And the Theodore blunders continue...

Claude Julien must really feel like crap now. He got fired partly for his decision not to play his "#1" goalie in favour of the more reliable Cristobal Huet, and now José Theodore has gone two games in a row where he has let in 5 goals in less than two periods. Give credit to Bob Gainey for trying, but after two so-so wins by Theodore, followed by his pair of 5-goal blunders, it's quite clear that Julien's coaching wasn't the problem.

Well, I partly take that back; Julien was unable to motivate the rest of his team to do anything useful, but his decision to bench Theodore against San Jose - which was at least partly the basis for his dismissal - was clearly a sound one. Theodore is apparently more committed to ITECH than to his team, and something clearly isn't clicking in his head this year. Pierre McGuire believes he is injured, but at this point in the season, after a dismal November, December, and most of January, Theodore would best be serving his dignity by revealing his ailment rather than concealing it.

To those Theodore supporters who want to blame the Canadiens' equally awful defense for Theodore's poor play this season, I say this: You can't let in 5 goals in less than two periods, as well as countless other soft goals throughout the season, and expect your team to stay motivated and competitive. It all starts in net, and when you're being paid $4.5 million, there is no excuse for the terrible play Theodore is guilty of. And to those who say that Theodore is a great playoff goaltender who must be kept, I say this: If Theodore can't get the Canadiens in the playoffs, something which he absolutely cannot do at the moment, that fact is irrelevant.

I have been a Theodore supporter despite his less-than-amazing play post-Hart/Vézina trophies, but this is getting ridiculous. Those Roberto Luongo and David Aebischer deals are looking mighty fine right about now; Gainey should have dealt Theodore while he was still worth something. José Theodore was the face of the franchise, but unless Habs fans want their franchise to be a pathetic, lacklustre AHL-calibre club, it's time to get a facelift.

Photo courtesy RDS.ca