’s one thing to be congratulated after overcoming cancer or a head injury or something. It’s another thing to have someone say “I know it sucks losing your kid, but here’s something shiny to make you feel better.”
That being said, this award is of course more of a testament to the fact that he has somehow managed to turn something so unbelievably horrible into something that will help others, potentially saving another family from going through a similar experience. And for that, Theo…just wow.
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m thinking that the storybook ending is winning the Cup. Winning the Masterton is nice, but no storybook.
"The Caps fan doesn't say, 'is the glass half full' or 'is the glass half empty'. He wonders when the glass is going to spill."
It would definitely be a bittersweet moment for him and for all of us – but there’s no one more deserving in my mind, on any team.
And if he wins I will be unable to contain my blubbering (especially since just writing this and re-reading that Post article made me very emotional).
100% agree on everything. When is the award ceremony again? I feel like I’ll be on vacation when it happens, which makes me a little sad that I’ll miss it.
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for indulging my lazy/stressed out self. So yea, I’ll be on a boat in the middle of the Caribbean with out internet or TV…aw shucks.
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
If that’s the case — I’d love to see Theo win, but I can’t imagine the emotion. That would be the day after what would have been his son’s first birthday.
by miseenjeu on Apr 8, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Oh man… that is rough. :-(
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There is nothing inherently wrong or sad about reminding a person of a lost loved on. It is also confirmation to Theo that his son was born and lived. One of the worst mistakes people can make is not mentioning such a loss to the grieving for risk of “reminding” them. I don’t think that Jose is worrying about being reminded. He thinks of it every day. The fact that he set up a charity in his son’s honor which he actively promotes indicates that he wants people to know of both his son’s short life and Theo’s own struggle.
Theo’s winning the award is not saying “this will make you feel better.” But it is acknowleding his son’s birth and death, and the fact that Theo struggled with it. Nothing bad can come out of that, and there is nothing bitter sweet out of that.
by Karl W on Apr 8, 2010 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
And trophy ceremony or no trophy ceremony, June 23 will still be the day after his son’s first birthday.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
Wow, um, there’s something in my eye…
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
It’s going around.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
It’s the pollen, really.
"If you close your eyes in the NHL, you'll take one upside the head." - Alexander Semin
by mercurialwinger on Apr 8, 2010 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions
That was brief, but hit home. Rec.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
perhaps no other position in hockey requires the type of mental focus than the goaltender. he has to be ready to react during the entire game and can also be out there during long periods of little or no action. he doesnt even get some alone time in the penalty box for his transgressions.
as theo noted in that quote, it’s real easy to let your thoughts drift after such an unimaginable tragedy. but during the game he doesnt get the luxury of sitting on the bench between shifts or perhaps not getting all the way back on the backcheck. every mistake he makes hurts the team, immediately.
IMO, that he has been able to overcome this tragedy, plus the constant doubts that he could be “the man” to lead a team to a title (not to mention last years playoff yanking), makes this nomination so well deserved. congrats to the PHWA of DC.
Just trying to capture the spirit of the thing...
by dcsportsfan1 on Apr 8, 2010 11:23 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
This list includes the nominees but does not include links to the stories behind the nominations. Mirtle is trying to update as the nominations are made public.
Typically, one knows the story/stories behind the player on the team you root for better than the other reasons for nomination, but as people have noted, many well-deserved nominations including Theodore.
I have seen a few of the write-ups for some of the other players, if someone is interested in a particular player, I’m sure we could create a list with links.
nice job Becca
Is Mirtle or someone else doing this? If not, a fanpost might be in order.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
well, if you guys are doing this, here’s the story behind Henrik Sedin’s nomination.
btw, i honestly think that, after reading this post here at japer’s, jose deserves it.
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Thank you! I am doing this, though the FanPost is still in draft form.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Here we go. Fanpost is up. It’s not entirely complete – not everyone has released their nominees yet – but I’ll keep updating as I find out who teams are nominating.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
by gotsparkly on Apr 8, 2010 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec’d for the hard work on this! :-)
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Individual hardware
This is the only player on the Caps that I care about winning an individual trophy this year. I have no kids so I can only begin to speculate what he has had to go through. I can only assume it’s one of the more traumatic things a person can experience.
Nice to see he gets the expected nomination.
