Of course I'm not talking about "monster" in Pierre McGuire terms, instead I mean our very own Jonas Gustavsson. The Monster has seen some dark times since he chose our team over others such as the Dallas Stars, the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks. In any of those markets, I'm sure he would not have undergone the scrutiny he has seen as a Leaf. With the heart problems, the horrible team mate problems, the losing, I almost feel as if his short NHL career has seen him face more adversity than most goalies his age.

When he faces all this and puts in a performance like last night's, I am very appreciative.  Lesser players would have struggled under the load, possibly have given up after the atrociousness of the skater's play in the second period (yes, I am looking at you, Toskala.)  Instead, The Monster gave us every last ounce of effort he had, and stole us a point.  So today I say we thank him for that effort, and for the resiliency he has so far shown in his NHL career.  I feel like he's going to be a pretty special player in the future, and we're only scratching the surface right now.

So if anyone at MLSE or with the ability to contact Jonas Gustavsson directly reads this, please pass on this note: Thank you.  Keep it up.  We've got your back.

Links after the jump.

From The Branches