Former Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore and his girlfriend have demanded a retraction from French television station TQS over a story the network aired reporting the couple had separated.

Theodore and Stephanie Cloutier are also seeking an on-air apology, saying the June 20 report by Marie-Christine Proulx was "false and deceitful," their lawyer said in a news release.

Proulx reported on the current-affairs program Le Grand Journal that Theodore had moved out of the couple's Montreal home.

"Mrs. Proulx's report was blunt and presented the situation as fact as if it was verified," the statement said.

"The report was totally false and unfounded."

 The lawyer said the report failed to respect minimal journalistic practices, and had consequences for their lives, privacy, reputation and dignity.

"The couple wants that their private life isn't the object of sensational stories."

Theodore made headlines on June 19, after he was photographed partying with American hotel heiress Paris Hilton in Toronto.

Witnesses said Hilton, 25, hit it off with the 29-year-old Colorado Avalanche goalie.

Cloutier and Theodore have a three-month-old daughter together.

The couple was recently seen together shopping in Colorado, the Journal de Montreal reported Friday.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=170861&hubName=nhl