Blueland Guest Goalie: Jonas Gustavsson

In the summer of 2009, Gustavsson fever was sweeping North America. Several teams with goal tending needs were trying to woo a young wonder from Sweden. Before deciding on Toronto, Jonas visited Colorado, San Jose, and Dallas.



Want to know why they call him "The Monster?" Just look at him! That's Vessa Toskala on the right. While body position is a little different in the side-by-side, you can at 6'3'' The Monster fills the crease.



Jonas Gustavsson was born on October 24 1984 in Danderyd, Sweden.



Jonas began his pro career in 2002 with Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening (AIK). He played there for 4 seasons.



After playing in the AIK, he moved on to play with the Färjestads BK



While in Färjestad, he was the top goalie in in 2008-09, posting a 1.96 GAA and a SV% of .932 in the regular season.



In the playoffs, he posted a 1.03 goals against average, a SV% of .961, and five shutouts in 13 games. Having allowed only 14 goals in 13 playoff games, he led Färjestad to the league title. He was also named the MVP of the playoffs. Along the way, he broke Henrik Lundqvist's (NYR) SEL playoff shutout record of 180 minutes.



On July 7, 2009, Jonas ended weeks of speculation about where he would played and signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.



Jonas has a scary setback at training camp due to an elevated heartbeat. It was discovered he had an irregular heart beat and had a surgery called an "ablation."



Gustavsson made his NHL debut with Toronto on October 3, 2009 against the Washington Capitals. On October 26, 2009, Gustavsson recorded his first NHL win against the Anaheim Ducks making 25 saves on 28 shots in a 6-3 win.


On December 1, in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, Jonas left the game in the first period due to a heart murmur. Gustavsson later received Radio Frequency ablation to treat a re entrant tachycardia.



With health problems, a new country and a new language, Jonas faced a tough rookie NHL season in one of the most scrutinized hockey markets in the world. Jonas played in 42 games in his first season with Toronto, putting a up a SV% of .902 and a GAA of 2.87. HIs struggles where rewarded when the Toronto chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced Gustavsson as the Maple Leafs nominee for the 2010 Bill Masterton Trophy, awarded for "perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey".



Hopefully the Monster's heart issues are a thing of the past and he can get on with kicking ass in the NHL.

Blueland Guest Goalie: Goalie Gumbo, Back Up Special!

Still haven't completed the retrieval of my pictures off of my old hard drive, so once again, I've 1/2 assed some pictures together for another post!


Today is Labor Day so I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the hardest working guys in the NHL, some unsung heroes, back up goalies. Some back up goalies get a lot more work than others, but regardless, it's an important role. Whether you get a steady 30+ games a season or barely hit the ice, the back up goalie plays an integral part on the team. You know I love back ups, my favorite player in the NHL, Johan Hedberg, is a back up.


It's a pretty well known fact that if you are backing up New Jersey's Marty Brodeur, you need to get comfortable on the bench. Marty likes to play, and being that he's one of the best goalies to ever hit the ice, he gets his wish. In the 2008-09 season Marty went down with a bizarre elbow injury and was going to miss most of the season. Back up Kevin Weekes was given the opportunity to carry the team, it didn't work out. The Devils' AHL goalie, Scott Clemmensen, was called up and he ran away with the season. When Marty came back late in the season the Devils showed Scott their appreciation by...sending him back to the AHL. WTF?? Fortunately Scott's excellent play caught the attention of the Florida Panthers and on July 1, 2009 he signed a 3 year contract with the Panthers.



Scott Lee Clemmensen was born on July 23, 1977 in Des Moines, Iowa. Scott is the first person born in Iowa to play in the NHL. Scott took the college route to the NHL playing 4 seasons with Boston College. Clemmensen earned Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors in 1997-98 and league All-Tournament Team accolades in 1999 and 2001. He backstopped Boston College to Hockey East Tournament titles three times - in 1998, 1999 and 2001. In the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Scott was selected in the 8th round (215th overall) by the New Jersey Devils.



On January 20, 2004, Scott made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Scott spent 6 seasons in the Devils system playing for the Albany River Rats, The New Jersey Devils and the Lowell Devils.



