THIRD MAN IN-'Heroes live forever'... or at least they should
The new era of free agency and high player turnover in all professional sports today has produced two nasty byproducts, one anticipated and one very accidental. The first is a group of unattached, prima donna millionaire players who play for the name on the back of the jersey rather than the one on the front. The second product of the system is even more troubling. As players fly in and out of franchises, fans can no longer connect with their athletes, leaving only a mass of cynical and fickle observers. Although we complain of a lack of loyalty to a city and team from today's players, it is absurd how treasonous we hypocritical fans often become.
Just over a week ago, José Theodore skated onto the ice at the Bell Centre only to be greeted by a chorus of boos from the Montreal "faithful." How could Canadiens fans forget Theodore's achievements and brilliance for the bleu, blanc et rouge? After all, it was only four seasons ago that he single-handedly took a pathetic hockey team into the playoffs and absolutely carried the eighth seeded Canadiens to an upset over the heavily favoured Boston Bruins.
In 2002, the Canadiens top point-getter during the regular season was Yanic Perreault (he managed a whopping 56 points) and their top defenseman was the much derided Patrice Brisebois-hardly an embarrassment of riches. The Canadiens were so mediocre that, for the fans, making the playoffs was celebrated as equivalent to winning the Stanley Cup, as the team had missed the post-season in the previous three years. Thanks to Theodore, however, Les Glorieux managed to defeat the Bruins in six games, despite being out-shot an astounding 212-142 in the series. At season's end, Theodore was rightfully awarded both the Vezina and Hart trophies as the NHL's best goaltender and most valuable player respectively.
After a sub-par 2003 season, however, many critics and fans fickly described Theo as "a one year wonder." Yet in 2004, "No Way José" did it again, leading the Canadiens to yet another upset over the hated Bruins before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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