Vesa Toskala
Encyclopedia
Vesa Tapani Toskala is a professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

, currently playing for Ilves
Ilves
Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä...

.

Early career

Toskala was selected by San Jose in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
1995 NHL Entry Draft
The 1995 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Edmonton Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta. The drafting order was now set partially by a lottery system whereby teams would not be guaranteed first pick if they finished last. Instead, a draft lottery was instituted in which the winner of the lottery could move...

 (4th round, 90th overall). The Sharks also took fellow Finn Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...

 in the fifth round. Toskala turned heads with his stellar play in the 1998–99 season with Ilves
Ilves
Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä...

 of the SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...

, where he went 21-12-0 with a 2.14 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage and posted five shutouts. The next season, playing a style that modeled after Markus Korhonen
Markus Korhonen
Markus Korhonen is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender currently playing for Ilves.-Playing career:Korhonen began his career with Ilves, based in his hometown of Tampere where he played for the junior team. He them spent two seasons with TuTo where he served as backup to Timo Lehkonen and Jukka Tammi...

 he played with Färjestads BK
Färjestads BK
Färjestads Bollklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 18 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning nine times since Elitserien was started in 1975. The team plays in the highest Swedish league, and have done so since 1965...

 of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

 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 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 2000–01, he played with the Kentucky Thoroughblades
Kentucky Thoroughblades
The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena...

 of the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

. Splitting time with second-year-pro Kiprusoff, he played 44 games, going 22-13-5 with a 2.77 GAA and a 0.911 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 0.912 save percentage. That season he led the league in games played and saves made (1,845). When Kiprusoff fell to injury, Toskala was called up to back-up Evgeni Nabokov
Evgeni Nabokov
Evgeni Viktorovich Nabokov is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender who is playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League .Nabokov was selected by San Jose in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft...

. Toskala received ten minutes of playing time in his first stint in the NHL, where he stopped the two shots he faced.

San Jose Sharks

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 admirably, going 4-3-1 with a 2.35 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage. He earned his first shutout in a 25-save-effort against the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

. 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 0.903 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
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

. When Kiprusoff enjoyed tremendous success in Calgary, leading them to the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 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 0.930 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
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

 playoff berth for the Sharks. Toskala's goals-against-average fell from 3.25 to 2.55, while his save percentage increased from 0.872 to .900. This earned him the nickname "The Finnish Horse" from Shark's broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky
Dan Rusanowsky
Dan Rusanowsky is an American sports broadcaster, best known being for the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Jose Sharks since the team's inaugural season in 1991–92...

. 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 0.910 save percentage.

Since both Toskala and Nabokov were 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. Nabokov got the nod after that, and played in San Jose's remaining regular season and playoff games.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On June 22, 2007 NHL Entry Draft
2007 NHL Entry Draft
The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007...

 weekend, Sharks Doug Wilson traded Toskala and forward Mark Bell
Mark Bell (hockey)
Mark Bell is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently signed by the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL.-Playing career:Bell started playing hockey at four years old, and grew up admiring Wayne Gretzky and Doug Gilmour...

 to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

 in exchange for the club's 2007 1st (13th overall, Lars Eller
Lars Eller
Lars Fosgaard Eller is a Danish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens organization of the National Hockey League . He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round, 13th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.-Playing career:In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft,...

) and 2nd round draft picks, both of which were later traded to the St. Louis Blues, as well as Toronto's 4th round pick in 2009
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or...

, which was eventually traded to the Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Toskala to a two year contract. He and Andrew Raycroft
Andrew Raycroft
Andrew Joseph Ernest Raycroft is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins 135th overall in 1998, he won the Calder Trophy with the club in 2004 as rookie of the year...

 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.

On March 18, 2008 in a match against the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, Toskala suffered an embarrassing blunder. On a Leafs power play
Power play (sport)
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...

, Rob Davison
Rob Davison
Rob Davison is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Extraliga.-Playing career:...

 of the Islanders attempted to clear the puck out of his defensive zone. The shot, from 197 feet away bounced 5 times before bouncing over Toskala's glove and into the net.

In the 2009 NHL regular season opener on October 9, 2008, the official scoresheet between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

 listed Vesa Toskala as the Maple Leafs captain. Coach Ron Wilson stated that the scoresheet was a mistake.

On March 4, 2009, Toskala announced that he would be undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn acetabular labrum
Acetabular labrum
The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum ....

; the Maple Leafs claimed goalie Martin Gerber
Martin Gerber
Martin Gerber is a Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Växjö Lakers Hockey of the Elitserien...

 off of re-entry waivers to replace him. On October 1, 2009, Toskala was the starting goaltender for the Leafs in their home opener, an overtime loss to Montreal. Toskala would lose his first four starts before being replaced as the Leafs' #1 goaltender.

Anaheim Ducks

Toskala was traded to the Anaheim Ducks along with Jason Blake for Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Jean-Sébastien Giguère
Jean-Sébastien Giguère is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League . He played major junior with the Verdun Collège Français and Halifax Mooseheads in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , where he was drafted 13th...

 on January 31, 2010,

The Ducks traded Toskala to the Calgary Flames for Flames backup Curtis McElhinney
Curtis McElhinney
Robert Curtis McElhinney is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League. McElhinney was a sixth-round selection of the Flames, 176th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft...

 right before the NHL trade deadline on March 3, 2010 having never appeared in net for the Ducks during his short stay.