In 2007 Scott got a taste of non-Jersey NHL hockey for the first time when as an unrestricted free agent he signed a one year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Again, Scott spent most of his time in the AHL with the Marlies.



The next season Scott once again signed with the Devils. It looked like it was going to be another season as usual for Scott, playing most of his games in the AHL. Then on December 1, 2008 in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, Marty Brodeur went down with the infamous "bruised elbow." Scott was called up and played so well that he signed his contract with Florida the next season.


Mathieu Garon - St. Louis Blues


Garon caught my eye when he was with the Penguins, basically because he's hot. Then I saw this:

Wowzers. Garon came through the with the Blue Jackets in November of 2009 when the Jackets beat the Thrashers 4 to 3.


Mathieu was born on January 9, 1978 in Chandler, Quebec. He started his pro career in 1995 in the QMJHL with the Victoriaville Tigres. In the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Mathieu was drafted in the 2nd round (44th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens.



On October 6, 2000, Mathieu made his NHL debut in a relief appearance against the New Jersey Devils. Though Mathieu was in the Canadiens system for 6 seasons, he only saw action in 43 NHL games, spending most of him time in the AHL. One fun statistic..On November 23, 2000 Garon got his first NHL shut out...against the Atlanta Thrashers!



In 2004, Mathieu was traded (with a 3rd round pick) to the LA Kings for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet. During the lockout of the 2004-05 season, Garon played in the NHL for the Manchester Monarchs. Garon played the next 2 seasons with the LA Kings.



In July of 2007 Garon became a free agent and was signed by the Edmonton Oilers. Garon put up good numbers and took the starting job away from Dwayne Roloson. After suffering an ankle injury late in the season, Rollie took over again. The 2007-08 season was a good one for Garon, he was the top shoot out goalie in the league. He stopped 30 of 32 shoot out attempts for a perfect 10-0.



In January 2009 in a very fortunate (for Mathieu) trade, Garon was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins who would later win the Stanley Cup that season. Garon only appeared in 4 regular season games, but did appear in a play off game when he had to replace Fleury in that disastrous game 5. Fleury gave up 5 goals, Garon did not give up any. That summer Mathieu signed a 2 year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets.



Ty Conklin - St. Louis Blues
Conks is arguably the best back up out there today, except Moose of course :) He is a true journeyman, having played for six NHL teams. He also holds the distinction of having played in three of the four outdoor games held by the NHL.

• He was in net for the Edmonton Oilers when they lost to the Canadiens, 4-3 in the Heritage Classic on November 22, 2003.
• He was the goaltender for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 2–1 shootout victory over the Sabres in the 2008 Winter Classic.
• Thanks to Chris Osgood having a groin injury, he was in goal for the Detroit Red Wings' 6–4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009 Winter Classic. After allowing three goals in the first period, he shut out the Blackhawks for nearly forty minutes, before yielding a goal with ten seconds left in the game.

When asked about participating in these historic games, Conks said:

“I count myself very lucky," he said of the opportunity. "There’s not a guy in this league who wouldn’t like to play in these games.”

Ty Curtis Conklin was born on March 30, 1976 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ty grew up in Anchorage, Alaska and an early recruit and graduate of the now-famed Minnesota hockey prep school, Shattuck-St.Mary's. Later, he played in the United States Hockey League, seeing some time with the Green Bay Gamblers.



Ty decided to get his learn on and started the 1998-1999 season with University of New Hampshire. Conks had a remarkable college career.

• Named captain of the UNH Wildcats, October 5, 2000
• Elected by his teammates, he was the first goaltender to captain the Wildcats since 1961
• NCAA East First All-American Team, 2001
• NCAA East Second All-American Team, 2000
• Top Ten finalist for the Hobey Baker award
• Left the University of New Hampshire holding eight goaltending records

Despite having a fantastic college career, Conks went undrafted. A self described "late bloomer" he spent his draft eligible years off of the radar in either post-graduate at Shattuck or his time with Green Bay. On April 18, 2000 Ty was signed as a free agent by the Edmonton Oilers.



