Jocelyn Thibault

Last updated

Photo taken from 2001-02 Topps #209. Reprinted without permission.

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Montreal, Quebec, January 12, 1975.
HOME: Hinsdale, Illinois.
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 169-170 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 41 (Colorado, Montreal, Chicago), 35 (Buffalo).
CATCHES: Left
JUNIOR TEAM: Sherbrooke Falcons, QMJHL
AGENT: Bob Sauve.
SALARY (1996-97): $875,000

STYLE:
STRENGTHS: Great reflexes, especially the glove hand. Good under pressure. Stays square to the shooter well; very methodical in his movement about the crease.
WEAKNESSES: Has a habit of letting in one soft goal per game. Crouches a lot in his stance, leading to vulnerability at the top of the net. Does not play the puck well.
Name pronounced TEE-boh.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

"In fact, Jocelyn Thibault, an 18-year-old rookie, stole the spotlight from Fiset. The 10th overall pick of the 1993 draft, Thibault stepped in and did the job, compiling a 3.31 goals-against average in 29 games and recording a .892 save percentage, third best among rookies." (The Sporting News 1994-95 Hockey Yearbook, p. 62)

"The most impressive thing about Thibault is his maturity. He is entering his fourth NHL season but won't celebrate his 22nd birthday until January. When he was with Quebec, coaches Pierre Page and Marc Crawford both felt he would benefit from another year of junior hockey, but Thibault's mature attitude convinced them to keep him." (The Sporting News Hockey Yearbook 1996-97, p. 50)

"Patrick who? Local boy outplayed Roy in regular season, is huge PR-plus for Habs." (ESPN Hockey 96, p. 75)

"Jocelyn Thibault started the majority of games for Montreal last year, but wasn't given any help and lost everyone's confidence." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 49)

"It was also a nightmarish season for Jocelyn Thibault. The young goalie had to put up with demanding fans, Patrick Roy's shadow and teammates anonymously stabbing him in the back via the local media while selfishly trying to boost their own stats, letting him face a thousand shots per game in the process." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 88)

"Thibault and [goaltender Jose] Theodore were the Habs' only line of defense on many a night and were badly handled by [coach Mario] Tremblay. Both are very promising and would welcome the presence of a calm veteran netminder." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 89)

"Mark our words, Thibault will be a superstar in this league if he leaves Montreal." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 91)

"In St. Patrick's shadow, which was pretty heavy during the playoffs and during Roy's comeback in Montreal. Consistently makes jaw-dropping stops but lets a soft one in per game." (The Sports Forecaster Hockey '97-'98, p. 91)

"He has a good glove hand. He plays a little bit like Patrick Roy, in that he'll fight you. You have to bear down against him. He doesn't give up. I think if you get guys in front of him and if you shoot low on him, that's one of his weaknesses." (Chris Gratton, ESPN Sportszone, April 1998)

"After failing to make Montreals forget about Patrick Roy, Thibault was dealt to Chicago and finally found a home. He's already a six-year pro in the NHL. Despite his experience, Thibault needs to grow mentally. Technically, Thibualt is as good as there is in the league and he promises to get better under the tutelage of Vladislav Tretiak. Thibault will be the starting goaltender in Chicago for the next decade, and once again make Montreal fans wish they hadn't traded a goaltender." (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 154)

"A good NHL goaltender. But that's the problem - he's only good, which isn't enough for a Stanley Cup contender. Still in his mid-20's, Thibault is technically sound but rarely comes up with the spectacular, game-winning save. Not yet a big-game goalie, there are doubts that he ever will be. Enjoyed a solid second half in 1999-2000, posting an 18-12-3 record. Can he raise his game to the next level? Not many observers think so despite the fact Thibault has matured and shown enormous character in recent years." (The Sports Forecaster 2000-01, p. 141)

"The man known affectionately in Chicago as "T-Bo" arguably enjoyed his best NHL season in 2000-01. While he has posted better goals-against averages and save percentages in the past, the eight-year pro proved once and again for all that he can shoulder a heavy workload. Thibault tied for sixth in the NHL with 66 appearances and won a career-high 27 games. Furthermore, he tied for seventh in the league with six shutouts. However, the Blackhawks would be well-advised to give their 5-11, 170-pound starting netminder more rest during the 82-game schedule. Part of the team's problem last season was the lack of a solid backup. Thibault has become one of the most popular athletes in Chicago, so his value to the franchise is difficult to measure strictly by numbers alone. However, he still must show the ability to lead a team into the playoffs - then perform well while there." (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 147)

