Don't doubt Theo

Ryan Hooper, Ingersoll, Ont.

Almost every playoff panel is pointing to the Washington Capitals goalie Jose Theodore as the reason they will not win the Stanley Cup.

Really?

I am wondering what that is based on.

Is it based on his 20-0-3 record since early January or his 30-7-7 and very respectable .911 SP for the season?

Maybe it is based on the fact he is the only goalie in the NHL who has won a Hart Trophy. Let's start giving some respect where respect is due. Theodore has posted these great numbers after the death of his son right before the season started.

Last year he was never given a fair shot to get on a roll in the playoffs, getting the hook after one game. Even Carolina gave Marty Gerber two games before he got taken out back in 2006.

This is a goalie who has been to the playoffs four times (not counting last season) in his career and never with a team seeded higher than No. 6 in the conference.

Even with these odds stacked against him, he has upset the higher seed all four times in the first round (Boston twice with Montreal and Dallas and Minnesota in Colorado).

If you were to ask any of those teams after the series, they would tell you Theodore played a big part in their defeat. I am wondering if the so-called experts are unaware of these points or maybe they do not know as much as they think they do.