There was a mob of hockey fans calling out to Vesa Toskala as the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender stood outside a makeshift dressing room at Ricoh Coliseum yesterday.

View Large

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Vesa Toskala makes a save on Washington Capital Chris Clark on Saturday night.

Photograph by : Mark Blinch, Reuters

ARTICLE TOOLS

• Printer friendly
• E-mail

Font:

• *
• *
• *
• *

They wanted his autograph. And to say hello.

The problem was Toskala was not properly dressed for a meet-and-greet. A baseball cap was pulled over a mop of sweaty blonde hair and he was still wearing the black spandex leggings from practice. A shower and a change of clothes would have done him good.

But Toskala, who walked with a swagger towards the autograph-seeking crowd, did not seem unsure of himself or his wardrobe as he stopped to shake hands with his fans. The only opinion that matters to him is his own. And whether he is on or off the ice, the 32-year-old always believes he looks good.

"I never second-guess myself," he said following a public practice. "I know how good I can be, so I don't have any problems with my confidence."

As a goaltender for the Maple Leafs, self-belief has been as necessary a skill as being able to stop the puck.

While Toskala claims to have never lost confidence in his abilities, others around him have at times. In his first four games, he allowed 19 goals and had an .812 save percentage. Shortly after, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the lineup for six games. When he returned, he was told that he would have to "bide his time" as the backup while Jonas Gustavsson took over starting duties.

During that period, everyone with an opinion on the matter seemed to have given up on the veteran goaltender.

Some suggested trading him. Others wanted him and his US$4-million salary banished to the minors. For Toskala, it was likely a trying time. But the 32-year-old refused to let the negativity bother him.

"I guess you're never as good as the media says or as bad as the media says," said Toskala. "You just have to know yourself how good you are."

Toskala might have known he was better than his record suggested. But it was not until he picked up his first victory of the season in a 2-1 overtime shootout win against the Washington Capitals on Saturday that he finally showed it.

Stopping 31 shots, Toskala was the difference-maker. He limited an Alex Ovechkin-led team that had been averaging nearly four goals per game to just one goal. And he was perfect on two shootout opportunities as the Leafs finally won a game that went past regulation.

"He played awesome [Saturday] night for us," forward John Mitchell said. "He made saves. Key saves. Timely saves. So he just needs to keep doing that for us and we'll be winning games."

With Gustavsson having gone from hot to cold -- the rookie has allowed 17 goals in his last four starts -- head coach Ron Wilson said Toskala would be back in net against the New York Islanders tonight.

It will be the first time in six weeks that Toskala has made consecutive starts. But he seems up for the challenge. In the last four games, he has allowed nine goals and has a .913 save percentage.

"He's stopping pucks," Wilson said. "I can't say anything more than that. He's making saves. He's at the top of the crease, where he's supposed to be. And he's probably feeling a little better about himself because he is stopping pucks and his confidence has grown."