Conks spent most of his first two seasons in the AHL playing for the Oilers affiliate (shared with Montreal), the Hamilton Bulldogs. While there he played in the longest game in AHL history against the Houston Aeros. This quadruple over time game went for 134 minute and 56 seconds. That night Ty also set the records for most saves in a game by making 83 saves in their 2-1 win over the Aeros.



In 2006 Conks signed as an unrestricted free agents with the Blue Jackets, but was traded to Buffalo in the same season. In 2007, Conks signed a one year contract with Pittsburgh, and the next season a one year contract with Detroit. Ty found a little bit more stability the next season when in 2009 he signed a two year contract with St. Louis...again!


Good luck Ty! It's always a pleasure to watch you play.


Conks also has a nasty Lady Gaga habit that I totally support!

Puck Tracks Episode 7: Ty Conklin from Greg Wyshynski on Vimeo.

Blueland Guest Goalie: Evgeni Nabokov

Well the move is done and as moves usually are, it was hell. I'm living out of boxes, but I've got the internet so let's get back to some GPD Summer programming!


Someone who has been faced with the challenges of moving this summer is former goalie for the San Jose Sharks, Evgeni Nabokov. After spending 9 seasons with the Sharks, at the end of the 2009-10 season, the Sharks announced they would not be renewing Nabby's contract. Nabby signed with Ska St. Petersburg of the KHL. Pack your bags Nabby, you are going home!



I've always been a big Nabby fan. He's a great goalie and a lot of fun to watch.



He has the most intense stare.



He also has one of the most bad-assed masks in the NHL.



He also does one of my favorite goalie stretches, what I call "the lean." Ironically, so does his replacement with the Sharks, Antero Niittymaki.



Evgeni Viktorovich Nabokov was born in Ust-Kamenogorsk SSR, Soviet Union on July 25, 1975.



Guarding the crease runs in Nabby's family. His father, Viktor, was also a goalie. Evgeni decided at age 6 to play the position not only because of his dad, but because he felt secure guarding the net.


Evgeni played for his hometeam before joining Dynamo in Moscow. In the C-Pool of the 1994 World Championship, Nabokov played three games for Kazakhstan.



In the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Nabby was taken in the 9th round, 219th overall by San Jose. The Sharks had never even seen Nabokov play and were more interested in his dad. San Jose Heads Scout Tim Burke saw Nabokov on an advertisement during his trip to Russia while Burke went to scout another player. Nabby only knew he got drafted when a few days later he read it in a newspaper.



After being drafted, Nabokov remained in Russia and posted good numbers with Moscow Dynamo, but was pretty much forgotten by the NHL until being seen by a Sharks representative at a tournament in Finland in 1997.



Nabby spent 3 season in the AHL with the Sharks (then) farm team, the Kentucky Thoroughblades. One bit of fun, though he was drafted as Evgeni Nabakov, it is said that he changed his name to "John" because he was afraid that North American fans would not be able to pronounce his real name. When asked about it, Nabby said:

No, it is not true. I have never tried to change my name. I always had my birth name. There was a nickname though. I don't know if it was a tradition or what. But I was nicknamed 'John.' But then it was all changed very quickly. But yes, at one time John was my nickname.

On January 1, 2000, Nabby made his NHL debut for the Sharks when he took over for injured goalie, Steve Shields in Nashville. A few weeks later on January 19, Nabokov started his first NHL game against the Colorado Avalanche. On the other end of the ice, legend Patrick Roy! Nabby stopped all 39 shots for a 0-0 tie.



In the second game of the 2000-01 season, Steve Shields hurt his ankle, leaving San Jose without a number one goalie. The Sharks had Miikka Kiprusoff in the AHL and considered him to the future of the franchise. Surprisingly, they did NOT to call up Miikka as the starter, they wanted him to stay in the AHL so he could get more experience. So, they gave the starting position to Nabokov, and he ran away with it. That season he won the Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year) He also played in the 2001 All Star Game and took San Jose to the playoffs.


Unfortunately (kind of) Nabby helped the Sharks get to the playoffs every season of his 9 with San Jose except for 2 seasons. They just can't seem to go any farther than that. Siting cap room, the Sharks decided to go with a cheaper goalie.

