Continuing The Hockey News Montreal Canadiens' goalie week with Jose Theodore.
Over the years, many legends have manned the Montreal Canadiens' net, but there's also a goaltender who falls short of that status but who nevertheless claimed the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP.
The coveted trophy has only been won by a goaltender eight times since it was first awarded after the 1923-1924 season, three of those times it went to a Canadiens' goaltender. We've covered Carey Price already and Jacques Plante will have his turn, but today, we're taking a look at Jose Theodore.
The Laval native was picked 44th overall by Montreal at the 1994 draft and went on to win the QMJHL championship the following season earning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the playoffs MVP. He then graduated to the AHL were he tended net for the Fredericton Canadiens for part of three seasons before being called up to the big leagues permanently.
In 353 games with the Habs, he posted a 141-158-35 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He is in eighth place in the most all-time wins as a Canadien, sixth in games played, tenth in save percentage and just misses out on the top 10 in GAA.
His numbers were significantly better in 2001-2002, when he kept a whopping .931 SP and a 2.11 GAA. That year, he had 30 wins and posted seven shutouts. His .931 SP was the highest in a season by a Canadiens' goaltender up until then, but Carey Price would beat that record in his incredible 2014-2015 season.
His 2001-2002 numbers earned him both the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender and the Hart Trophy. That year, he also received the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, having posted the best SP across the league.
Theodore would play in Montreal for eight full seasons before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche for fellow goaltender David Aebischer at the 2006 trade deadline. He spent two full seasons in Denver before heading to Washington to play with the Capitals as a free agent. He also had short stints with the Minnesota Wild and the Florida Panthers, where he finished his career in 2012-2013.
The netminder also won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2010 after overcoming the death of his premature infant son at two months old.
Even if Theodore falls short of the legendary tag so many Montreal Canadiens' goaltender have, his amazing 2001-2002 season deserves acknowledgment. Signing 30 wins with such an offensively challenged side was nothing short of a miracle. That year, Yanic Perreault led the team in scoring with 56 points, it goes to show the lack of offense has been a recurring theme in Montreal for quite some time.
