Unmasking Theo

Goalies take a lot of pride in their masks and Caps netminder Jose Theodore is no different. So when he unveiled a new red mask in January, everybody thought that he would start wearing it as soon as possible. As it turns out, the mask sits nicely in his locker with no debut in sight.

"It looks good, but I like the other one for now," Theodore told STC. "We'll see, you never know sometimes. But it's just there. Maybe I'll change my mind. I don't know. I have the options."

The "other one" to which he's referring is the blue mask he's been wearing most of the season. The two are very similar, but obviously the Caps take great pride in wearing red.

"We make sure I do something that relates with myself and the city," Theodore said of the design process. "With Washington and all of the history, it's pretty easy. A couple of big monuments, put it in there, and my personal touch and just let the artist do the work."

Theo has used that mantra during his stops in Montreal (winter hat optional) and Colorado, but has tweaked it along the way. No matter the mask, Theodore prefers the Eastern Conference.

"I feel really fresh and I have a lot of energy," he said. "The traveling is a lot easier in the East and there are a lot of teams I've played against for so long so I know them."

Theodore is rocking along at 29-16-5 with a 2.80 GAA, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 53 games (51 starts).

As for Cristobal Huet, the man Theo replaced? In just 39 games (38 starts), Huet is 19-14-4 with a 2.50 GAA, .910 save percentage and three shutouts for the Chicago Blackhawks (40-23-11, 93 points).

Looks like the Caps (and Theodore) made the right choice.