Theodore has a shot to flash his old MVP form

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By Bob Cohn

When he was shopping for a new goalie last summer, Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee didn't just want a proven veteran with postseason success.

McPhee wanted someone who had shown character, someone who had overcome professional failure and disappointment and successfully hurdled real-world obstacles. In that regard, he found his man.

Free agent Jose Theodore, 4-0 in first-round playoff series, signed a two-year, $9 million deal with the Caps on July 1.

"When it doesn't go well for a guy, sometimes it's a good thing because they know how to come back from that," McPhee said. "You want all athletes to have experienced failure at some point. Once they get through that and get back on top of their game again, they always have that frame of reference: 'If things don't go well, I can always get back.'

"He's been brilliant at different times in his career. We've always felt if you've been great once, you can be great again."

There is no smooth, parabolic arc to that career.

"Up and down," Theodore said. "Which is part of the process, I think. I'm happy with the way I bounce back. I'm proud of it."

Theodore, 32, hit the daily double when he won both the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie and the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP in 2001-02 with Montreal. But within a few years, he was practically booed out of town, traded to Colorado late in the 2005-06 season.

He remained stuck in a post-lockout funk until he led the Avalanche to the playoffs during the second half of last season and practically willed them to a first-round victory against Minnesota. A 3-2 win in Game 5 especially stood out.

"Jose saved us tonight," Colorado star Peter Forsberg said at the time. "It's great to have a goalie like that to steal a win on the road."