"For the fourth consecutive season, and fifth in six years, Thibault appeared in over 60 games. However, despite a career-high 33 wins and six shutouts, he faces serious questions heading into this season. He lost playing time to Steve Passmore late last year and split the duties down the middle at playoff time. The 5-11, 170-pounder's durability has always been questioned but the biggest concern the 'Hawks now have is whether they can go deep into the postseason with "T-Bo" as the main man. Thibault isn't likely to reach the 60-game mark in 2002-03 and should head into training camp ready to fight for his job." (The Sports Forecaster 2002-03, p. 141)

"Thibault had a moribund 2003-04 campaign, compounded by hip surgery that wiped out most of the season. As a result, the Blackhawks signed Nikolai Khabibulin and promptly traded "T-Bo" to the Penguins. Now an 11-year veteran, Thibault will mentor Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh and should be the starter this season." (The Sports Forecaster 2005-06, p. 105)

TRANSACTIONS:

ACCOLADES:

ALL-STAR TEAM BALLOTING:

PTS1st2nd3rdRANKSHARE
2001-02100180.00

INJURIES:

PENALTY SHOTS:

NHL SHOOTOUTS:

SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T  OL     GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS     3STARS
90-91 Laval Regents QAAA          20   1178  14   5   0         78   3.94                    1
91-92 Trois-Rivieres Drave. QMJHL 30   1497  14   7   1         77   3.09                    0   0   0     2   
92-93 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL    56   3190  34  14   5        159   2.99    1503   .904     3   0   0     0    28.27  941.33
93-94 Cornwall Aces AHL            4    240   4   0   0          9   2.25     129   .930     1   0   0     0    32.25  983.98
      Quebec Nordiques NHL        29   1504   8  13   3         83   3.31     768   .892     0   0   0     2    30.64  942.99
94-95 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL    13    776   6   6   1         38   2.94                    1   0   0     2
      Quebec Nordiques NHL        18    898  12   2   2         35   2.34     423   .917     1   0   0     0    28.26  964.36
95-96 Colorado Avalanche NHL      10    558   3   4   2         28   3.01     222   .874     0   0   0     0    23.87  913.66
      Montreal Canadiens NHL      40   2334  23  13   3        110   2.83    1258   .913     3   0   0     2    32.34  966.46
96-97 Montreal Canadiens NHL      61   3396  22  24  11        164   2.90    1815   .910     1   0   0     0    32.07  963.09
97-98 Montreal Canadiens NHL      47   2651  19  15   8        109   2.47    1109   .902     2   0   2     0    25.10  943.55
98-99 Montreal Canadiens NHL      10    529   3   4   2         23   2.61     250   .908     1   0   0     0    28.36  955.26
      Chicago Blackhawks NHL      52   3014  21  26   5        136   2.71    1435   .905     4   0   1     2    28.57  952.84
99-00 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      60   3438  25  26   7        158   2.76    1679   .906     3   0   0     2    29.30  954.73
00-01 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      66   3844  27  32   7        180   2.81    1711   .895     6   0   3     2    26.71  939.31  11-7-7 (83)
01-02 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      67   3838  33  23   9        159   2.49    1626   .902     6   0   0     2    25.42  944.58
02-03 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      62   3650  26  28   7        144   2.37    1690   .915     8   0   0     4
03-04 Chicago Blackhawks NHL      14    821   5   7   2         39   2.85     450   .913     1   0   0     0
05-06 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     16    806   1   9       3     60   4.46     484   .876     0   0   0     2
06-07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL     22   1101   7   8       2     52   2.83     572   .909     1   0   0     0
THIRTEEN (13) NHL SEASONS        574  32384 235 234  68   5   1480   2.74   15492  0.904    37   0   6    18

POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
91-92 Trois-Rivieres Drave. QMJHL  3    300           20   4.00                    0
92-93 Sherbrooke Faucons QMJHL    15    883   9   6   57   3.87                    0
94-95 Quebec Nordiques NHL         3    148   1   2    8   3.24      76   .895     0   0   0     0    30.81  946.09
95-96 Montreal Canadiens NHL       6    312   2   4   18   3.46     188   .904     0   0   0     0    36.15  964.51
96-97 Montreal Canadiens NHL       3    179   0   3   13   4.36     101   .871     0   0   0     0    33.85  927.71
97-98 Montreal Canadiens NHL       2     43   0   0    4   5.58      16   .750     0   0   1     0    22.33  787.21
01-02 Chicago Blackhawks NHL       3    159   1   2    7   2.64      77   .909     0   0   0     0    29.06  957.52
06-07 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL      1      8   0   0    0   0.00       1  1.000     0   0   0     0
SIX (6) NHL POSTSEASONS           18    849   4  11   50   3.53     459  0.891     0   0   1     0

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