Vesa Toskala

Finnish-born professional National Hockey League player Vesa Toskala is the backup goalie for the Calgary Flames.

On January 31, 2009 Toskala along with Jason Blake were traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Toskala before playing a game in Anaheim was traded to the Calgary Flames at the 2010 NHL Trade Deadline.

Toskala was drafted by the San Jose Sharks during the fourth round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. 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.

• Mahalo's Guide to the Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Internet Hockey Database: Career Stats
  • Height: 5-10
  • Weight: 195
  • Rookie Year: 2001-2002