José Théodore

In 43 games with his new team in the regular season, Théodore posted a 2.97 GAA with a 27-14-1 record to be awarded the Ford Cup as the top defensive player and be named to the QMJHL second All-Star team.

Théodore went on to lead the Olympiques to the President's Cup as QMJHL champions, winning the Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP.

José Nicolas Théodore (born September 13, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender.

He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals, Minnesota Wild, and Florida Panthers.

As a youth, Théodore played in the 1990 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Richelieu 47 minor ice hockey team.

Théodore played major junior in the QMJHL for four seasons with the St-Jean Lynx and Hull Olympiques.

At age 16, he began his major junior rookie season in 1992–93, splitting goaltending duties with Jean-Pascal Lemelin.

He assumed the starting position the following season in 1993–94, recording a 3.61 goals against average (GAA) with a 20–29–6 record.

Drafted 44th overall by the Canadiens in 1994, Théodore played eight seasons in Montreal, where he won the Vezina and Hart trophies, both in 2002.

Théodore was drafted that off-season by the Montreal Canadiens 44th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

Théodore returned to the Lynx upon his draft in 1994–95, but was traded early in the season to the Hull Olympiques.

This was redemption for les Harfangs and Biron, who were defeated by Théodore and the Olympiques in five games in the previous post-season, in 1994–95.

Théodore spent his first three seasons with the Montreal Canadiens organization, splitting time in the NHL and the AHL, with Montreal's minor league affiliate, the Fredericton Canadiens.

Théodore played major junior in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he won a President's Cup as QMJHL champions and competed in the Memorial Cup with the Hull Olympiques in 1995.

He won both the Ford Cup as the top defensive player and Guy Lafleur Trophy as playoff MVP in 1995 and is a two-time QMJHL Second Team All-Star.

Earning a berth in the 1995 Memorial Cup, the Olympiques finished in last place in the tournament.

Following the 1995 major junior playoffs, Théodore made his professional debut, being assigned to the American Hockey League (AHL), where he played one game for the Fredericton Canadiens, Montreal's minor league affiliate, in the 1995 Calder Cup playoffs.

Théodore played his fourth and final QMJHL season with the Olympiques in 1995–96.

Although he was named to his second consecutive second All-Star team, the Olympiques failed to defend their QMJHL title.

Théodore was injured and missed the first two rounds of the playoffs.

He returned later in the semi-final against les Harfangs de Beauport, who were coached by former Hull Olympiques' coach Alain Vigneault.

The Olympiques were defeated in five games by les Harfangs, which were led by future NHL goaltender Martin Biron.

Internationally, Théodore won a gold medal with Canada at the 1996 World Junior Championships, where he was named the tournament's best goaltender.

He made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut in 1997, winning a 4–3 triple overtime game against the New Jersey Devils, making 56 saves.

The following year, he appeared in three playoff games for the Canadiens against the Buffalo Sabres, despite not playing in any regular season games for them that campaign.

Théodore became a full-time NHLer in 1999–2000, sharing starts with Jeff Hackett.

In his first full NHL season, Théodore posted a 12–13–2 record with a 2.10 GAA and .919 save percentage, along with five shutouts.

But he was the second goaltender to be credited with a goal and a shutout in the same game, after Damian Rhodes, who was credited with a goal in a 6–0 win on January 2, 1999.

He assumed the starting role over Hackett the following season in 2000–01 and went 20–29–5 in 59 games.

He also started for Canada at the 2001 World Championships and was a backup for the 2004 World Cup.

During a game on January 2, 2001, Théodore became the sixth goaltender to directly score a goal when he attempted to clear the puck from the defensive zone against the New York Islanders and scored into the empty net, which was vacated by John Vanbiesbrouck for the extra attacker.

He became the first NHL goalie to directly score a goal and record a shutout in the same game, as the Canadiens defeated the Islanders 3–0.

Théodore emerged as a world-class goaltender in 2001–02, when he turned in a Vezina- and Hart Memorial Trophy-winning performance with a 30–24–10 record, 2.11 GAA and .931 save percentage.

Interestingly, both awards resulted in a tie for first place and both times, the two leading finalists had exactly 70% of the vote.

Theodore won both as a result of having more first place votes over Jarome Iginla (Hart) and Patrick Roy (Vezina).

He led the Canadiens into the playoffs as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, and was a pivotal factor in upsetting the top-ranked Boston Bruins in the first round.

He became an immediate fan favorite in the city of Montreal.

However, the Canadiens were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes the following round in six games.

In 2006, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, where he played two full seasons.

Théodore also played two seasons for the Washington Capitals.