President and sole member of the Erskine lobby.
by sydtron on Apr 8, 2010 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
not to turn this into an argument over theo’s strengths and weaknesses. really just to show how far theo has come since the beginning of the year, professionally. becca, thanks for the very well-written piece.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 8, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
That is almost amusing that 18th was how we ranked him back in the day. He may have a few off days, but that man has been clutch in more than one situation these past few months. Can we talk about the Detroit game during the streak?
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
the mere mention of that game still causes Mr. Bird to twitch.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
same here, only for different reasons I’m sure!
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
i think it was close to accurate re: his trade value at the time. but today, as the only goalie BB can trust on a president’s trophy-winning team headed into the playoffs…
Oh I completely agree that it WAS accurate. Considering his playoff performance (or lack there of?) last year, and in light of the potential mess his head would be after what happened this summer, I’d say 18 was a very reasonable ranking for him.
It’s both relieving and exciting to see how he’s proven us all wrong. Here’s to hoping he keeps that up.
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 8, 2010 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
This is the sort of thing that drives home how far off Sienfield was when he said, “Fans root for laundry.” We fans get invested in these guys more than we admit and more than we probably should. Their successes and their failures, their peaks and their valleys, on and off the ice are taken to heart and effect us. It is refreshing to see credit given where its more than due.
we're not gonna allow someone like Downie to go after him.
Honestly, I couldn’t be happier for Theo. He has gone through so much this season, and he was put in a tough position to begin with. He’s stuck in between two franchise goalies (Olie & Varly/Neuvy) as a ‘stopgap’. Then the loss of his kid was just…wow. I can’t even imagine. I haven’t read any of the other stories regarding the nominees, so I don’t know how Theo compares to them, but in my mind, there’s no doubt he should win it. To do what he did is tough and deserves recognition. I’ve been a huge Theo supporter forever, and he definitely deserves to win. Thanks for the awesome writeup.
Rink Rabbit & newest member of TySlo's fan club.
Jose has certainly won my heart over — and he’s playing to beat the band. I think it was in the article Tarik did where Jose mentioned sometimes during a game getting a little distracted, looking in the stands at the fans and seeing a little child, then thinking about Chace. After a game not long after that, he must have won a star because he was being interviewed by Lisa, I think, and right behind him was a woman holding about a 9-month-old boy up to glass. I could not take my eyes off of the boy and Theo standing right there, knowing that at times during this season he might have looked at that little boy and thought of his own lost one. It takes a lot to keep going after tragedy (I hate the overused phrase “move on”). Work forces you to, ready or not. But, it also means a bumpy road for awhile. He’ll never get over it, but he’s obviously learning to manage the lows.
IIRC, Jose won first star honors for his play against Detroit January 19. When Lisa Hillary was interviewing him, he seemed taken aback by the crowd reaction. I thought it may have been the first time Caps fans had treated him as something other than a consolation prize, first for Huet, then for Varly.
Tarik’s story ran in the Post on March 2, the day before the trade deadline, although the interviewing had taken place the week before. I thought it demonstrated Jose’s character that he didn’t make his charity public until after he’d helped the team through an incredible streak, tying a franchise record (and breaking a personal record) for consecutive wins in the process.
Jose has also won me over. Yes, I’ve become more invested than I’ll (normally) easily admit. But, like Sct112, I have to give credit where it’s more than due. I have to confess that during last year’s playoffs, “colorful” was the word that first came to my mind for Jose. When a reporter described him as “classy” for his support of Varly, I did a double take. Recently, I’ve listened again to his old interviews in French and English. Some of them were hysterically funny, although sometimes very NSFW, which probably contributed to my “colorful” impression. So, no, I’m not going to translate his French! ;-)
But there’s been a pattern that he finds ways to NOT see himself as a victim. This past year, he’s been consistently professional, in excruciatingly difficult personal circumstances. My church has a litany on Thanksgiving — and one phrase seems apropos.. It’s “we give thanks for the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering, and faithful in adversity”
by miseenjeu on Apr 8, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Translate the French, I wanna hear them! Kidding aside, I agree with what you’ve said. Although IIRC, Varly was taken aback at how supportive Theo was during last year’s playoffs. I’ve always thought he was as professional as can be. And I do remember how surprised he was at the ovation he received in Detroit, it was very touching.
Rink Rabbit & newest member of TySlo's fan club.
The ovation was in the Verizon Center, I was home watching on teevee, and I have NEVER heard the VC as loud as it was that night. And it was clear that Jose was truly moved by it.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
Saves for Kids
I put this in the FanPost, but I’m going to pledge an extra $50 for charity if Theo wins the Masterton.
