WASHINGTON-A travel-weary Martin Gerber landed in the lobby of the glitzy Ritz Carlton hotel last night, the end of an all-day journey that began with the prospect of him finishing his season as a minor-leaguer and ended with him as the No. 1 goalie for the Maple Leafs.
"I didn't expect it," said Gerber. "This is a big opportunity for me. I'm really glad to be here. I'm happy someone decided to give me a shot."
Gerber - a failure in two-plus seasons in Ottawa - gets a shot at NHL redemption because the Leafs' top goalie, Vesa Toskala, is heading to an operating table in Vail, Colo.
Toskala will have hip surgery performed by specialist Dr. Marc Philippon that will shut him down for the duration of this season. That will be followed, at an unspecified time, by groin surgery.
Toskala should be ready to begin full workouts in mid-summer.
"The decision to have the surgery now is based on the recovery period, to maximize the possibility of recovering for next year," Leafs GM Brian Burke explained.
With his No. 1 netminder out of the picture until training camp, Burke claimed Gerber from the Ottawa Senators on re-entry waivers. Gerber is expected to start tonight, and get the bulk of the assignments the rest of the way as he tries to salvage his reputation as an NHL goalie. He faces unrestricted free agency July 1 after an unremarkable stint with the Senators.
Gerber struggled so badly with the Sens - he had a 4-9-1 record with a .899 save percentage - that he was banished to the AHL's Binghamton Senators. Gerber didn't want to talk about his time with Ottawa, a team that has had continued trouble settling on a goalie.
"There's no reason to talk about Ottawa, it's over; doesn't matter who was right or wrong," said the 34-year-old Gerber. "It hasn't been fun so far. I have to take this opportunity and give it a shot."
The Leafs also acquired netminder Olaf Kolzig from Tampa yesterday but, since Kolzig is out for the season with an injury and has an expiring contract, it was just a paper transaction that also brought Toronto a fourth-round draft pick. Gerber also has an expiring contract and the Leafs and Sens will split what is left on the $3.7 million (U.S.) he is owed this season.
Toskala, playing his best hockey in recent weeks, said the decision to go under the knife was made in concert with management with an eye towards next season.
"The recovery might take quite a long time," said Toskala. "It kind of makes sense in many ways so I don't have to rush back. I can get myself ready for the next season. It's a big year for me and hopefully for the Leafs and with the Olympics, so it just makes sense.
"I'm going to be 100 per cent next year. No excuses."
Burke and head coach Ron Wilson both publicly criticized Toskala for his poor practice habits earlier this year and yesterday Burke said he apologized to the netminder if it was indeed health issues that were holding him back.
"We are on the same page now so that's the only thing that matters," said the 31-year-old Toskala.
Both Burke and Wilson expressed confidence in Toskala as Toronto's No. 1 goaltender going forward.
"I'm still a big Vesa guy. He hasn't been healthy and he's still been playing great," said Wilson.
Burke said the Leafs could have just gone with prospect Justin Pogge for the rest of the season but they opted to get a proven NHL goaltender to keep the team more competitive.
"We don't want to pull Justin Pogge out of the minors and force him to play here," said Wilson. "It's very important to us that (Pogge) continues to develop with the Marlies and that he gets to play in the playoffs with the Marlies."
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