by Alan AdamsFiled under: Maple Leafs
Jean-Sebastien Giguere doesn't have to be a superhero.
He doesn't need a phone booth to slip on the Superman cape and save the Toronto Maple Leafs.
All he has to do is a) stop the puck; and b) mentor starter-in-waiting Jonas Gustavsson.
He did a lot of the former on Thursday night -- and still ended up looking like a superhero in the process.
After suffering through years of mediocrity in net, Toronto fans had good reason to cheer Giguere's late-game heroics in the Leafs' 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in their season opener.
"Giggy" made some huge saves in the dying seconds when the Habs came oh-so-close to tying the game (see the video evidence below). Where previous goalies may have faltered (here's looking at you, Vesa Toskala), Giguere stepped up to the challenge and looked every bit like the goalie who won a Stanley Cup in Anaheim.
The most recent love-in in Leafland should come as no surprise. Fans have been desperate for a solid netminder to cheer for ever since the halcyon days of Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour. Fans are giddy simply because for the first time in years, they, and more important Giguere's teammates, have confidence in the so-called last line of defence.
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