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PHOTOS BY Alex Bjerk; Justin Goldman Some teams field as many as five EBUG goalies and league wide there are more than 100. A few teams hold tryouts and others rely on contacts within the hockey community to secure them. To date, two emergency backup goalies have played in an NHL game. They both performed surprising well, given that one was an accoun- tant and the other worked as Zamboni driver. Scott Foster, an accountant who played college hockey at Western Michigan University, came into a game on March 29, 2018, and saved all seven shots he faced in the last 14 minutes to help the Chicago Blackhawks earn a 6-2 victory over Winnipeg. This past February, David Ayres survived a shaky start, surrendering goals on first two shots he faced, but then settled down to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat host Toronto, 6-3, during a game broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada. The win made Ayres, who ironically was a regular practice goalie for the Maple Leafs, an overnight celebrity. He appeared on several TV talk shows, including the "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." "He came in during the second period," said Carolina goalie coach Jason Muzzatti. "It wasn't like he just had to try to get by for a few minutes like Foster did. It was a great story." Colorado emergency goalie Justin Goldman said both Ayres and Foster gave the EBUG program some new visibility and respect. "They both really handled it with a lot of professionalism," he explained. "That is really good thing for this EBUG [program] because it shows we do take it seriously. We are not just random guys pulled off the street." Colorado rotates five goalies, paying them $100 for each game they are on call. "A couple of the other Avalanche EBUGs have had to dress for a game," said Goldman, has never come close to going into a game. "The goalie gets hurt on either team and they dress and sit in the locker room. I think it has only happened four or five times over the past three years." Goldman would love to dress for a game as would his four other Avalanche EBUG friends, but if he had his choice, he would prefer suiting up for a practice first. He would like to see if he could compete with Colorado's players. "I think the odds of me practicing are probably higher than me having to dress for the game," Goldman said. "For some of us, like myself, it would be awesome. I would love to be out there with the guys in a non-pressure situation like a practice and just field pucks and shots and see how you stack up in a practice." Goldman, who played club hockey at Colorado State University, thinks he could fare better in a practice than his fellow EBUG goalies. The 38-year-old runs a non-profit founda- tion that supports and educates goalies and goalie coaches and knows the posi- tion inside and out. "A lot of people know I have devoted my entire professional career to goalie development and goalie analysis," he said. "So, I think there is a lot of respect for a guy like myself. I didn't play pro- fessional or Division I hockey, but I have committed my entire career—15- plus years—to studying the position." The Colorado emergency goalies stay in the locker room if they have to dress for a game. Other teams sometimes do things differently. "Some guys will just sit in the locker room," Goldman said. "Some teams are a bit more OK with guys going on the bench and being around the players. There's really no consistency around the league because every team handles it their own way." Nashville goalie Dillon Caffrey, an auto broker who played with a Tier III junior hockey team in Montana, has never dressed for a game, but he practices with the team during the summer with fellow EBUG goalie Dustin Smith. "It is amazing," the 26-year-old Caffrey said. "It's like a training camp. During the season, it's pretty rare to practice with them. During the summer, we are on the ice with them four to five days a week two hours at a time. "But I am anxious to get in a game," he added. "I would love to take that next step." The 31-year-old Smith has come a little clos- er to the ice than Caffrey. He got the call during an intermission to suit up against the Bruins in January of 2018. His experience had a twist. "I ran downstairs and it was like a mad s c r a m b l e ," s a i d S m i t h , a f o r m e r M i d d l e Tennessee State club goalie who works for Southwest Airlines as a ramp agent. "I really didn't know what was going on. I ended up putting on [Bruins goalie] Tuukka Rask's gear and sitting in the locker room for the rest of the game." The EBUG program received plenty of attention when NHL gen- eral managers discussed it in March at a schedule meeting shortly after the Ayres story made headlines around the league. They decided to leave the status quo intact. "I did pay attention to that fact that they didn't make any changes," Muzzatti said. "If the Leafs had scored another goal, we are thinking about putting [James] Reimer in on one leg. "It's a real tough for these guys when they go into an NHL game. The speed, intensity and pressure are at a whole another level. Hopefully, the next time it happens, its late in the game or there are only a few minutes left." P To m Wo rg o i s a f r e e l a n c e w r i t e r b a s e d i n Annapolis, Md. That is really good thing for this EBUG [program] because it shows we do take it seriously. We are not just random guys pulled off the street. — J UST I N G O L D M A N JUNE/JULY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 35 Justin Goldman is one of several emergency backup goalies on call with the Colorado Avalanche. The founder of the non- profit Goalie Guild dreams of jumping on the ice for an Avalanche practice.