Perhaps you heard about Dave Ayers, the 42-year-old Zamboni driver who came in as the emergency backup goaltender last week for the Carolina Hurricanes and and stopped 8 of 10 shots to get credit for the 6-3 win.
An amazing night for Ayers, but it’s not as if tending goal was something new for the him. Ayres is the Zamboni driver and arena maintenance worker for the Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, but he has also been the regular practice goaltender for the Marlies and has appeared at Maple Leafs practices and skills sessions this season.
He’s not an NHL player, but he practices regularly with the professionals.
The strangest thing about this incident the way the NHL handles situations wherein both goalies are unable to play for a team and an emergency goalie is required.
The league’s official rule book states that the home team is responsible for providing an emergency goalie and “if both listed goalkeepers are incapacitated, that team shall be entitled to dress and play any available goalkeeper who is eligible.”
Ayer actually was listed as the emergency goalie for both teams that night. He could’ve played for either team if needed. He actually helped to defeat the team that employs him.
I think this is bizarre. When the goalie and backup goalie on a National Hockey League team gets injured, the team can essential tap almost anyone on the planet to be the emergency goalie. Ideally, it’s someone who has played goalie before, like Ayers, but by the rules, I could be a team’s emergency goalie, even though I’ve never played organized hockey before and can’t really skate.
I don’t like this at all. Professional sports teams should be be allowed to bring civilians from the stands into a game as needed. And they should not have players ready to play for either team if needed.
When a baseball team runs out of pitchers because of extra innings, a regular position player takes the mound and tries his best to get some out.
When the kicker on a football team is injured, the punter or some other player who can kick the ball attempts the field goals and extra points, or sometimes, the team simply doesn’t kick the ball for the rest of the game, going for touchdowns and two-point conversions instead.
When both soccer goalkeepers are unavailable, another member of the team takes the position instead.
But hockey allows someone who is not on the team to play the position. For either team if needed.
This is stupid.
NHL teams dress 20 players each night but can only play six players at a time. They have plenty of extra players sitting on the bench. Can’t an actual member of the team – a professional hockey player – take the net instead?
I think so.
I’m happy for Dave Ayers. A dream-come-true kind of moment for him, no doubt, but the rule that allowed him onto the ice that night should be changed.
Immediately.
