Early this morning was, I believe, the first time this season that the temperature outside has been low enough that I've been able to see my breath upon a deep exhale. From time to time upon such an occurrence, I'm reminded of one of my all-time favorite hockey photos:
This year, of course, that photo has a little more meaning, considering that its subject is now "one of ours."A lot has changed in the five years (from next Saturday, in fact) since that pic was snapped - outdoor games are still special, but no longer unique events; Jose Theodore has changed teams twice; the Caps have changed uniforms and an entire roster (with the exceptions of Alex Semin and Boyd Gordon) - and Theodore's fortunes have changed as well. Just take a gander at the numbers before and since that ridiculously cold Edmonton evening:
- Before: 298 games played, 116-134-30 record, 2.53 goals against average, .913 save percentage
- Since: 147 games played, 70-65-10 record, 2.90 GAA, .896 SV%
Anyway, it will be interesting to see if the five-year anniversary of The Heritage Classic receives much attention around the hockey world, perhaps with a couple of predictable and cliche interviews with players who were on the ice that day spread across the internet or a "where are they now?" segment on Hockey Night In Canada. One thing is for certain, however - Jose Theodore is not now where he was then, and until he gets back there, Caps fans will be waiting to exhale.
5 comments:
Isn't it likely that the worse numbers/better record phenomenon can be explained in large part by rule changes that make it easier to score goals?
What about playing on a better team?
The wins compared to GAA/Save% remind me of Olie's song and dance last year, that as long as he's winning, he's fine.
That is a joke.
JP, seriously, did you just end a post w/ a Waiting to Exhale reference?
Oh. My.
Dig it, CD. Dig it.
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