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<\/p>\nMississauga\u2019s Brendan Bonello can name every goaltender to suit up for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last two decades.<\/p>\n
He also eventually realized his own quest to stop NHL shooters would likely never materialize.<\/p>\n
The Mississauga product patrolled the crease in junior and university hockey, along with a brief stint in the third-tier ECHL. His playing days over, Bonello got the opportunity to help the Maple Leafs\u2019 organization whenever an extra netminder was needed at practice or a game-day skate.<\/p>\n
The road, it seemed, ended there.<\/p>\n
But with the NHL\u2019s move to professionalize the seldom-used emergency backup position this season, Bonello and 31 other goaltenders are getting another crack at living out childhood dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour goal is to make it,\u201d said the 27-year-old, who is serving as Toronto\u2019s so-called \u201cEBUG\u201d in 2026-27 and grew up idolizing former Maple Leafs netminder Ed Belfour. \u201cGetting a second chance, you don\u2019t take it for granted.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBeing here now is surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calgary Flames emergency backup Dusty Nickel was in the same role the last five seasons before getting the permanent call.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight place at the right time,\u201d said the 35-year-old ex-Junior A goalie. \u201cPretty exciting for someone my age.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Teams are now required to have EBUGs on rosters. The goaltenders, who travel with their club and wear No. 00, can\u2019t have previously played in the NHL under a standard contract, must have 80 games or less of professional experience, and can\u2019t have suited up in the pros over the three preceding campaigns.<\/p>\n
The switch served two main purposes \u2014 closing a rare, headline-grabbing loophole and managing the health of clubs\u2019 two main netminders.<\/p>\n
It also allows goaltending prospects to see game action at lower levels instead of only practising and collecting dust in the press box. Officially classified as team employees, EBUGs don\u2019t count against the salary cap and aren\u2019t part of the NHL Players\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n
Before this season, home teams were tasked with providing an EBUG in the event either side suffered an in-game goaltending injury or illness. The amateur emergency backup would get the pads on and be ready if needed.<\/p>\n
EBUGs have seen action six times in the NHL since 2016, with the most famous instance coming when the Carolina Hurricanes defeated Toronto in 2020 despite being forced to dress 42-year-old arena operations manager and Maple Leafs practice goaltender David Ayres from the second period onward.<\/p>\n
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly didn\u2019t want to overemphasize the rule pivot, but added it\u2019s a valuable tweak agreed to with the NHLPA, despite no EBUG getting into a game since April 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen in recent years more and more goaltender injuries,\u201d he said. \u201cNot to have a qualified goaltender on the bench as a backup can be concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carolina defenceman Jaccob Slavin was part of the Ayres game in Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve now got people who are paid to be in that position,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd you know you\u2019re not going into an arena and getting their Zamboni driver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat was with the Chicago Blackhawks when they used Scott Foster \u2014 accountant by trade \u2014 as an EBUG in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s cool for those guys who get to go in,\u201d DeBrincat said. \u201cBut it\u2019s two points, so it does mean a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer joked today\u2019s EBUGs might have \u201cthe best job in hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFly on the team charter, stay in all the best hotels,\u201d he said. \u201cOther than the paycheque, it\u2019s probably a pretty good gig.\u201d<\/p>\n
DeBoer added the position should assist with the in-season longevity of the NHL\u2019s 64 starters and backups when it comes to practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re gonna get our money\u2019s worth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen said getting time with his position coach while teammates rip pucks at the EBUG during and after skates will be beneficial.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo work on the details and maybe not getting hammered with 200 shots,\u201d he said. \u201cIn a long season, it\u2019s easy to let those little things \u2014 little habits \u2014 slip away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonello, who previously dressed on the bench as an EBUG in the American Hockey League and runs a goalie school, said that\u2019s where he comes in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree games a week and then three practices,\u201d said the former Ontario Hockey League goaltender. \u201cThe wear and tear can add up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz is a fan of the professional EBUG.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game has changed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty taxing on your body. Having somebody who\u2019s a high-calibre goalie go in there to take the load off you is extremely helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nickel, who also operates a goalie school and co-owns a family construction business, trains in the summer like any other player.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve taken the role pretty seriously, even the minor bit it was before,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the best of the best. You want to be physically ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonello, meanwhile, has become accustomed to pucks whizzing by \u2014 and at \u2014 his head from the likes of Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews and William Nylander.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my job and I take a lot of pride in it,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want them taking anything off their shots. It\u2019s muscle memory. I want them to shoot like they would in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dreams, at least in part, do come true.<\/p>\n
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
-With files from Gemma Karstens-Smith in Vancouver and Donna Spencer in Calgary.<\/p>\n