Honourable Mentions

In my criteria for being an NHL backup goalie one has to:
1. Sign an NHL contract (amateur, tryout or pro)
2. Be dressed and ready to play
3. Be on sitting on the bench, game ready
There are goaltenders that have gotten close but have not satisfied every criterion. This is a list of those goalies, which were close to the NHL but not close enough to be classified as an NHL backup.

Paul Wieland
February 13, 1977 the Buffalo Sabres, without injured goalie Gerry Desjardins, recalled rookie Don Edwards, who had yet to play in the NHL. In a surprise move, GM Punch Imlach ordered Sabres coach Floyd Smith, an hour before game-time, to start Edwards instead of veteran goalie Al Smith. Smith was furious with the decision. He waited until just before the game was about to begin, after the anthem had finished, to skate in front of Sabres' owner Seymour Knox seat. He saluted Knox, wished him a cheeky goodbye and left the ice surface, never to play for the Sabres again. Buffalo was left without a backup. Paul Wieland was the Sabres' Public Relations guy and occasionally practiced with the team. The Sabres attempted to sign and dress Wieland as their emergency second goalie. Unfortunately for Wieland, and the Sabres, it was too late to submit his name to the lineup card and Edwards was forced to play his very first NHL game without a backup.
Source: Sal Maiorana. 100 Things Sabres Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die. Triumph Books, 2012. 



Pavel Nestak
January 5, 1999 a rash of injuries forced the Calgary Flames to call in an unknown Czech goalie by the name of Pavel Nestak from the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL. Calgary had recalled a more experienced goalie in Igor Karpenko from the AHL but they weren't sure if he'd arrive in time for the game. Karpenko was in Saint John, New Brunswick while Nestak was only an hour drive from Pittsburgh, where the Flames were playing the Penguins. Nestak was initially refused entry to the Flames dressing room because nobody knew who he was. Things didn't get much better for the nervous Nestak from there. Assistant coach Rick Preston took him into the dressing to introduce Nestak to the team. "Guys," said Preston, "I'd like you to meet our new goaltender...." Preston stopped, turned to Nestak and asked, "Uh, sorry, but what did you say your name was again?" Nestak wore #34, took the warmup, but retreated to the dressing for the rest of the game after Igor Karpenko arrived in time for the first period.
Source: George Johnson. Calgary Herald, Oct. 26, 2002.



Floyd Whitney
Dec 21, 1999 Floyd Whitney nearly made NHL history as the league's oldest rookie. A local police officer and father of NHL great Ray Whitney, Floyd Whitney was known to the Oilers because of the many years he had spent as practice goalie with the team. In 1987 and 1988 he was even awarded a Stanley Cup ring by the Oilers to show appreciating for Whitney's work as their practice goalie. At 46, he was about the get the best call of them all from the NHL team. In a game against the Washington Capitals the Oilers lost Bill Ranford to a foot injury during the first period. With only Tommy Salo left to tend goal, and Ranford unable to enter back into the game, the Oilers wanted extra insurance. They called up Whitney, who was in the middle of a little paperwork down the road at his police station. They prepared a contract for Whitney, who didn't sign but would have if Salo was injured. Whitney put on his goalie gear and watched the last two periods from the dressing room, sporting a new Edmonton Oilers #45 jersey with his name on the back. With just over a minute left in the game Whitney, watching nervously from the dressing room, saw what almost made him the most famous person in Edmonton. Salo went down in a heap, pulling his groin. In discomfort, Salo still managed to play the last bit of the game, not knowing if Whitney was even allowed to relieve him. "He said that if he had known I could have gone in, he would have definitely come out," said Whitney. "
Source: Michael Russo. Sun Sentinel. January 2, 2000.



Mike R. Brown
The Bruins AHL farm team in Providence needed a goalie for an afternoon game when starter Hannu Toivonen was injured in practice. There wasn't enough time to fly in the usual call-up, Mike Brown, from the ECHL. The Bruins thus sent their NHL backup, Brian Finley, to Providence for a game. In order to comply with CBA rules, the Bruins, even though unscheduled to play, recalled Brown to their NHL club for a day as a warm body. He was an official member of the Boston Bruins roster from November 12 to 13th, 2006. What makes Brown's stay with the Bruins notable is that he got an NHL rookie card for his short time with the Bruins. Under the rules negotiated by the NHLPA and the hockey card distributors, a player has to play in an NHL game to get a rookie card while a goalie just has to dress as a backup. Upper Deck evidently had their statistics wrong and issued an NHL hockey card for Brown when legally, he was not able to have one.





