Theodore Is Trying to Fill Some Big Pads

The Colorado Avalanche acquired Jose Theodore from the Canadiens with the hope that he’d be the next Patrick Roy, that he’d blossom when transplanted outside the unforgiving spotlight that envelops French Canadians in Montreal.

Theodore needed a fresh start. He had slipped dramatically since 2001-02, when he won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender and the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player, and he’d faced a series of distractions.

His father and a half brother pleaded guilty to loan-sharking and weapons-related charges last year and two other half brothers pleaded guilty to conspiracy; police said he was not involved, but he couldn’t escape questions about his family.

This year, he endured two very public stumbles. In drug screening conducted on candidates for the Canadian Olympic hockey team, he tested positive for Propecia, which is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because it can be used to mask steroids even though it’s commonly used to promote hair growth. Theodore, who had been using it by prescription, wasn’t suspended by the NHL because the test was outside the league’s limited testing program.

The positive result was announced in January, after Theodore was left off the Turin squad. Left behind to watch the Games on TV, he fell on an icy patch outside his Montreal home during the Olympic break and fractured his right heel. He was still recovering when the Avalanche acquired him for David Aebischer on March 8.

He hasn’t looked much like Roy since his arrival -- unless it’s the Roy of today, who’s three years into retirement, not the fierce competitor who led Montreal to two Stanley Cup championships and Colorado to two more. In five regular-season appearances, Theodore was 1-3-1 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .882 save percentage with his new team; in Colorado’s first-round upset of Dallas, he had a 2.64 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.

The Avalanche, determined to make a run at the Cup in the final season that Rob Blake and Joe Sakic are under contract, will need Theodore to channel the vintage Roy in its second-round playoff series against the Mighty Ducks. And soon.

Theodore gave up all five goals on 34 shots in the Ducks’ emphatic 5-0 victory Friday in the series opener, but he was a small part of the team’s flop. No one on the Avalanche seemed prepared for the Ducks’ patience and persistence, especially after the Ducks scored twice in a span of 49 seconds late in the second period.

“We didn’t give him much help. All the goals they scored were pretty nice goals,” said Ian Laperriere, who praised Theodore for keeping his team in the game with a fine pad save during the Ducks’ first power play.

“We need to step up our game. He doesn’t. If he plays like he played [on Friday] and we play a better game, there’s going to be a different result.”

Theodore declined interview requests after the Avalanche practiced at the Arrowhead Pond on Saturday, saying he will speak after today’s game. However, Blake said he’s not concerned about Theodore’s ability to recover quickly and put the Avalanche on steadier footing today than it found Friday.

“He’s been great for us,” Blake said. “We understood what kind of goalie we’re getting. It gives you a little boost when you know you’ve got a guy back there who’s been there before.”

After a loss like Friday’s, Blake said, “You put it aside. And you know he’s been through different games, and he’s been on both sides, you know what kind of response he’ll give tomorrow. That’s the kind of thing he has over a young goalie.

“Once that game is over you don’t dwell on it, whether you win 5-0 or lose 5-0.”

Colorado Coach Joel Quenneville also expressed confidence in Theodore.

“Jose’s going to be fine,” Quenneville said. “As the playoffs have progressed, we’ve seen him improve his play.”

Theodore is not Roy, but who is? Few goalies have the athleticism and desire that fueled Roy’s success. Theodore’s performance today, in a game the Avalanche badly needs to win before the series shifts to Denver, will say a lot about whether he will be branded as the goalie who was supposed to be the next Patrick Roy, or as the first Jose Theodore.