Hockey's beloved emergency backup goalies face an uncertain future with new NHL rule

National Post

8 hours ago

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.
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Before that, accountant by day/beer league goalie by night Scott Foster won a game for Chicago.
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It's the stuff of legend, possible only in hockey thanks to the existence of emergency backup goaltenders, the beloved 'EBUGs' who are ready to step in when the two goalies on a team's roster are suddenly not available for a game. The new collective bargaining agreement 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.
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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.
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'I like that the EBUG position got so much attention over the last five, six years,' Ayres said. 'There's no other position in sports like it. It kind of sucks that it's 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's smart.'
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Foster expressed gratitude and pride for getting the chance and figures the next generation will be just as lucky.
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'Like most things, change is inevitable,' Foster said. 'The EBUG role maybe outgrew the current model, as it seems like you see more and more times popping up.'
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Initial reactions
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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).
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As the first word spread that EBUG changes were coming, the group chat involving many of the goalies lit up with buzz and speculation.
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'They weren't very happy, I know that,' said Tyler Stewart, who dressed for St. Louis in pregame warmups in December 2017 as a then-25-year-old vending machine worker. 'Some of the comments were like, 'It was a good run, fellas.''
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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.
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'The 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,' Goldman said.
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Still, the idea that someone not in the league can get called down from the stands to play in a game on a moment's notice is one of hockey's most unique traditions.
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'The EBUG position is the most universally loved and cool story in all of sports,' said Ben Hause, an EBUG in Colorado for eight seasons who was once on the verge of playing for New Jersey. 'I don't love the fact that what was kind of the last real wholesome story in the sports world is potentially going away.'