September 27, 2007 @ 09:55
I hope I'm wrong but I think we may witness the ruination of a hockey player over the next few months.
Vesa Toskala was a happy man just a few short weeks ago. He had been acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs and given a new contract that kicks in next year.
This year he'll make 1.3 million dollars and then next season that jumps to four million for another three years.
The strategy was clear for the Maple Leafs, Andrew Raycroft wasn't doing the job so they needed another goaltender and the best available was the man who played back-up in San Jose.
Toskala was considered the best back-up in the NHL and clearly capable of being a starter, so the Leafs made the leap.
But there's an intangible in Toronto and it's called pressure. Players are exposed to things in Toronto that don't exist in any other city and Vesa Toskalo is about to be crushed by the avalanche.
The media, the fans, the history and the desperation to win are all things that are piling up on Toskala right now and last night was another indication that he might become the latest in a long list of players who haven't been able to handle it.
He made his second start of the pre-season last night and he allowed seven goals on 36 shots. He didn't look very strong.
Things may turn around and Vesa Toskala may become the greatest goaltender in the history of the Maple Leafs, but it's going to be tough. Toskala came to town with a lot of fan fare and huge expectations, and then he signed a contract worthy of a number one goaltender without having ever been a number one.
In the hockey mad market of Toronto that's a lot to have resting on your shoulders, and if everything I've mentioned isn't enough, he has to deal with a defense that so far this pre-season has been nothing short of laughable.
We may never see the real Vesa Toskala.
Category: Sports
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