kids encyclopedia robot

José Théodore facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
José Théodore
Jose Theodore 2012-03-09.JPG
Théodore with the Florida Panthers in 2012
Born (1976-09-13) September 13, 1976 (age 48)
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Djurgårdens IF
Colorado Avalanche
Washington Capitals
Minnesota Wild
Florida Panthers
National team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
NHL Draft 44th overall, 1994
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 1995–2013

José Nicolas Théodore (born September 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams, including the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, and Washington Capitals.

Théodore was known for his exciting style of play. He played junior hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he won a championship. In 1994, the Montreal Canadiens selected him in the NHL draft.

His best season was in 2001–02 with the Canadiens. He won both the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player. He also won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 1996 World Junior Championships.

Playing Career

As a young player, Théodore took part in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, a famous youth hockey event.

Junior Hockey Success (1992–1996)

Théodore played for four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), a top league for young players. He started with the St-Jean Lynx and later joined the Hull Olympiques.

In the 1994–95 season with Hull, he was named the league's top defensive player. He led the Olympiques to a QMJHL championship, winning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. After this victory, his team played in the Memorial Cup, a tournament for the best junior teams in Canada.

Montreal Canadiens

Théodore started his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens. For his first few seasons, he played for both the Canadiens in the NHL and their minor league team, the Fredericton Canadiens in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Becoming a Star (1999–2004)

By the 1999–2000 season, Théodore was a full-time NHL player. He quickly became one of the team's main goalies. On January 2, 2001, he did something very rare for a goalie: he scored a goal! He shot the puck across the ice into the other team's empty net. The Canadiens won the game 3–0, meaning he also got a shutout.

The 2001–02 season was his most famous. He played so well that he won two of the NHL's biggest awards: the Vezina Trophy for the best goalie and the Hart Memorial Trophy for the most valuable player. He led the Canadiens, who were the lowest-ranked playoff team, to a surprise victory over the top-ranked Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2003, Théodore played in the 2003 Heritage Classic, the first-ever outdoor NHL game. It was played in freezing weather, and he famously wore a winter hat (a toque) over his goalie helmet.

Final Seasons in Montreal

In 2005-06, Théodore's performance was not as strong as in past years. The Canadiens had another strong goalie, Cristobal Huet, who began to play more. On March 8, 2006, the Canadiens traded Théodore to the Colorado Avalanche for another goalie, David Aebischer.

During this time, Théodore failed a test for a banned substance before the 2006 Winter Olympics. The substance was from a hair-loss medication he had been taking for many years with the NHL's permission. Because he had approval, the NHL did not punish him, but he was not allowed to play in international games for two years.

Colorado Avalanche

Jose Theodore, January 27, 2009
José Théodore with the Washington Capitals in 2009.

Théodore joined the Avalanche near the end of the 2005-06 season. He played for them in the playoffs that year.

He played for Colorado for two full seasons. In the 2007–08 season, he played very well and became the team's starting goalie again. He helped the Avalanche reach the second round of the 2008 playoffs.

Washington Capitals

On July 1, 2008, Théodore signed a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals. He joined a team with young stars like Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Bäckström.

In the 2009–10 season, he had an amazing streak, winning 20 of his last 24 games. That year, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. This award is given to the NHL player who shows great perseverance and dedication to hockey.

Later Career

After leaving Washington, Théodore played for the Minnesota Wild for one season (2010-11). He served as the backup goalie and played well, winning his 250th career game.

He then signed with the Florida Panthers in 2011. As their starting goalie, he helped the Panthers make the playoffs in 2012 for the first time in 12 years. He played one more season with Florida before his career ended in 2013.

International Play

Medal record
Representing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold 1996

Théodore represented his country, Canada, in several international tournaments.

His biggest international success was at the 1996 World Junior Championships. He helped Team Canada win the gold medal and was named the tournament's best goaltender.

He also played for the Canadian men's team at the 2001 World Championship. In 2004, he was part of the Canadian team that won the World Cup of Hockey.

Life After Hockey

Théodore and his wife, Stéphanie Cloutier, have a daughter named Romi. He started a charity called Saves for Kids to help the baby unit at a children's hospital in Washington, D.C.