Calgary Flames

Toskala was traded to the Flames on March 3, 2010, where he was reunited with his former Sharks teammate Miikka Kiprusoff. On March 7, in his first game as a Flame, Toskala stopped 27 shots en route to a 5-2 victory. In his second game, he backstopped the Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...

. On June 6, 2010, it was revealed by Flames GM, Darryl Sutter
Darryl Sutter
Darryl John Sutter is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward and coach, and former general manager of the Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League...

, that Toskala would not return with the Flames for the 2010-11 season.

AIK IF

On November 1, 2010, due to AIK IF
AIK IF
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening is the ice hockey section of the sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden...

 of the Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

 (SEL) suffering from injuries, Toskala signed a one-month contract with the club, which expired on November 30. Playing in two games, he posted a .898 save percentage
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

 and 3.07 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

.

Ilves

In June 2011 Toskala signed a contract to return to his hometown team Ilves
Ilves
Ilves is a Finnish sports club nowadays mostly known for their youth work. The ice hockey team plays in the SM-liiga at the Tampereen jäähalli in Hakametsä...

 for the 2011-12 season.

Personal life

Toskala and his wife lived in a condo
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

 in his time in Toronto. He spent two years in Finland training to be a chef, although he claims that he was not particularly good.

Awards

  • 2001–02: The Hockey News
    The Hockey News
    The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...

     AHL Mid-Season All-Rookie Team
  • NHL Goaltender of the Month - December 2007

Career statistics

Season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...

Team League GP W L T OTL MIN GA SO GAA
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....

SV%
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...

1995–96 Ilves Tampere FNL
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...

37 14 14 7 2073 109 1 3.16
1996–97 Ilves Tampere FNL 40 22 12 5 2270 108 0 2.85
1997–98 Ilves Tampere FNL 43 26 13 3 2554 118 1 2.77
1998–99 Ilves Tampere FNL 33 21 12 0 1966 70 4 2.14
1999–00 Färjestads BK
Färjestads BK
Färjestads Bollklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 18 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning nine times since Elitserien was started in 1975. The team plays in the highest Swedish league, and have done so since 1965...

SEL
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

44 2652 118 3 2.67 .887
2000–01
2000–01 AHL season
The 2000–01 AHL season was the 65th season of the American Hockey League. The league realigns its divisions again. The Atlantic division is renamed the Canadian division. The Empire State division is replaced by the South division, with many teams shifting from the Mid-Atlantic division.Twenty...

Kentucky Thoroughblades
Kentucky Thoroughblades
The Kentucky Thoroughblades were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, who existed from 1996 to 2001. The Thoroughblades were based in Lexington, Kentucky, playing home games at Rupp Arena...

AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

44 22 13 5 2466 114 2 2.77 .911
2001–02 San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

1 0 0 0 10 0 0 0.00 1.00
2001–02
2001–02 AHL season
The 2001–02 AHL season was the 66th season of the American Hockey League. It was the season of the biggest growth in the AHL's history, as it accepted eight new teams. The demise of the International Hockey League brought six teams transferring from the defunct league, in addition to two expansion...

Cleveland Barons
Cleveland Barons (2001-2006)
The Cleveland Barons was a professional hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Cleveland, Ohio, USA at the Gund Arena between 2001 and 2006....

AHL 62 19 33 7 3574 178 3 2.99 .912
2002–03
2002–03 AHL season
The 2002–03 AHL season was the 67th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hamilton Bulldogs finished first overall in the regular season...

Cleveland Barons AHL 49 15 30 2 2824 151 1 3.21 .903
2002–03 San Jose Sharks NHL 11 4 3 1 537 21 1 2.35 .927
2003–04 San Jose Sharks NHL 28 12 8 4 1541 53 1 2.06 .930
2004–05 Ilves Tampere FNL 3 0 1 2 186 8 0 2.58 .930
2005–06 San Jose Sharks NHL 37 23 7 4 2039 87 2 2.56 .901
2005–06
2005–06 AHL season
The 2005–06 AHL season was the 70th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup, defeating the Milwaukee Admirals in the finals....

Cleveland Barons AHL 1 0 0 1 65 0 1 0.00 1.00
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 38 26 10 1 2142 84 4 2.35 .908
2007–08 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

NHL 66 33 25 6 3837 175 3 2.74 .904
2008–09
2008–09 NHL season
The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the...

Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 53 22 17 11 3056 166 1 3.26 .891
2009–10
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 26 7 12 3 1393 85 1 3.66 .874
2009–10
2009–10 NHL season
The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010...

Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...

NHL 6 2 0 0 212 8 0 2.26 .918
2010–11
2010–11 Elitserien season
- HV71 vs. AIK:- Färjestads BK vs. Brynäs IF:- Skellefteå AIK vs. Linköpings HC:- Luleå HF vs. Djurgårdens IF:*Note: Game 6 was played in the Ericsson Globe.- Färjestads BK vs. AIK:...

AIK IF
AIK IF
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening is the ice hockey section of the sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden...

SEL 2 0 2 120 7 0 3.07 .898
FNL totals 156 83 52 17 9049 413 6 2.74
SEL totals 46 2772 125 3 2.71 .893
AHL totals 156 56 76 15 8929 443 7 2.98 .932
NHL totals 266 129 82 5 25 14767 679 13 2.76 .902

External links

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