On March 8, Ian Laperriere, Alex Tanguay, Patrice Brisebois and Pierre Turgeon were being served at Morton’s in Chicago when their cellphones started going crazy. The same thing happened to Joe Sakic, Rob Blake, Bob Boughner, Brad May and Brett Clark at another Chicago restaurant.
News had come that goalie Jose Theodore had been acquired from the Montreal Canadiens for David Aebischer. This was Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix’s way of serving notice to all that this would not be a rebuilding season. This was their notification that a Stanley Cup, not just making the playoffs, was the boss’ immediate goal.
“When Pierre Lacroix made that trade, I think it showed all the guys the organization’s commitment to winning in the playoffs,” Tanguay said. “We all knew what kind of goalie Jose Theodore was and is. When we all found out at dinner, it was like, ‘Oh, OK. Wow.’ That’s the kind of thing (Lacroix) has always done, and I think we got some confidence from that.”
Seven weeks later, the Avs find themselves awaiting their second-round playoff opponent following Theodore’s 50-save, 3-2 overtime victory over Dallas in Sunday’s Game 5 first-round clincher.
“It is nothing against (Aebischer) at all, because he played great for us for those two months right before the trade,” Laperriere said, “but we knew Jose was a proven goalie who could win in the playoffs. He’s shown so far what he’s capable of doing. You saw (Sunday). He stole the game for us, and now we’re moving on to the next series.”
Because Anaheim beat Calgary on Monday night, forcing a seventh game in that series, the Avs do not yet know who they will face in the second round.
Theodore and veteran Jim Dowd made Lacroix look good on Sunday – Theodore was special in net, and Dowd, Lacroix’s other trade-deadline acquisition, scored the goal that got Colorado back into a tie with the Dallas Stars in the second period. Then, one of Lacroix’s offseason free-agent signings, Andrew Brunette, closed out the series with an overtime goal.
Tanguay, who said his previously sprained right knee is getting closer to 100 percent, said he and other teammates didn’t think a goalie such as Theodore could have been acquired at the time because it would have put the Avs over the $39 million salary cap.
“But it didn’t, obviously, and it’s great that we got him,” Tanguay said. “I think he’s a goalie that makes the other team think a little bit. When he’s on his game, he can be the difference, and I think we saw that (Sunday) and in the series.”
The Avalanche won’t begin its next series until Friday at the earliest. The team did not practice Monday, and won’t skate today either.
“We’ll play whoever. But I think a couple days off will be good, and we can come back refreshed and ready to get back at it,” Laperriere said.
The Avs may have forward Steve Konowalchuk available for duty in the next series, although it remains more likely he wouldn’t return until the third round. Konowalchuk has been traveling and practicing with the team, gaining strength in his surgically repaired wrist.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
