José Theodore Hits a Milestone Thursday Against Boston

When the Florida Panthers and goalie, José Theodore, faced defending Stanley Cup Champions Thursday night, it was more than just a big game for the Panthers. It was a milestone game for Theodore. The game was his 600th career NHL game. And it ended up being his 32nd career shutout when he stopped all 40 shots he faced. The win put the Panthers even closer to the top of the Eastern Conference, surprising many that remember their dismal seasons of the past 10 years. Dale Tallon's revamping of the team in the off season with trades and free agency pick-ups has brought together a group of guys that really enjoy playing together and work hard each night. (I might be a tiny bit biased, since José is my favorite, and therefore the Panthers are my team this season, but it's really fun to see. I hope it continues.)

Anyway, here's a list of the active goalies who are in the 600+ game club.

And here are José's career stats

I consider these to be great numbers over such a long career. Especially when many of the teams he was on were not powerhouses. Many people don't give him the credit I feel he deserves. They always bring up names like Brodeur or Roy, who were/are great goalies, no doubt about that. But if you compare career numbers, José's are very similar to theirs. And if you ask his current and former teammates, you'll be hard-pressed to find a bad word spoken about him. He is one of the most well-liked players/teammates in the league. That counts a lot in my book. I feel teammates need to know their goalie appreciates them and supports them and doesn't criticize them whenever they have a defensive breakdown or do something that leads to a goal.

And that's my José admiration post for the season. Back to regularly scheduled posts. ;o)