Displaying 2 posts found for November 04, 2009:
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Monster Locking Down Number One Job
 Posted 11/4/2009 2:49:00 PM
Every morning before every game and after every practice, Jonas Gustavsson sits alone.
Silently on the bench, with his mask slightly ajar, he watches.
Watches his teammates practicing, joking, shooting, whatever, he takes it all in.
The Monster is one focused Swede that much is clear.
What’s becoming clearer though is his tightening grip on the number one job in Toronto.
With each spectacular save, his grip tightens.
But it’s his intensity on the ice that has teammates and even Gustavsson in awe.
“It’s actually a little funny,” Garnet Exelby said.
“Some of the other players and myself have talked about it, because you go up to him and tap him on the pads during the game or try to say something to him and he is off in some other land.”
“I notice most things,” Gustavsson laughed. “It’s not like I’m in my own little bubble or something, but ...
Kessel Debut Pinpoints What Leafs Were Missing
Posted 11/4/2009 1:26:00 AM
He looked like a kid on a Christmas morning.
Back after missing nearly six months, Phil Kessel couldn't stop smiling Tuesday night in his Leafs debut.
What he resembled though was something different.
More precisely, he resembled exactly what was missing.
The explosive speed, the creativity with the puck, the inspired shot.
Kessel was a model of what the Leafs so desperately needed and what they so desperately lacked in the first twelve games this season.
“Well we brought him here to score," said Ron Wilson with a chuckle following the game, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Lightning.
"What was that?"
"He attempted nineteen shots, ten of them hit the net, seven were blocked and two missed. That’s a pretty good first impression.”
Pretty good indeed, especially when you consider the hype, the anticipation, and the pressure of his debut.
Nearly every time he touched the puck, something happened. Chance after chance went unfulfilled, ...
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