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

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.

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.

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.

''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."

Foster expressed gratitude and pride for getting the chance and figures the next generation will be just as lucky.

''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."

Initial reactions

As the first word spread that EBUG changes were coming, the group chat involving many of the goalies lit up with buzz and speculation.

''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.'''

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.

''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.

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.

End of an era?

It might not go away completely, considering the details in the memorandum of understanding for the new labor deal. 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.

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Marc-Andre Fleury joked after retiring that he would love to be Minnesota's EBUG. That can't happen even under the new rules but the guidelines do allow the potential for more fairytale moments, even if it's less of a mystery who is coming in.

"It would be a blast,'' said Minnesota EBUG Connor Beaupre, whose father, Don, tended goal for nearly 800 NHL games from 1980-96. ''I know a handful of guys that have done warmups or something like that, which is a pretty cool experience and I've backed up a few games. It's so few and far in between, so it's hard to expect it.''

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.

''I'm like, does this mean I'm out of a job, or does this mean I'm going to get paid a salary to do basically the same thing?'' said Konin, who paints goalie masks for a living. ''Every team's completely different with the current system that we have, so even moving forward, no one even really knows."

The future

Organizations have more than a year to figure out how to approach the new rule, which replaces the one that had been in place since 2017. Since then, only a handful of EBUGs — Ayres, Foster, Tom Hodges, Jett Alexander and Matt Berlin — actually got into a game.

Combined, their 65-plus minutes of action accounted for less than 0.0001% of time played by goaltenders over the past eight regular seasons.

''It's such a microscopic amount of time that it happens,'' Hause said. ''I'm surprised that there was enough owner momentum to be able to add relatively a lot of costs to their annual budget for relatively no real gain as more of an insurance policy.''

The CBA does allow for the EBUG to work for a team in another capacity, so someone like Carolina equipment manager Jorge Alves could reprise his role after playing 8 seconds for the Hurricanes at the end of a game on Dec. 31, 2016. Same perhaps for Washington assistant and video coach Brett Leonhardt.

Maybe it will be a dual-use role on the coaching staff or in hockey operations.

''I look at this role as a potential for organizations to groom not just a practice goalie but you can groom a video coach, you can groom a future goalie coach,'' Goldman said. ''It's an opportunity for someone to come in, learn the system, understand the strategies and the style of play of that organization and learn about what happens in the coaches' room.''

Goldman said he thinks third goalies are just the beginning and envisions a future with practice squads closer to what the NFL employs as the NHL becomes faster and more science is put into rest and recovery. That might be part of the next round of labor talks a few years from now after this one included closing a chapter on EBUGs that has some bittersweetness to it.

''I was one of the few guys who got to kind of live out their dream for a little bit,'' Konin said. ''It's sad, but it's also kind of a cool way to just say that you were part of one of the rarest things in all of pro sports.''