Vesa Toskala

Finnish-born professional National Hockey League player Vesa Toskala is the starting goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toskala was drafted by the San Jose Sharks during the fourth round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Toskala played in the Finnish SM-liiga professional hockey league from 1995 through 1999 and competed for Finland in the 1996 and 1997 World Junior Championships and the 1999 World Championships.

Fast Facts

1. Birth date: May 20, 1977
2. Birth place: Tampere, Finland
3. Position: Goaltender
4. Catches: Left
5. Jersey number: 35
6. Credited with 2 assists in a February 2007 game, a San Jose Sharks record for points by a goaltender in a single game

NHL Career

After moving to the United States in 1999, Toskala split the next three seasons between the National and American Hockey Leagues. During the 2003-2004 season, Toskala acted as the Sharks' backup goalie behind Evgeni Nabakov and earned his way up to starting goalie with his impressive play during the 2005-2006 season.

Following the next season, the Sharks traded Toskala to the Toronto Maple Leafs with whom he signed a two-year contract worth $8 million. Originally intended to play backup for Andrew Raycroft, Toskala's impressive performance paired with Raycroft's somewhat disappointing game play led the Leafs to name Toskala their starter. Toskala played a career high of 66 games during the 2007-2008 season and was named the NHL's top goalie of the month for December of 2007.

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