NHL GMs to change emergency backup goalie rules

David Ayres is making the absolute most of his 15 minutes of fame. The AHL Zamboni driver turned NHL goalie has been on an absolute media whirlwind in the 72 hours since he earned a victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ayres, of course, was called upon to act as the emergency goalie after Hurricanes net minders James Reimer and Petr Mrazek both went down with injury. Ayres looked shaky to begin, as you can imagine, but shut the door in the 3rd period and became the first NHL emergency backup to earn himself a win. It was a historic feat and one that has generated a TON of incredible moments.

Here’s just a sampling on Ayres’ Sunday and Monday media requests:

A sampling from the first two days of the Dave Ayres Media Tour. pic.twitter.com/sLrlUrOrzY
— Hurricanes PR (@CanesPR) February 24, 2020

Incredible. What a world we live in. What a crazy, crazy world.

Monday night though, Ayres was pressed back into emergency action again after Late Show host Stephen Colbert “injured” his hamstring during his opening monologue. Ayres, ever the professional, hopped in and didn’t miss a beat.

Check it out:

This is real life. pic.twitter.com/tgxlMgx9pW
— Sid Seixeiro (@Sid_Seixeiro) February 25, 2020

Priceless. Eat it up, David. Enjoy every moment of this. If only because this might be the last time that us as hockey fans get to witness such a historic event. According to Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, the league’s emergency backup goalie (EBUG) policy will likely be under review when NHL GM’s gather for their upcoming meetings.

Check it out:

Sweeney said GMs will likely discuss EBUG system at upcoming meetings. Enjoyed TOR/CAR as “great theater.”
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) February 24, 2020

That’s a damn shame… probably Kyle Dubas spearheading this campaign…

In all seriousness, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman confirms that the league’s EBUG situation will indeed be on the docket next week at GM meetings in Florida.

Check it out:

The EBUG situation will be discussed at next week’s GM meetings in Florida. A couple of years ago, there was a movement to making every team hire an additional assistant/video coach with recent college/junior/professional goaltending experience. That person would be required to travel, so if this occurred, each team would have its own relatively young third goalie. (In the playoffs, teams travel with three.) The associated cost scuttled the idea.

RIP the emergency backup goalie policy. :(