Former Zamboni driver-turned-arena manager David Ayres became an immediate sensation when he pulled on the goaltending gear and took the ice in an NHL game on a Saturday night in Toronto and beat his hometown Maple Leafs. Before that, accountant by day\/beer league goalie by night Scott Foster won a game for Chicago.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the stuff of legend, possible only in hockey thanks to the existence of emergency backup goaltenders<\/a>, the beloved \u201cEBUGs\u201d who are ready to step in when the two goalies on a team\u2019s roster are suddenly not available for a game. The new collective bargaining agreement<\/a> that goes into effect for the 2026-27 season will change the EBUG program, with each team now required to employ a full-time, traveling replacement to play in the event of multiple injuries or illnesses. <\/p>\n There is already a sense of nostalgia across the tight little community of EBUGs, which date to the early days of the league a century ago.<\/p>\n \u201cI like that the EBUG position got so much attention over the last five, six years,\u201d Ayres said. \u201cThere\u2019s no other position in sports like it. It kind of sucks that it\u2019s going away in a sense. I know there are a lot of guys on the EBUG lists that were hoping to get their shot at playing in a game, but I think it\u2019s smart.\u201d<\/p>\n Foster expressed gratitude and pride for getting the chance and figures the next generation will be just as lucky.<\/p>\n \u201cLike most things, change is inevitable,\u201d Foster said. \u201cThe EBUG role maybe outgrew the current model, as it seems like you see more and more times popping up.\u201d<\/p>\n Initial reactions<\/p>\n Part of the joy around actually seeing an EBUG in a game is because it is so incredibly rare: An EBUG has entered a game just six times in the 13,068 regular-season games over the past 10 seasons (none have been on the ice in the playoffs in the modern era).<\/p>\n As the first word spread that EBUG changes were coming, the group chat involving many of the goalies lit up with buzz and speculation.<\/p>\n \u201cThey weren\u2019t very happy, I know that,\u201d said Tyler Stewart, who dressed for St. Louis in pregame warmups in December 2017 as a then-25-year-old vending machine worker. \u201cSome of the comments were like, \u2018It was a good run, fellas.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Justin Goldman, who was a Colorado Avalanche EBUG for several years in addition to founding the Goalie Guild developmental program, said the sport has gotten faster and more taxing physically. That requires more rest.<\/p>\n \u201cThe demands on goalies that play full time and the demands for goalies in practice, it was becoming really apparent that teams needed support from a third goalie,\u201d Goldman said. <\/p>\n Still, the idea that someone not in the league can get called down from the stands to play in a game on a moment\u2019s notice is one of hockey\u2019s most unique traditions.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe EBUG position is the most universally loved and cool story in all of sports,\u201d said Ben Hause, an EBUG in Colorado for eight seasons who was once on the verge of playing for New Jersey. \u201cI don\u2019t love the fact that what was kind of the last real wholesome story in the sports world is potentially going away.\u201d<\/p>\n End of an era?<\/p>\n It might not go away completely, considering the details in the memorandum of understanding for the new labor deal.<\/a> Any emergency goalie cannot have more than 80 games of professional experience, been in pro hockey over the previous three seasons or played an NHL game on a standard (non-tryout) contract. <\/p>\n Three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury joked after retiring<\/a> that he would love to be Minnesota\u2019s EBUG. That can\u2019t happen even under the new rules but the guidelines do allow the potential for more fairytale moments, even if it\u2019s less of a mystery who is coming in.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be a blast,\u201d said Minnesota EBUG Connor Beaupre, whose father, Don, tended goal for nearly 800 NHL games from 1980-96. \u201cI know a handful of guys that have done warmups or something like that, which is a pretty cool experience and I\u2019ve backed up a few games. It\u2019s so few and far in between, so it\u2019s hard to expect it.\u201d<\/p>\n Word of the change brought some confusion and, to Stewart, initially a bit of delusion from some counterparts who thought they were now shoo-ins for the part. Then the rules were spelled out.<\/p>\n Equipment managers reached out to Tampa-based goalie Kyle Konin, who has dressed for the Lightning, Blues and Flyers, to say it could be awesome for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m like, does this mean I\u2019m out of a job, or does this mean I\u2019m going to get paid a salary to do basically the same thing?\u201d said Konin, who paints goalie masks for a living. \u201cEvery team\u2019s completely different with the current system that we have, so even moving forward, no one even really knows.\u201d<\/p>\n The future<\/p>\n