"Hockey is my life, wine is my passion." -- Igor Larionov
by Scott in Shaw on Apr 8, 2010 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Becca – Corey adds just a tad more to the Masterton discussion for Theodore.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Saw that – great piece by Corey, as usual. Of course I wish MY piece had quotes from Jose and his teammates but you know… ;)
For no particular reason
I just really like this picture of Theo and Mike Green
It was from December 11 against the Hurricanes. The game went into overtime, and Mike scored the GWG with 1:16 left on the clock. Theo had 19 saves.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
one of the last little goalies! It was amusing to see him and Archie on stage with Varly, who towered over them.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
Haha I was surprised to see that Jose was actually taller than Archie. Archie must be really small. I’m going to be really sad to see Theo go next season. He’s actually one of my favorite Caps.
Rink Rabbit & newest member of TySlo's fan club.
Archie is tiny for a goalie. The MP of goalies.
I agree totally about the stupidity of the average person. Horrifyingly, nearly 50% of people are even stupider!
they seem rather close, there have been a couple mentions of Green spending time at Theo’s house.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
A bit of topic, but since Jose’s charity work is mentioned here… someone else thinks highly of his charitable potential so to speak… Andrei Nazarov, currently Team Russia "Assistant Coach for NHL" in his interview to Sport-Express a few days ago after coming back from his NHL scouting trip (re Russian players available for the Worlds)
http://hockey.sport-express.ru/reviews/4887/
since they don’t seem to have it in their English edition, here is the relevant part:
Q. So, to count on our players from Washington makes no sense – they’ll go far in the playoffs?
A. Washington’s offense is unmatched. But I think there is a person on that team who can help us (laughing)
Q. What is the secret – who is that man?
A. With all due respect to my former teammate in San Jose, and currently goalie coach for Capitals Arturs Irbe… his charge Jose Theodore is capable of helping Team Russia.
Q. So, is Theodore a weak goalie?
A. Excuse me, but I already have said too much.
Not at all. :) Your excerpt has made me curious, and Tuvanhillbilly has done some translations of Russian articles for this group, which I’ve found very helpful.
good – I got worried I broke some unwritten Japer’s rule, and there is some kind of special police unit made up of some scary looking Tuvans about to knock on my door… er, I mean my keyboard… and take me to an undisclosed location somewhere in Altai Mountains;-)
Nah, you’re fine. We love facts, links, and research around here. More factual information and stuff like this is always appreciated.
Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
by gotsparkly on Apr 8, 2010 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
But we’ve got the Tuvans on standby just in case.
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
That write-up pretty much sums up my feelings on Theodore as well. I’ve stated elsewhere that to me, he has really been the Caps’ MVP this season even with Ovy’s usual stunning numbers. Theodore to me just touches home on that rare form of athlete you see in people like Roger Federer and Rafal Nadal as well. People who not only possess stunning talent and athleticism but are also role-models in personality, behaviour and sportsmanship.
To see him lift the Cup would definitely make up for not seeing Feds do so last year.
"In the depths of winter, I learned there was in me an invincible summer" ~Albert Camus
Theo won me over during the playoffs last year with his exemplary conduct after being yanked in Game 1. His grace under pressure this season has only validated the class his demonstrated. He is more than a deserving Masterton recipient.
agreed! i was really impressed with how he handled that and how he has come back this year with such humility. even if you take away his personal life, jose did not have an easy year and even overcoming his playoff performance would be impressive. the fact that he coped with his grief while accomplishing so much and developing an amazing charity, that’s really just beautiful.
Between Wise and warped, I choose warped.
Meh.
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by hotdog88gt on Apr 9, 2010 12:50 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
If only for what happened last year, Theo will always have me on his side.
My son was born a month after Theo’s… and IIRC his son was born premature. My son was a month old when his son died and it really hit home. I couldn’t possibly imagine what he went through.
I also couldn’t think of a better choice for the Masterson (certainly for the Caps nominee) than Theo.
I appreciate that they need to create the perception of a contest,
but in my mind, there really is no contest. Jose’s got this one running away. I don’t have words to express my respect for what he’s gotten done since the summer, or my compassion for the hell that he must have, and still be going through.
Godspeed in everything Jose – and mad props from the Mile High City.
Nice article Becca.
/’scuse me while I go kiss my sleeping kids.
2009-2010 Colorado Avalanche - On the upside, there's only 1 more (regular season) games of Darcy Tucker left!
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
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54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
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Tampa Bay
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53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
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55 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 50 |
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