McKenzie: Tough solutions for Theo's problems

SpiderManNL · Guru

McKenzie: Tough solutions for Theo's problems

JohnM · Guru

Habs fans need to get behind Theo. No more boo'ing, won't do him any good. One way he can get confidence back is from the fans. Let's not boo him outta here like we did Breezer...

Pucky · Veteran Member

JohnM I'm 100 % behind you ,but it could be a long time coming.

Thanks for that post spidey.

Really we 've got no other option ,what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger.

Long road ahead.

-- Edited by Pucky at 21:41, 2006-02-01

JohnM · Guru

I know but as a Habs fan we have no choice but to stick behind our key players cause they are the only ones who will get us into the playoffs... Without Theo we will be rebuilding for a long time...

24 Rings · Guru

I don't know. Theo sure as hell isn't helping us right now. He has had ample chances to bail himself out and he has done nothing but make matters worse. Why not go with someone else? Every goalie has to get their start sometime. Maybe it's Huet's time to shine. Price should be ready to go next season as well.

salted_one · Veteran Member

SpiderManNL wrote:

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp?id=153213 In Montreal, they are asking: what's wrong with Jose Theodore? What's wrong, indeed. The Canadiens' marquee stopper has been pulled in three of his last four starts. His save percentage in those games is .714 and his goals-against average is 8.44. He's getting the Patrice Brisebois treatment from the Montreal fans and the truth is he hasn't played well all season long.So, what is wrong with Jose?The real problem isn't his much talked about new and downsized equipment, although there's been an adjustment there. It has nothing to do with much talked about family matters that end up in the tabloids because he's always been able to play through that distraction. Claude Julien certainly wasn't the problem because Theodore is playing just as poorly for GM-head coach Bob Gainey as he was for the fired coach.So, what is it?In a word, it's confidence. Jose Theodore is a shattered man right now. He always carried himself with supreme confidence bordering on cockiness, and those who know him say it's gone.That special quality that made Jose so, well - "Jose" - is missing. He's rattled, and rattled big time. He's second guessing everything he does. The only problem with Theodore's equipment is the stuff between his ears.Nothing could be more crippling to a big-time goalie than a complete loss of confidence. It's what is causing him to go down too quickly, to be picked apart by shooters going top shelf.Now Canadiens' goaltending coach Roland Melanson can stress the need for Theodore to be patient and to wait out the shooters. But if the mind isn't willing and strong, the body isn't going to respond.Re-gaining confidence isn't easy, especially for a goalie. It can be a long and difficult process. So one of two things will happen here. One - Theodore and the Habs will just have to work through it and that's going to be painful. Two - Gainey can try to deal him and that's much easier said than done.Not many teams are looking for a shattered goalie worth $5.33 million US against the cap for each of the next two years. And forget about those trade rumours that have him going to Tampa Bay, they're not true. Theodore isn't necessarily unmovable, but his big ticket and poor performance certainly narrows the field.That's not to say a change in scenery might not be the best thing for him right about now, but there are no easy answers for a goaltender that has lost his mojo.For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie.

problems not his equipment, his talent, etc but in his head his confedence have i not been saying this for months? i think we need to start him against teams with minimal offensive threats first and ease him back into his form make it known that hes in competition for the starting spot now and let him slowly prove himself again we will never trade him as he is right now, and sending him into waivers where a team can pick him up for half price (while we pay for the other half) is a bad idea. and just sitting him all the time wont help the situation either. its all up to management to be smart with this and somehow get his confedence back.

Desi · Senior Member

I come from a family of goalies (though I was never stupid enough to be one of them), and what Mackenzie's saying has some truth to it I think. Confidence is definitely a big part of goaltending, just as it is in golf or any other sport where individual effort plays a role. But I don't believe that confidence alone is what has kept Theodore mired in this funk. Confidence comes and goes. One day you have it, the next day you don't. But all it takes is a couple of good practices, or one really, really great save in a game, to start believing in yourself again. Does that then immediately start to translate into a better GAA and SP? Of course not. But it's supposed to be a start down that road -- and in Theo's case, he's not even on that road and really hasn't been all season.

As we know, Theo seems quick to blame the rest of the team -- and the honest truth is that many times he'd been right in doing so. Sloppy defense, lazy forwards, caroms off defensemen's skates -- they all contribute to the puck winding up in your net. But Theo also has to know that he's just not stopping the kind of shots he could stop in 2002.

