Player's Tribune: Emergency Goalies

[Locke]

Kind of a cool read.

The goalie goes down. The puck stops and the trainers rush the ice. The whole arena goes silent. A voice calls out from down on the ice.

“Help! Is there a goalie in the house?!”

… Okay, so that’s not really how it happens. But that’s what it feels like when you’re an emergency backup goalie in the NHL and you get the call on game night.

The NHL requires each team to have a house emergency goalie on standby in case either the home or the visiting team needs one. For the Minnesota Wild, I’m that guy. And last week, I got the rare call that turned a pretty average Thursday night into one I’ll probably be talking about for a long time.

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/wil...rce=newsletter

How many of us have wondered about the backup goalie situation? I remember going to the Flames vs. Sabres game where Ramo was supposed to start but was so sick that Hiller had to go in and there was no backup on the bench even.

Very cool.

[heep223]

This is a cool read, but would have been way better if he'd actually seen some ice time.

[Gaudfather]

Love the articles on this site.

Neat to see how much it means to these guys that are never going to be in the show - what it means to just get called as a backup and get a team sweater!

[Locke]

Originally Posted by heep223

This is a cool read, but would have been way better if he'd actually seen some ice time.

I totally thought he was going to, but if you think about it, it is SO rare.

I kept thinking back, as I mentioned, to that Flames/Sabres game when there was the (incorrect) rumour that the backup was the UofA goalie and how cool it would have been.

I also vaguely recall another instance in Vancouver where they had the UBC goalie on the bench as the backup and you could see him on TV with a textbook in his lap because he was studying for finals the next day.

The 'Emergency Goalie' situation has always fascinated me.

Didnt Clint Malarchuk have to suit up one time 'just in case?'

I also loved the fact that the best part wasnt the experience or the $500 but the team jersey with your name on it.

[PaperBagger'14]

Maybe someone could refresh my memory a bit here. I remember many years ago when the flames had a rash of goalie injuries and we re-discovered Freddie Braithwaite. Did we use an emergency goalie at any point during that time?

[polak]

Getting a legit NHL jersey, a real one, from the team, that was ready to go on the ice if needed, with your name on it?

That would be epic.

[Point Blank]

How about that one time both Montoya and Luongo were injured and they were thinking of dressing the goalie coach?

Doesn't seem like every team has an emergency goalie on hand...

[Envitro]

The NHL put in this very system that the article talks about after the Panthers incident with Montoya/Luongo.

Each team is now mandated to have an emergency goalie available within x number of minutes. I believe by next season they're actually going to have to be in the building for every game just in case (don't quote me but I think they were trying to put that into place with the P.A. so that they don't count as a player, aren't eligible for benefits, insurance, etc.)

[King Theo]

I think getting the team jersey with your name on the back would be the best part of it. The $500 would be a distant 2nd place.

[Puppet Guy]

I remember watching a Flames game back in 1981 or so when the announcers put out an APB for Mike Vernon (playing for the Wranglers at the time) to get to the Corral because the Flames might need an emergency back up.

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by Point Blank

How about that one time both Montoya and Luongo were injured and they were thinking of dressing the goalie coach?

Doesn't seem like every team has an emergency goalie on hand...

IIRC, he did suit up in his gear o the bench, but didn't see any ice action. I remember thinking how awesome it would be to see Sigalet thrown into the same situation.

[CaptainYooh]

I do remember the announcers talking about a situation in which our own goalie coach having to suit up as an EBG if Hiller AND the kid they brought in from Dinos (?) went down.

[Sample00]

Originally Posted by Locke

I totally thought he was going to, but if you think about it, it is SO rare.

I kept thinking back, as I mentioned, to that Flames/Sabres game when there was the (incorrect) rumour that the backup was the UofA goalie and how cool it would have been.

I also vaguely recall another instance in Vancouver where they had the UBC goalie on the bench as the backup and you could see him on TV with a textbook in his lap because he was studying for finals the next day.

The 'Emergency Goalie' situation has always fascinated me.

Didnt Clint Malarchuk have to suit up one time 'just in case?'

I also loved the fact that the best part wasnt the experience or the $500 but the team jersey with your name on it.

IIRC, the main goaltender went down. The kid was called as an emergency backup from UBC. He actually had to go on the bench. It was pre game.
During the warm up, the back up goalie took a shot and went down and I remember them panning the camera to the emergency back up. The kid looked like he was gonna puke! LOL

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by heep223

This is a cool read, but would have been way better if he'd actually seen some ice time.

Yeah for sure, outside of Jonathan Quick I don't think I've seen any NHL goalies write on there for hockey.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Yeah for sure, outside of Jonathan Quick I don't think I've seen any NHL goalies write on there for hockey.

Yeah more goalie content would be sweet

[Samuelsson]

Love stories like this. Remember a few years back when the Wild signed a guy who happened to be old college friends with the goalie coach or something, he was like 50.

Found the link: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=602916

Arturs Irbe and Dwayne Roloson have done as well in the past couple of seasons, can't really remember when. I think a team like Buffalo or Florida dressed a cameraman or an equipment guy or something last season?!