Vesa Toskala

Vesa Toskala
Toskala with the Calgary Flames in 2011
Born	(1977-05-20) May 20, 1977 (age 39) Tampere, FIN
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Ilves Tampere Färjestad BK San Jose Sharks Toronto Maple Leafs Calgary Flames AIK IF
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	90th overall, 1995 San Jose Sharks
Playing career	1995–2012

Vesa Tapani Toskala (born May 20, 1977) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender.

After initially playing for his hometown team in Ilves of the SM-liiga, Toskala played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames.

Toskala was selected by San Jose in the fourth round, 90th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. Toskala turned heads with his stellar play in the 1998–99 season with Ilves of the Finnish SM-liiga, where he went 21–12–0 with a 2.14 goals against average, a 0.916 save percentage and five shutouts. The next season, playing a style that modeled after Markus Korhonen, Toskala played with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Elitserien and posted an impressive 2.59 GAA. Toskala considered quitting hockey to attend school full-time, until the San Jose Sharks enticed him to North America.

Toskala is the only San Jose Sharks goalie to record a multiple point game. He had two assists against Chicago on February 3, 2007.

In his first North American season in 2000–01, Toskala played for the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the American Hockey League (AHL). Splitting time with second-year pro and Finnish compatriot Miikka Kiprusoff, he played 44 games, posting a 22–13–5 record with a 2.77 goals against average 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 the San Jose Sharks, and in 62 games, he 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 San Jose to serve as back-up to regular starter Evgeni Nabokov. Toskala received ten minutes of playing time in his first stint in the NHL, where he stopped the two shots he faced.