I think it's a combination of things that's weighing on him. First, new equipment that does take some getting used to -- to the point where the team called in Itech to talk about it. Second, new rules that have changed play all over the ice including in front of the net, where he's screened more now than ever. Third, a very weak group of defensemen that have made coughing up pucks and tripping over themselves an art form. And finally, difficulty in returning to NHL form after playing in the grapefruit league overseas.

So just when he's starting to feel like he's getting it back, the puck goes in off Mark Streit's skate. While Theo's steaming about what that will do to his GAA, Souray coughs it up and an opposition forward blasts one over Theo's shoulder ("Zut alors! I have to remember to stop going down early all zee time!"). And on the heels of that, Koivu takes a bonehead hooking penalty and the Habs' swiss-cheese defense parts like the Red Sea and leaves an opponent wide open on the doorstep for a cross-crease tap-in.

I guess what I'm saying is that while lack of confidence may be a part of what's hurting Theo's game, it's not the whole story. The team's play affects Theo's -- and vice versa. By this point in the season, though, if he truly had what it takes to be an elite goalie he'd be back in form (c.f. Brodeur). He can't make up for the failings of the rest of the team, but by now, he should be able to stop the shots he could stop two years ago.

Maybe it's time to fire the goalie coach...?

Les Canadiens sont la

AB Habman · Guru

salted_one wrote:

SpiderManNL wrote: http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp?id=153213 In Montreal, they are asking: what's wrong with Jose Theodore? What's wrong, indeed. The Canadiens' marquee stopper has been pulled in three of his last four starts. His save percentage in those games is .714 and his goals-against average is 8.44. He's getting the Patrice Brisebois treatment from the Montreal fans and the truth is he hasn't played well all season long.So, what is wrong with Jose?The real problem isn't his much talked about new and downsized equipment, although there's been an adjustment there. It has nothing to do with much talked about family matters that end up in the tabloids because he's always been able to play through that distraction. Claude Julien certainly wasn't the problem because Theodore is playing just as poorly for GM-head coach Bob Gainey as he was for the fired coach.So, what is it?In a word, it's confidence. Jose Theodore is a shattered man right now. He always carried himself with supreme confidence bordering on cockiness, and those who know him say it's gone.That special quality that made Jose so, well - "Jose" - is missing. He's rattled, and rattled big time. He's second guessing everything he does. The only problem with Theodore's equipment is the stuff between his ears.Nothing could be more crippling to a big-time goalie than a complete loss of confidence. It's what is causing him to go down too quickly, to be picked apart by shooters going top shelf.Now Canadiens' goaltending coach Roland Melanson can stress the need for Theodore to be patient and to wait out the shooters. But if the mind isn't willing and strong, the body isn't going to respond.Re-gaining confidence isn't easy, especially for a goalie. It can be a long and difficult process. So one of two things will happen here. One - Theodore and the Habs will just have to work through it and that's going to be painful. Two - Gainey can try to deal him and that's much easier said than done.Not many teams are looking for a shattered goalie worth $5.33 million US against the cap for each of the next two years. And forget about those trade rumours that have him going to Tampa Bay, they're not true. Theodore isn't necessarily unmovable, but his big ticket and poor performance certainly narrows the field.That's not to say a change in scenery might not be the best thing for him right about now, but there are no easy answers for a goaltender that has lost his mojo.For TSN.ca, I'm Bob McKenzie. problems not his equipment, his talent, etc but in his head his confedence have i not been saying this for months? i think we need to start him against teams with minimal offensive threats first and ease him back into his form make it known that hes in competition for the starting spot now and let him slowly prove himself again we will never trade him as he is right now, and sending him into waivers where a team can pick him up for half price (while we pay for the other half) is a bad idea. and just sitting him all the time wont help the situation either. its all up to management to be smart with this and somehow get his confedence back.

I guess we just save him for the Laffs games, remember we're running out of teams weaker than ours because of Theo!

I agree that he has zero confidence but he's in denial! Remember the seven steps of grieving could take a long time! He isn't even at the acceptance stage yet!

We don't have the time to cure him on an out of playoff position team! That is why so many teams have solved their goaltending by going with their second or third string goalie! The bussiness season is too short boys! There is millions of lost revenue waiting for the habs if Gainey continues to waste time!