Some fun facts about Nabby:

• Nabby wears the number 20 in honor of Russian goal tending legent, Vladislav Tretiak.
• On March 10, 2002, Nabby became the first NHL netminder to score a power play goal. This goal also made him the first European goalie to score a goal during a game. Nabby said:

"I (saw) him coming, I was going to give it to him, but after that I see the defensemen split so I was just like, 'I'm going to go for it,' and it went in...I'm going to lie if I say it wasn't exciting," He said he had practiced the shot "hundreds of times" but never come close to making it at any level.

So do svidaniya Nabby! Good luck in Mother Russia.

Blueland Guest Goalie: Jaroslav Halak

During the first three rounds of the playoffs, one person was standing out on the Montreal Canadiens, goalie Jaroslav Halak. Thanks to Halak standing on his head, the Canadiens managed to defeat the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals in a game 7 in the first round and went on to defeat the Pens in the second round before succumbing to the Flyers in the third round. Halak had the best SV% and 3rd best GAA in the playoffs!


In a surprising summer move, the Canadiens traded their play off star to the St. Louis Blues. Halak was a bit surprised saying:

“They never talked to us about the possibility of a new deal or staying in Montreal, but it never happened. That’s why the news I got today was a little bit surprising for me. I’m very excited that I’m in St. Louis, and I’m looking forward to the new start and fresh start for me."

Carey Price better bring his A game next season!!

Jaroslav Halak was born on May 13, 1985 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Halak began his march to the NHL in the 2002-03 season when at age 17 he played for Bratislava of the Slovakian junior league. In 2003, Halak was drafted in the 9th round, 271st overall by the Montreal Canadiens, but remained in Slovakia for the 2003-04 season, where he made the jump to the Slovak Extraliga League. He appeared in 12 games for HC Slovan Bratislava, putting up great numbers in his 12 games. He posted a 1.66 goals against average and a .942 save percentage.





Halak decided to come to North America and play major junior hockey with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL. For the 2004-05 season he appeared in 47 games for the Maineacs, posting a record of 24-17-4 with a 2.78 GAA and a .913 SV%.





Montreal continued to let Halak develop and the 2005-06 season saw him splitting time between the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL and Montreal's AHL farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs.





After playing well the previous season, Jaroslav started the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, playing 28 games with them and posting a record of 16-11. Halak's stats were impressive that season, with a 2.00 GAA and a .932 SV%.




On February 15, 2007 Jaroslav Halak made his NHL debut when he got the call up due to an injury to Cristobal Huet. He made 31 saves in a 3–2 road win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Prior to his call up that year, he had the lowest goals against average (2.00) in the AHL with Hamilton.





For the 2007-08 season, Halak had been assigned to Hamilton. In Montreal however, then-GM, Bob Gainey felt it was time to make Carey Price the starter, so Huet was traded. Halak was called up from the AHL for the final time and became Price's backup. Though he was a full time backup, Montreal soon saw Halak's talent.





The 2008-09 season saw more of Halak splitting the crease with Carey Price. Halak played in 34 games posting a .915 SV% and a 2.86 GAA.





The 2009-10 season was a banner year for Halak. He started 45 games for the Canadiens and posted a .924 SV% and a 2.40 GAA. Halak was also named the Molson's Canadiens Player of the Year in 2010.





Jaroslav also had success on the international level. In the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Halak started as the goaltender for the Slovak National Team. Though Slovakia ultimately finished fourth, Halak stopped 36 of 37 shots as he backstopped his team to a preliminary round game victory against a strong Russian team. After his play in the Olympics, the Canadiens designated Halak the starting goaltender for the Canadiens.





Though Jaroslav had a good showing in many nights of the playoffs, Game 6 against the Capitals could have been called his masterpiece! In a performance that Habs fans argue could go on the pages of playoff heroics by greats Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy, Halak made an astounding 53 saves to force a game 7.


From what I've read on-line, many Habs fans are confused about trading their playoff hero and certainly think he warranted more than 2 young prospects (Lars Eller and Ian Schultz). Carey Price had better get ready!