Jonas Gustavsson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jonas Gustavsson

Gustavsson with the leafs in May 2011
Born (1984-10-24) October 24, 1984
Danderyd, Sweden
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams
Detroit Red Wings
AIK
Färjestads BK
Toronto Maple Leafs
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2004present

Jonas Gustavsson (/ˌjuːnɑːs ˈɡʊstɑːvsɒn/; born October 24, 1984) is a Swedish ice hockey goaltender. He is currently playing with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Gustavsson started his professional career with AIK in 2002 and played with them until 2007. He then moved to Färjestad in Elitserien. He was the top goalie in 2008–09, when he posted a 1.96 goals against average and a save percentage of .932 in the regular season. In the playoffs, he aced the statistics, posting a 1.03 goals against average, a save percentage 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.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On July 7, 2009, Gustavsson ended weeks of speculation by signing a one-year contract for US $810,000 (plus a $90,000 signing bonus) with the Toronto Maple Leafs.[1]

In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Gustavsson said "I'm going to try to steal as many games from Vesa Toskala as I can, I'm a goalie and I want to play... I know the best goalie gets the ice time and if I play good I'm going to get the chance. We will be good teammates and try to push ourselves, but my goal is to be the number one goalie... For the most part, I like [the attention]. It doesn't matter what people say about me, I know if I play good or if I play bad... I like when lots of people are getting involved. In Toronto, everybody talks about hockey. I like to be in the heat."[2]

Gustavsson endured a setback on the first day of camp, traced to a heart condition that required an ablation surgery process. Despite the setback Gustavsson made his NHL debut to open the 2009–10 season 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.

Gustavsson in the pre-game skate

After overcoming a groin strain, on December 1, 2009, Gustavsson left after the first period in a game versus the Montreal Canadiens with a heart murmur, which led to a second Radio Frequency ablation to treat a reentrant tachycardia.[3] After he was cleared to return he responded by recording his first NHL shutout with a 2–0 win over the Boston Bruins on December 19, 2009. Gustavsson was also dealing with a new country, new language, new team and the different NHL rink size and rules. Through it all, he gradually improved his game and was named to the 2010 Swedish Olympic team. He won seven straight starts in March to tie the Leafs’ club record for the longest winning streak by a rookie goaltender. Gustavsson finished the season with a 16-15-9 record with a 2.87 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

On April 6, 2010, 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".[4]

After becoming a restricted free agent in the summer, Gustavsson agreed a two-year extension with the Leafs on April 15, 2010, with an average salary of $1.35m per year.[5]

In the following 2010–11 season, on February 4, 2011, he was sent down to the Toronto Marlies, American Hockey League affiliate farm team of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for a two week conditioning stint. On February 9, 2011, Gustavsson was pulled after the first period in a Marlies home game against the Connecticut Whale due to an accelerated heart beat. On February 11, 2011, Gustavsson had a third minor heart ablation surgery and was placed on injured reserve by the Maple Leafs, suspending his conditioning stint.[6] Upon recovering from the surgery, Gustavsson resumed his conditioning stint with the Marlies on February 22, 2011.

Detroit Red Wings

On June 23, 2012, with Gustavsson soon to be eligible for free agency, the goaltender's rights were traded by the Maple Leafs to the Winnipeg Jets for a conditional 7th round pick in 2013.[7] However, on July 1, 2012 Gustavsson signed a 2-year $3 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent. His first victory came in a shootout victory over San Jose on February 28, 2013. He missed time due to injuries, ultimately appearing in 7 games during the shortened 2013 NHL season.[8]

Early in the 2013–14 season, Gustavsson was called upon to replace starter Jimmy Howard, who injured his left catching hand. On October 21, 2013, Gustavsson was named NHL's First Star of the Week. Gustavsson posted a 3–0–0 record with a 1.67 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in victories over Boston, Columbus and Colorado, and helping the Red Wings move into first place in the Atlantic Division.[9]

International career

Medal record
Competitor for  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze 2010 Germany
Bronze 2009 Switzerland

Gustavsson played his first Olympic game against Belarus on February 19 at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics resulting in a 4-2 victory.[10] He represented Team Sweden at the 2009 IIHF World Championship, winning the Bronze Medal. He was the main goaltender, and again on May 23, 2010, helped secure the second consecutive Bronze medal victory against Team Germany with a 3-1 win at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

Career statistics

Regular season

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2002–03 AIK J20 21 1261 69 0 3.28 .873 4 198 9 0 2.72
2003–04 AIK J20 9 505 24 0 2.85 .894
2003–04 AIK Swe.1 1 20 1 0 2.95 .889
2004–05 AIK J20 10 557 32 0 3.45 .903
2004–05 Solna Swe.2 22 1270 32 4 1.50 .928
2005–06 AIK J20 5 258 14 0 3.26 .906
2005–06 AIK Swe.1 6 351 14 0 2.39 .930
2006–07 AIK Swe.1 23 1269 59 2 2.79 .908
2007–08 Skåre BK Swe.2 6 368 16 0 2.61 .919
2007–08 Färjestads BK SEL 20 1102 44 2 2.40 .919 10 517 31 0 3.60 .891
2008–09 Färjestads BK SEL 42 2475 81 3 1.96 .932 13 819 14 5 1.03 .961
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 42 16 15 9 2340 112 1 2.87 .902
2010–11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 23 6 13 2 1242 68 0 3.29 .890
2010–11 Toronto Marlies AHL 5 3 1 1 263 5 0 1.14 .950
2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 42 17 17 4 2301 112 4 2.92 .902
2012–13 Detroit Red Wings NHL 7 2 2 1 349 17 0 2.92 .879
2012–13 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 1 1 0 0 60 1 0 1.00 .963
NHL totals 114 41 47 16 6232 309 5 2.98 .899

International

   
Year Team Event GP W L T/OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2009 Sweden WC 5 3 2 0 276 13 0 2.83 .904
2010 Sweden Oly 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .895
2010 Sweden WC 6 4 2 0 369 11 0 1.79 .937

Awards and achievements

Personal life

Gustavsson lost his mother to chronic lung disease just before signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, after his father died four years earlier. He resides outside of Detroit with his wife, Emelie Witt, to whom he was married on March 19, 2013, by United States District Judge Stephen J. Murphy.

Appearances

Gustavsson was referenced in the 8th episode of the 7th season in Psych titled "Right Turn or Left for Dead". Shawn tells a Swedish bartender that Gus's name is "Jonas Gustavsson". The bartender replied "From the Toronto Maple Leafs?"

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.