Troy Passingham
March 22, 2011 Troy Passingham was relaxing at his girlfriend's home in Windsor, Ontario when he received a phone call from the Detroit Red Wings. The Detroit Red Wings were a goalie short with Chris Osgood injured. There was concern that Joey MacDonald, who was recalled, wouldn't make the next day's game against the Vancouver Canucks. As a precaution, the Red Wings phoned Troy Passingham, who practiced with the Red Wings on game day but ultimately wasn't needed as MacDonald made it in time. "Obviously there was a lot of excitement and it was a really long day. You get butterflies, that that's hockey. You've just got to be ready. Maybe, I'll be sitting on the bench. Maybe I'll read a book," said Passingham. The Red Wings were ready to sign Passingham to a 24-hour amateur contract if MacDonald hadn't of made it in time for the game.
Source: Ben Kuzma "Red Wings' crease conundrum finally solved with Osgood placed on LTIR." The Province. March 23, 2011.




Paul Deutsch
November 23, 2011 the Minnesota Wild were facing off against the Nashville Predators. Early that day Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom left the team to be with his wife as she gave birth to the couple's first child. The Wild were left with a single goalie, Josh Harding, for that night's game. Minnesota recalled AHL goalie Matt Hackett from their affiliate in Houston but with Thanksgiving travel, the Wild weren't sure if Hackett would make it to the arena in time for the game. Enter old local goaltender Paul Deutsch, who was friends with Wild goalie coach Bob Mason. "Here they were valet parking my minivan," said Deutsch. "There is a Range Rover in front of me and an Audi behind me and here I've got my four-cylinder minivan with the company logo on the side. The valet guys were dying laughing." Wild GM Chuck Fletcher had Deutsch sign an amateur contract and Deutsch was given a Wild jersey #33 with his name on the back. As game time drew near there was still no sign of Hackett so Deutsch dressed and took part in the pre-game warmup. Unfortunately for Deutsch, Hackett made it just in time for the first period and Deutsch watched the game from the press box. He was still given $500, got to keep his jersey and the Wild framed his contract.
Source: Johnette Howard. "Paul Deutsch: rags to riches to rags," ESPN. Dec. 1, 2011.




Scott McKay
March 29, 2012 Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson suffered a knee injury during a pre-game warmup. Jussi Rynnas was thrown into his first NHL start against the Philadelphia Flyers as Gustavsson was unable to play. With their AHL affiliate out of town, the Leafs turned to Scott McKay, a local 40-year old who used to practice with the Leafs when he was their equipment manager.  "You dream about something like that happening," said McKay, "but you never think its going to." McKay rushed to the rink, signed an amateur try out contract with Toronto, and put on all of his equipment, including a #73 Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with his name on it. Jonas Gustavsson sat on the bench and acted as the Leafs backup. In reality, Gustavsson couldn't play and if something happened to Rynnas, McKay was the insurance policy. The Leafs ended up losing the game 7-1 with Rynnas playing the entire game. "The whole thing was very surreal and pretty darned cool," said McKay.
Source: Cynthia Reason. "Hockey fantasy comes true for Toronto man," Etobicoke Guardian, April 3, 2012.



Brett Willows
October 17, 2013 The Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the Carolina Hurricanes. Early into game James Reimer was injured and had to leave. Backup goalie Jonathan Bernier took over his spot in net but the Leafs were sent looking for a new substitute goalie should anything happened to Bernier. The Leafs called the University of Toronto and were directed to their third string netminder, Brett Willows. Ironically, Willows is a Canadiens fan and was sporting a Habs ball cap when the Leafs called. He still happily answered Toronto's request. "At that point I blacked out," said Willows. When it was determined that James Reimer couldn't return to the bench as the backup Willows was directed to put on his gear, including a brand new Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, #82 with his name no the back. Willows signed and emergency tryout contract but it wasn't filed with the league so he couldn't sit on the bench as the official backup. Had Bernier been injured, however, they would have formalized the deal and Willows would have played. "I wasn't expecting any of this to happen," said Willows. "When Twitter was blowing up and all the texts were coming in, my phone only had a 15 per-cent charge on it, so it died really quick. I couldn't phone my parents. Hopefully they don't hold it against me."
Sources: Luke Fox. "Leafs' emergency backup Willows a Habs fan." Sportsnet. Oct. 18, 2013.
Kevin McGran. "Maple Leafs let U of T goalie Brett Willows' dream come true." Toronto Star. Oct. 18, 2013.



