''I want to make sure that I show everybody that Colorado made the better move.''

MONTREAL (CP) - Jose Theodore bowed out gracefully from the Montreal Canadiens.

And he vowed to regain his NHL all-star form with his new team, the Colorado Avalanche.

''I was confident that I would bounce back this year for this (Montreal) team and I'm confident I can bounce back with Colorado,'' a relaxed Theodore said Thursday. ''Hockey has a lot to do with confidence and my confidence is actually pretty good going into Colorado.''

A frustrating season of subpar play, off-ice distractions and injury took a surprising turn on Wednesday when the Canadiens traded the popular Theodore to the Avalanche for Swiss goaltender David Aebischer.

At first, the move that cleared nearly $3 million US from the Canadiens' salary cap margin looked like it would lead to another deal for a prominent skater, but coach and general manager Bob Gainey's only trade at Thursday's deadline was to acquire journeyman defenceman Todd Simpson from Chicago for a sixth-round draft pick.

It has been a miserable season for Theodore, who takes a 17-15-5 record with a weak 3.46 goals-against average and .881 save percentage to Colorado.

The Montreal native started the season slowly and just seemed to get worse. By January, he was being pulled from games as often as he finished them before Gainey finally opted to go with back-up Cristobal Huet as the starter.

But Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix gambled that a change of scenery, particularly with an elite team like Colorado, will bring back Theodore back closer to the form that saw him win the Hart and Vezina trophies with Montreal in 2002.

Lacroix took on a three-year contract that averages $5.3 million US per season while giving up Aebischer, who had been hot in the past two months after a slow start.

Also, Theodore fractured a heel when he slipped on ice at home during the Olympic break and will be out of action at least another three weeks. The Avs will make do with rookie Peter Budaj until Theodore is healthy.

''I'm anxious to go to Colorado and help the team,'' Theodore said. ''I'm really pumped up. It's going to be a great challenge.

''I want to make sure that I show everybody that Colorado made the better move.''

The trade recalled a deal made just over a decade ago, when former Montreal GM Rejean Houle traded Patrick Roy, one of the NHL's all-time great goalies, to the Avalanche in a blockbuster deal. Roy helped the Avs win Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.

In Quebec City earlier Thursday, Roy said he was confident Theodore would get back on track in Colorado and expressed surprise the Canadiens didn't get more for him.

Now, Theodore will try to emulate Roy's success in Denver.

''It's certainly big footsteps to follow,'' Theodore acknowledged. ''Hopefully, I can do what he did in Colorado.

`That'll be my little personal challenge - to show he's right.''

Roy, now owner/coach of the junior Quebec Remparts, joked that: ''Maybe Colorado will stop drafting goalies - they'll just get them from Montreal.''

But while Roy left after a bitter blow-up with former coach Mario Tremblay, there was no finger-pointing or rancour from Theodore.

He said trades are part of hockey and that he considered himself fortunate to spend nearly 10 seasons with his hometown team.

  ''It's a good thing for my career,'' he said. ''I really had a lot of fun playing in Montreal.

''I had a great time with the fans, my teammates and I was here for nearly 10 years, which is good. But now it's a new start. I'm going to be part of another great organization. It's a nice city and I know a lot of players there, but I have only good things to say about Montreal.''

He looks forward to joining the Avalanche, which features former Canadien Patrice Brisebois as well as a handful of ex-teammates from Canada's 2004 World Cup of Hockey team - including captain Joe Sakic and defenceman Rob Blake.

The Avs and Canadiens even co-operated by having Theodore hold a news conference to say his public good-byes at the Bell Centre, although without a Canadiens logo in sight.

Theodore was unable to fly directly to Denver because his girlfriend, Stephanie Cloutier, is due to give birth to their first child in the next few days.

That was but one of the off-ice distractions the 29-year-old dealt with this season.

There were still echoes in the media of last year's headline news when his father and some half-brothers were charged and fined in connection with a loan-sharking ring.

In December, Theodore tested positive for a steroid masking agent he said was from Propecia, a product he uses to prevent baldness. He has a medical exemption from the league for the substance and faced no sanctions.

Then, after his nightmares in net and his relegation to back-up duties, he fractured a heel.

Theodore said none of the off-ice woes were ever a distraction.

''I didn't have as many distractions this year as I did a couple years ago when I went to the all-star game and got picked for the World Cup,'' he said. ''To be honest, nothing this year really distracted me.''

Theodore said he wasn't surprised to be traded to Colorado, which reportedly coveted him over the last two years, but didn't think a trade would come this season because he was nursing an injury.

Gainey called him Wednesday evening to say the deal was done and that Lacroix would get in touch with him.

Theodore said he would talk to Lacroix on Friday to work out a timetable for going to Denver and having his heel X-rayed and examined.

 He is already off the crutches he walked with a week ago and said the healing process looks to be on schedule.