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.