Ian Clark
December 23, 2013 Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Curtis McElhinney was injured during the pre-game warmups. Backup Mike McKenna played that days contest against the Carolina Hurricanes but McElhinney wouldn't have been able to take over if McKenna were to get injured. Clark, the Blue Jackets goalie coach, was signed to a player tryout agreement as insurance. Columbus ended up winning the game 4-3 with McKenna playing the whole game and McElhinney not having to move from his post as the injured backup. Although Clark ultimately wasn't needed, the Blue Jackets thanked him by having the contract framed for him.
Source: Aaron Portzline. "Blue Jackets Notebook: Plan in place in case of goalie injuries in same game." March 5, 2015.




Dan Dunn
December 10, 2015 the Calgary Flames were playing the Buffalo Sabres in Calgary. Calgary started goalie Jonas Hiller but he was feeling sick. Hiller would have normally taken the night off but Calgary's other goalie, Karri Ramo was feeling even worse. Ramo was listed as the Calgary's backup  but he spent the night in the video room sipping soup. Dunn, who had pro experience as a goalie and was even drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2007, was summoned to be prepared if Hiller went down. The Flames even had a No. 40 jersey prepared for Dunn “I never got to put it on,” said Dunn. “But it’s pretty cool to see that. Some weird emotions come up. It’s in their best interests, obviously, to do everything they can to play those guys. They’re getting paid millions of dollars.” The Flames ended up pulling off a 4-3 victory.
Source: https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/flames-emergency-goalies-know-their-place/



Santino Vasquez
December 17, 2015 the New York Rangers lost goalie Antti Raanta to injury early into a game against the Minnesota Wild. Henrik Lundqvist, who was suppose to have the night off, played the rest of the game but the Rangers wanted some insurance incase Lundqvist got injured. Santino Vasquez was the local emergency goalie in Minnesota so the Rangers gave him a call. "There were two minutes into the second period when I got there," said Vasquez. "Hank was in net. A guy poked his head into the room and said, 'Could you get your stuff on, just in case?' So I got my bottoms on and went through my normal pregame stretches. I didn’t know what was going to happen next — if I was going to the Rangers bench or not, if I was going to get on the ice or not." Vasquez took home a Rangers jersey with his name on the back and the usual $500 paid to emergency goalies.
Source: Santino Vasquez. "Help, Is There a Goalie in the House." The Players Tribune. Dec. 21, 2015.





Garret Bodington
October 20, 2017 the Vegas Golden Knights were in New York playing the Islanders when starting goalie Oscar Dansk was forced to leave with an injury. Maxime Lagace was sent into the crease and New York's house emergency backup, Garret Bodington, was summoned by the Golden Knights. Bodington got dressed, complete with a Golden Knights jersey, but wasn't needed.  “It’s happened a couple of times,” said Bodington. “I stay in the locker room, the coaches’ locker room, and you’re nervous. Earlier this year, I was nervous. But I think you’ve probably played over this game in your head a thousand times, so if you ever get that chance to go in, you get good defense out in front of you and you keep the shots kind of outside.”
Source: https://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/golf-club-superintendent-is-also-the-islanders-emergency-backup-goaltender-1.17787608?_ga=2.56969066.1328840141.1585542228-751736990.1585542228




Martin Moody
November 26, 2017 the San Jose Sharks were hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Mid-way through the game, the Jets lost goalie Steve Mason to an injury. Connor Hellebuyck finished the game for Winnipeg but Martin Moody was summoned to get dressed for the remainder of the second and the third period of the NHL game. Moody was San Jose's house emergency backup. He was given a no. 30 Jets jersey with his name on it and was allowed to watch some of the game from the tunnel. “There isn’t really nerves when you’re not yet on the ice, but I’m sure they would come if I were ever formally called upon,” Moody said.
Source: https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/sharks/how-sharks-emergency-goalie-martin-moody-prepares-play-if-needed






Tyler Stewart
December 7, 2017 Carter Hutton suffered a game day injury that forced to the team to recall Ville Husso from the AHL and sign Tyler Stewart as an emergency goalie. Wearing No. 98, Stewart took part in the pre-game warm ups and was the backup goaltender until Husso arrived midway through the first period. Husso was listed as the game's official backup. During the first period, Stewart was hidden in the dressing room until Husso's arrival. The NHL didn't want him sitting on the bench with Husso on the way. "The night just flew by, it was just crazy," said Stewart of the experience. He didn't get to keep the jersey, put did go home with a couple game pucks.