After retiring from hockey, Théodore began working as a hockey analyst for the TV network TVA Sports and as a columnist for the Journal de Montréal newspaper.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1991–92 Richelieu Riverains QAAA 24 9 13 2 — 1440 96 0 3.99 — 5 2 3 295 26 0 5.28 —
1992–93 Saint-Jean Lynx QMJHL 34 12 16 2 — 1775 111 0 3.78 .871 3 0 2 175 11 0 3.77 .911
1993–94 Saint-Jean Lynx QMJHL 57 20 29 6 — 3225 194 0 3.61 .882 5 1 4 296 18 0 3.65 .910
1994–95 Saint-Jean Lynx QMJHL 14 5 8 1 — 833 67 0 4.83 .860 — — — — — — — —
1994–95 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 43 27 14 1 — 2521 126 5 3.00 .901 21 15 6 1263 59 1 2.80 .898
1994–95 Hull Olympiques MC — — — — — — — — — — 3 0 3 150 13 0 5.20 —
1995–96 Hull Olympiques QMJHL 48 33 11 2 — 2807 158 0 3.38 .889 5 2 3 299 20 0 4.01 .905
1995–96 Montreal Canadiens NHL 1 0 0 0 — 9 1 0 6.69 .500 — — — — — — — —
1996–97 Montreal Canadiens NHL 16 5 6 2 — 821 53 0 3.87 .896 2 1 1 168 7 0 2.51 .935
1996–97 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 26 12 12 0 — 1469 87 0 3.55 .898 — — — — — — — —
1997–98 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 53 20 23 8 — 3053 145 2 2.85 .918 4 1 3 237 13 0 3.28 .901
1997–98 Montreal Canadiens NHL — — — — — — — — — — 3 0 1 120 1 0 0.50 .971
1998–99 Montreal Canadiens NHL 18 4 12 0 — 913 50 1 3.29 .877 — — — — — — — —
1998–99 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 27 12 13 2 — 1609 77 2 2.87 .917 13 8 5 694 35 1 3.03 .926
1999–00 Montreal Canadiens NHL 30 12 13 2 — 1655 58 5 2.10 .919 — — — — — — — —
2000–01 Montreal Canadiens NHL 59 20 29 5 — 3298 141 2 2.57 .909 — — — — — — — —
2000–01 Quebec Citadelles AHL 3 3 0 0 — 180 9 0 3.00 .886 — — — — — — — —
2001–02 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 30 24 10 — 3864 136 7 2.11 .931 12 6 6 686 35 0 3.06 .915
2002–03 Montreal Canadiens NHL 57 20 31 6 — 3419 165 2 2.90 .908 — — — — — — — —
2003–04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 67 33 28 5 — 3961 150 6 2.27 .919 11 4 7 678 27 1 2.39 .919
2004–05 Djurgårdens IF SEL 17 — — — — 1024 42 0 2.46 .917 12 — — 728 27 0 2.23 .922
2005–06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 38 17 15 — 5 2114 122 0 3.46 .881 — — — — — — — —
2005–06 Colorado Avalanche NHL 5 1 3 — 1 296 15 0 3.04 .887 9 4 5 573 29 0 3.04 .902
2006–07 Colorado Avalanche NHL 33 13 15 — 1 1748 95 0 3.26 .891 — — — — — — — —
2007–08 Colorado Avalanche NHL 53 28 21 — 3 3028 123 3 2.44 .910 10 4 6 514 27 0 3.15 .906
2007–08 Lake Erie Monsters AHL 1 0 1 — 0 59 3 0 3.02 .875 — — — — — — — —
2008–09 Washington Capitals NHL 57 32 17 — 5 3287 157 2 2.87 .900 2 0 1 97 6 0 3.72 .818
2009–10 Washington Capitals NHL 47 30 7 — 7 2586 121 1 2.81 .911 2 0 1 81 5 0 3.70 .875
2010–11 Minnesota Wild NHL 32 15 11 — 3 1793 81 1 2.71 .916 — — — — — — — —
2011–12 Florida Panthers NHL 53 22 16 — 11 3049 125 3 2.46 .917 5 2 2 268 11 1 2.46 .919
2012–13 Florida Panthers NHL 15 4 6 — 3 766 42 0 3.29 .893 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 643 286 254 30 39 36,607 1,635 33 2.68 .909 56 21 30 3,185 148 2 2.79 .912

International

Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
1996 Canada WJC 4 4 0 0 240 6 0 1.50
2000 Canada WC 8 5 3 0 478 13 2 1.63 .932
2004 Canada WCH DNP — — — — — — — —

Awards

QMJHL

  • Named to the second All-Star team in 1995 and 1996.
  • Won the Ford Cup as top defensive player in 1995.
  • Won the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP in 1995.
  • Won the President's Cup with the Hull Olympiques in 1995.

NHL

International

  • Named to the World Junior Championship All-Star team in 1996.
  • Named the World Junior Championships' Best Goaltender in 1996.

See also

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
José Théodore Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.