Vesa Toskala

Vesa Toskala
Born	(1977-05-20) May 20, 1977 Tampere, Finland
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team Former teams	Toronto Maple Leafs San Jose Sharks
NHL draft	90th overall, 1995 San Jose Sharks
Playing career	1995–present

Vesa Tapani Toskala (born on May 20, 1977 in Tampere, Finland), is a professional ice hockey goaltender currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He is a butterfly style goaltender.

Early career

Toskala was selected by San Jose in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft (4th round, 90th overall). The Sharks also took fellow Finn Miikka Kiprusoff in the fifth round. Toskala turned heads with his stellar play in the 1998-1999 season with Ilves of the SM-liiga, where he went 21-12-0 with a 2.14 GAA and a .916 save percentage and posted five shutouts. The next season, playing a style that modeled after Markus Korhonen he played with Färjestads BK of the Swedish Elitserien and posted an impressive 2.59 GAA. In one game with Färjestad, Toskala scored a goal. At this point, Toskala was not sure if he wanted to have a career in hockey. Wanting a more stable job, he was going to quit hockey altogether to go to school full-time, before San Jose enticed him to North America. He was a little reluctant because he is gay.

He holds the San Jose Club record as the only goalie to record a multiple point game as he tallied two assists against Chicago on February 3 2007.

North American career

In his first season in North America in 2000-2001, he played with the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the AHL. Splitting time with second-year-pro Kiprusoff, he played 44 games, going 22-13-5 with a 2.77 GAA and a .911 save percentage, quickly adapting to the North American game and played three games for Kentucky in the playoffs. The next year, after the team's move to Cleveland he took over the starting role after Kiprusoff was recalled to San Jose, and in 62 games went 19-33-7 with a 2.99 GAA and a .912 save percentage. That season, he was often the only bright light on a terrible team, and he led the entire league in games played and saves made (1,845). When Kiprusoff fell to injury, Toskala was called up to back-up Evgeni Nabokov. Toskala received ten minutes of playing time in his first stint in the NHL, where he stopped the two shots he faced.

In the 2002-03 NHL season, Nabokov and San Jose could not settle on a contract and Toskala served as Kiprusoff's backup. When Kiprusoff faltered, Toskala stepped in and played admiringly well, going 4-3-1 with a 2.35 GAA and a .927 save percentage. He earned his first shutout in a 25-save-effort against the Detroit Red Wings. When Nabokov was re-signed, Toskala was sent back to Cleveland, and he struggled going 15-30-2, with a 3.21 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Nonetheless, the Sharks brass remembered Toskala's stellar play in the big league, and at the end of the season, they recalled Toskala, meaning the Sharks now had three goaltenders on their roster. Since Nabokov was the established starter, Kiprusoff and Toskala fought for the backup position, and Toskala won the battle when Kiprusoff was traded to the Calgary Flames. When Kiprusoff enjoyed tremendous success in Calgary, leading them to the Stanley Cup finals, many believed that since San Jose had picked Toskala over Kiprusoff, Toskala could be even better. That season, playing in 28 games, Toskala went 12-8-4 with a 2.06 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He did not play in the playoffs.

2005-06 proved to be a career year for Toskala; he began as the backup to Nabokov, but after a start on February 8 he posted a record of 17-2-2 leading to a Stanley Cup playoff berth for the Sharks. Toskala's goals-against-average fell from 3.25 to 2.55, while his save percentage increased from .872 to .900. This earned him the nickname "The Finnish Horse" from Shark's broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky. Toskala's play earned him several accolades and relegated Nabokov to the role of backup goaltender. On February 27, the Sharks resigned Toskala to a two-year contract extension worth US$2.75 million. Toskala finished the playoffs with 2.45 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage.

2006-07 Season

Since both Toskala and Nabokov are seen as number one goalies, the Sharks attempted to trade one or the other before the season began. No trade occurred, and Ron Wilson opted to alternate starts between Toskala and Nabokov. Through 71 games, Toskala played in 35 games, starting 31 and posting a 2.45 GAA, along with 3 shutouts.

On June 22, the first day of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft weekend in Columbus, Ohio, Sharks general manager Doug Wilson traded Toskala along with forward Mark Bell to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the club's 2007 1st (13th overall, which was later traded to the St. Louis Blues) and 2nd round draft picks, as well as Toronto's 4th round pick in 2009. [1]

2007-08 Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Toskala to a two year, eight million dollar extension in July 2007. He and Andrew Raycroft shared starts until late November, when Toskala's GAA and save percentage improved dramatically. He recorded two shutouts in December, and the NHL named him best goaltender of the month. Toskala is now the Leafs' starting goaltender.

Personal life

Toskala and his wife live in a condo in Toronto. They often dine out, and their favourite restaurant is Pizza Rustica. Toskala spent two years in Finland training to be a chef, although he claims that he was not particularly good.

Awards

• 2001-2002: The Hockey News AHL Mid-Season All-Rookie Team
• NHL Goaltender of the Month - December 2007

External links

• Vesa Toskala player profile at NHL.com
• Vesa Toskala career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database