Connor Beaupre
December 12, 2017 Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk suffered a lower body injury in the opening period of a game against the Calgary Flames. Alex Stalock took his place in net and Connor Beaupre was called to put on pads and replace Stalock as the Wild's backup goalie. Beaupre, the son of former NHL goalie Don Beaupre, was on hand as one of the team's official emergency goalies. He had played high school hockey at Edina High School and then club hockey at the University of Denver. Beaupre put on half of his gear and spent the second and third periods in the tunnel next to the dressing room. Beaupre gets an 'honourable mention' because he did not sign an amateur tryout and stayed in the tunnel, out of view. The Wild had a No. 30 sweater with his name on it ready to go, but Beaupre never got the chance to put in on.





Chris Venti
January 23, 2018 the Boston Bruins hosted the New Jersey Devils. During the game, New Jersey lost goalie Corey Schneider to injury. He was replaced by Ken Appleby, who finished the game. For insurance, the Devils summoned Bruins house emergency backup Chris Venti to dress. Venti was given a Devils jersey and spent the remainder of the game in a back room in full gear. “I did know it could potentially happen,” Venti said, “but I never thought in a million years it would.”
Source: https://www.bcinterruption.com/2018/1/24/16930068/chris-venti-boston-college-eagles-hockey-emergency-goalie-boston-bruins-new-jersey-devils-schneider





Andrew Margolin
February 9, 2018 the New York Rangers lost goalie Ondrej Pavelec in a game against the Calgary Flames. Henrik Lundqvist took over in the crease and Andrew Margolin was summoned to dress in case of another injury. Margolin got dressed and the Rangers equipment team, familiar with Margolin as New York's house backup, decided to have a little fun and gave him a "McBackup" no. 69 New York Rangers jersey. He didn't end up leaving the back room for the duration of the game. Margolin had last played with Connecticut College in 2012.




Alex Bjerk
March 20, 2018 the Vegas Golden Knights lost goalie March Andre Fleury to an injury during a game against the Vancouver Canucks. Malcolm Subban took Fleury's place in net and Bjerk, the Vegas house backup, was summoned to dress and presented with a Golden Knights jersey. “The equipment guys came running in, yelling ‘Alex, Alex, get your stuff on now! You’re going out!’,” said Bjerk, “It was all surreal. I was pacing back and forth in the locker room. You could probably see my heart beating through my chest.”
March 21, 2019 the Winnipeg Jets were in Vegas facing the Golden Knights. During the second period, Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit left the game with a lower-body injury. Connor Hellebuyck replaced Brossoit for the remainder of the game and Bjerk was summoned by the Jets to dress as their new backup. He was given a no. 32 jersey but remained in the dressing room as Hellebuyck finished the game.
Source: https://www.postbulletin.com/sports/high_school/hockey/from-the-nhl-to-kasson-former-ice-hawk-bjerk-happy/article_25cf04fc-2481-11ea-a1a1-a7553e593df7.html






Nick Barnett
March 28, 2018 the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth left the game during the second period with an injury. Petr Mrazek replaced Neuvirth and finished the game, but Colorado's emergency backup, Nick Barnett, was asked to dress in case anything should happen to Mrazek. Barnett spent the remainder of the game with his pads on but was not needed. Barnett is a Denver native who had played high level junior hockey.






Colin Cooper
December 12, 2018 the Philadelphia Flyers were in Calgary to play the Flames. Mike Smith played the first two periods for the Flames but feeling unwell, he left for the final period. David Rittich took over for Smith and the Flames, realizing Smith was done for night, called in Cooper to act as the new backup for the third period.
March 27, 2019 the Dallas Stars visited the Calgary Flames in the Saddledome. In the second period, Dallas lost starting goalie Ben Bishop to a lower-body injury. Anton Khudobin finished the game and Cooper was asked to dress for the Stars as their emergency backup.
February 2, 2020 the Edmonton Oilers were in town to face the Calgary Flames. In a rare occurrence, the game featured a goalie fight. Calgary's Cam Talbot squared off with Edmonton's Mike Smith. Both goalies were kicked out for fighting and replaced by backups David Rittich and Mikko Koskinen. Calgary's resident emergency goalie, Colin Cooper, was rushed down from the stands to dress as the new backup - for both teams. He spent the remainder of the game waiting nervously in the Fames video room. “It’s a wild feeling because it starts hitting you — ‘I could be in this game if something goes wrong,'" Cooper said.
Source: https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/next-in-net-emergency-goalie-was-on-standby-for-both-sides-in-battle-of-alberta

February 12, 2022 the New York Islanders were in town to play the Calgary Flames. Semyon Varlamov was supposed to start for the Islanders and led the team onto the ice for warm-up. But right after, he was placed into the NHL's COVID protocol, pressing Ilya Sorokin into duty. Sorokin played the entire game and Varlamov was still officially listed as the backup. However, Cooper was asked to dress in Islanders gear and serve as the de facto backup if anything were to happen to Sorokin. Cooper spent the game in a back room, never officially joining the Islanders. 

