Jonas Gustavsson

Jonas Gustavsson (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈjûːnas ˈɡɵ̂sːtavˌsɔn]; born 24 October 1984), also known by his nickname the Monster, is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Gustavsson played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers during his National Hockey League (NHL) career.

Gustavsson started his professional career with AIK in 2002 and played with them until 2007. He then moved to Färjestad BK in the Elitserien. He was the top goalie in 2008–09, when he posted a 1.96 goals against average (GAA) and a save percentage of .932 in the regular season. In the playoffs, he bettered his statistics, posting a 1.03 GAA, a save percentage of .961 and five shutouts in 13 games. Having allowed just 14 goals in 13 playoff games, he led Färjestads BK to the league title, also being named the MVP of the playoffs in the process.

On 7 July 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.

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."

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

After overcoming a groin strain, on 1 December, Gustavsson left after the first period in a game against the Montreal Canadiens with a heart murmur, which led to a second Radio Frequency ablation to treat a reentrant tachycardia. After he was cleared to return, he responded by recording his first NHL shutout in a 2–0 win over the Boston Bruins on 19 December. He won seven straight starts in March to tie the Maple 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 6 April 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."

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