Habs forward Plekanec and Caps goalie Theodore exchange barbs ahead of playoffs

BROSSARD, Que. - A bit of controversy hit the Montreal-Washington NHL playoff series Tuesday in an exchange of barbs between Canadiens centre Tomas Plekanec and Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore.

Plekanec was quoted in Montreal La Presse showing some disrespect for Washington's goaltenders, saying "It's not like we're facing (Martin) Brodeur or (Ryan) Miller. They don't have a dominant goaltender."

In Washington, Theodore's response was: "Tomas who? Jagr? Oh Plekanec. OK. I thought you meant Jagr."

Plekanec was not available to the media after practice Tuesday, but he sent word through a Canadiens official that what he meant to say was: "They have very good goalies, but it's not like we're facing Miller or Brodeur."

Theodore, once a teammate of Plekanec in Montreal, was named the Capitals starting goaltender for the series, which opens Thursday night in Washington.

He won the Hart and Vezina trophies with Montreal in 2002. He has struggled in recent seasons but finished the current campaign on a 20-0-3 run with a .922 save percentage for the first place overall Capitals.