Trevor Hanger
January 12, 2019 the Washington Capitals were playing host to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mid-way through the game, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby suffered an injury and left the ice. He was replaced in net by Pheonix Copley and Hanger was called down from the stands to dress as Washington's new backup. He put on half of his gear and watched the rest of the game from the dressing room. "I was shocked at how nervous I was, to be honest," said Hanger. "I think I'm a pretty level headed guy. I've worked in some pressure situations and it's nothing that fazes me necessarily. But getting the rush to go get out of your seat and go to the garage and get your equipment, meeting up with security and personnel who take you to the locker room — all that is happening very quickly in real time. But when you're doing it, it feels like it can't possibly be happening fast enough."

Source: https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/meet-trevor-hanger-the-42-year-old-emergency-backup-goalie-for-the-capitals/65-c6206bd5-c78d-4e66-b16c-
5a374416239f

April 12, 2022 the Washington Capitals were hosting the Philadelphia Flyers when Trevor Hanger was once again summoned to dress, this time for the visiting team. Carter Hart had started the game for the Flyers but left after the first period with an injury. Martin Jones played the last two periods and for some added insurance, the Flyers asked Hanger to dress should anything happen to Jones. Hanger finished the team dressed in Flyers gear in a back room. 

Steve Jakiel

February 17, 2019 the Los Angeles Kings were facing the Boston Bruins with Jack Campbell tending net for the Kings. Jonathan Quick is listed on the game summary as LA's backup goalie, but he left the building with an illness and was not present during the actual game. Steve Jakiel, the house backup, was asked to put on his gear and get ready should anything happen to Campbell. Jakiel watched the game from the video room with half his gear on, pacing the room nervously. Although Jakiel was close to being an official backup, he was never signed by the Kings and remained hidden in the back room for the duration of the contest.

Kenny Cameron

March 9, 2019 the Edmonton Oilers were facing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Kenny Cameron was on hand as one of the team's backup goalies, a duty he frequently did. Mikko Koskinen was listed on the game program as Edmonton's backup and Anthony Stolarz played the whole game but had Stolarz gotten injured, Cameron may have been summoned. Koskinen was not feeling well. "He's in the building, but Stolarz is going to be the starting goalie," said Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock. "The emergency backup's in the building, too. So if we run into a problem we've got two guys who in the lounge now."

Source: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20190310/282394105763145 

Todd Scarola

April 28, 2019 the Carolina Hurricanes lost goalie Petr Mrazek during the second period of a second round playoffs series game against the New York Islanders. Curtis McElhinney took Mrazek's place and Todd Scarola was asked to dress as the new backup. He put on his gear and waited in the dressing room, but was not needed. The 27 year old Scarola had last played hockey for Stony Brook University.

Byron Spriggs 

November 12, 2019 the Colorado Avalanche were in Winnipeg to play the Jets. Pavel Francouz started the game for Colorado but was injured less than a minute in. Rookie goalie Adam Werner took over for the Avalanche and the team called in Byron Spriggs, Winnipeg's emergency backup, to suite up for the Avs. Unlike most goalies who found themselves asked to dress in such circumstances, Spriggs didn't have to spend the night in a back room. Instead, he was given a front row seat, wearing a No. 60 Avalanche jersey. The only reason he doesn't make the official backup list, is because he wasn't signed to a PTO by the Avalanche. However, they would have had one prepared and waiting “It’s a very intimidating experience,” Spriggs said. “Let alone getting in the actual game… just being there and being part of it was really cool, and all the guys made me feel like part of the team for the hour-and-a-half I was there. Half of you wants to get back in the car and drive away and not come back. The other half of you says it could be one of the most amazing experiences of your life.” 

Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/6588829/winnipeg-emergency-backup-goalie

Josh Block

November 27, 2019 the Detroit Red Wings were facing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jonathan
Bernier was schedule to start for the Red Wings. Feeling unwell, Bernier took the night off and Jimmy Howard started instead. Unfortunately for Bernier, Howard was injured during the game. The game had to be briefly stopped in order to allow Berner, who had not anticipated on playing, to get ready. Meanwhile, Detroit house emergency backup goalie Josh Block was told to get on his gear. “There’s a reason why they’re called emergency," said Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill. "Josh is a great guy, works hard, but it’s not right. That’s not the spirit of the game. I wasn’t going to take Bernie out unless he told me he couldn’t — I mean, Bernie is the one that knows how he feels better than me." 

Source: https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2019/11/27/detroit-red-wings-injury-news/4324617002/

Bailey Seagraves

December 5, 2019 the New York Rangers were in Columbus playing the Blue Jackets. Henrik Lundqvist had the flu and although he's listed on the official game summary as New York's backup, he was not prepared to play. Alexandar Georgiev played the whole game for the Rangers and Bailey Seagraves, the house backup for Columbus, was asked to put on his gear and get ready should anything happen to Georgiev. Seagraves did not sign with the Rangers or sit on the team's bench.

January 14, 2020 the Blue Jackets were hosting the Boston Bruins when the Bruins lost goalie Tuuka Rask to an injury early in the first period. Jaroslav Halak replaced Rask and finished the game in net. Seagraves was summoned by the Bruins to put on his gear, but stayed hidden for the duration of the game. 

February 24, 2020 the Columbus Blue Jackets were playing the Ottawa Senators when Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins left the game in the second period with an injury. Joonas Korpisalo took his place in net and Bailey Seagraves was summoned from the press box to get his gear on. A no. 1 Blue Jackets jersey with his name on was prepared but Seagraves spent the rest of the game in the locker room. "I think that doing it for the Jackets is a little bit more special to me," Seagraves said. "I got to do it for the Bruins and the Rangers earlier this year. That was fun, those were my first two times, but to be with the team that I'm here practicing with regularly and I have relationships with the guys and things like that, it was a little more special. They were loving it." 

Source: https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/bailey-seagraves-blue-jackets-emergency-backup-goalie/c-315613712

Jett Alexander

December 1, 2021 the Colorado Avalanche lost the services of Darcy Kemper, who needed to rest from a minor injury. The Avalanche recalled Justus Annunen from the AHL and Jonas Johansson took over the starting job. In Toronto for a game against the Maple Leafs, it soon became clear that Annunen might not make it to town in time for the game. Colorado looked to University of Toronto netminder Jett Alexander. Alexander joined the Avalanche, was given a #1 jersey with his name on it and took part in the pre-game warmups. Just as it looked liked Alexander was going to start the game as Colorado's backup, the team got word that Annunen was about to arrive. The team thus never signed Alexander and he did not appear on the bench at any point during the first period for Colorado. By the second period, Alexander was in the stands and Annunen was on the Colorado bench. 

Jason San Antonio

March 29, 2022 the Toronto Maple Leafs were in Boston to play the Bruins. During the first period, Toronto goalie Petr Mrazek suffered an injury and was forced to leave the game. Erik Kallgren relieved Mrazek and finished the game, a 6-4 Toronto win. Because it was still early in the game, the Maple Leafs asked 31-year-old local emergency backup and Molson Coors regional sales manager Jason San Antonio to dress for them. San Antonio had played three seasons for Bryant University (2011-14) and had a previous EBUG experience with the 2018-19 ECHL's Worcester Railers. He got prepared but was not needed and never joined the team. 

Reid Robertson

May 3, 2022 the New York Rangers were hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was a thrilling game that went into a third overtime period. During the second overtime period, Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith was injured. Backup Louis Domingue took his place and finished the game. With it being such an important match and in sudden death overtime, the Penguins scrambled to find an emergency backup in case anything happened to Domingue. They found New York's on hand EBUG, Reid Robertson, who was summoned to the Penguins equipment room. He dressed and was even given a Penguins jersey to wear.  "I almost blacked out," Robertson. "I honestly didn't even know what to think. I wasn't as nervous going down there, but once I started getting my gear on and watching the game, I was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life." Roberton's whirlwind NHL career didn't end there, the Penguins asked him to be their practice goalie the following day.

Source: https://govaliants.com/news/2022/5/18/mens-hockey-from-playland-ice-casino-to-madison-square-garden-reid-robertsons-whirlwind-emergency-backup-goalie-journey.aspx