The NHL Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG) Rule provides tons of excitement and entertainment, and for those lucky few players a shot at playing in an National Hockey League game.
The National Hockey League Rules state:
Rule 5 – Team
5.1 Eligible Players – A team shall be composed of twenty (20) players (eighteen (18) skaters and two (2) goalkeepers) who shall be under contract to the Club they represent. For the purposes of these playing rules, any reference to “player” shall refer to both skaters and goalkeepers…
5.3 Goalkeeper – Each team shall be allowed one goalkeeper on the ice at one time. The goalkeeper may be removed and another skater substituted. Such substitute shall not be permitted the privileges of the goalkeeper. Each team shall have on its bench, or on a chair immediately beside the bench (or nearby), a substitute goalkeeper who shall, at all times, be fully equipped and ready to play. Except when both goalkeepers are incapacitated, no skater on the playing roster in the game shall be permitted to wear the equipment of the goalkeeper. In regular League and Playoff games, if both listed goalkeepers are incapacitated, that team shall be entitled to dress and play any goalkeeper who is eligible…
This third goalie (goalkeeper) is the NHL Emergency Backup Goalie, known as the “EBUG”.
NHL teams are required to have an EBUG in the arena at all their home games. The EBUG must be ready to dress for either team. Typically the EBUG dresses when a team’s starting goalie leaves the game (due to injury for example) and sits on the bench as the substitute (backup) goalie per rule 5.3 above. In the event the team’s actual substitute goalie leaves the game, meaning both official team goalies have left the game, the EBUG will play.
The EBUG cannot be a current professional hockey goalie, and cannot be a paid employee of the team. EBUGs do have playing experience. They practice with the teams when they can to stay sharp during the season. If activated the EBUG will sign either an amateur contract or a professional tryout contract. The professional contract pays the EBUG up to $500 per game and amateur contracts do not allow any monetary compensation to the EBUG. In both cases, the EBUG keeps his game-worn jersey.
Official EBUG rules have been in effect since the 2016-17 season. Before this, there was not a specifically designated EBUG; teams typically utilized someone from their coaching staff or a position player that could play goalie. This was casually referred to as “goalie in a pinch”.
For the non-hockey fan what this means is that there is a guy in the arena at all NHL games that needs to be ready to play for one of the teams at a moment’s notice. He’s not a current professional hockey player, yet he gets to jump on the ice and play in an NHL game if he gets the call; specifically he gets to defend his net against the best hockey players on the planet! Playing in the NHL is something all players dream about at some point and these select few actually get to do it! Some get to skate for just a few seconds, some for much longer. EBUGS are not professional athletes: they may have been high level players previously, or they may be current Friday night beer league players. They might be a white collar professional, a blue collar employee, or just about anything!
To put this in context, imagine an Emergency Backup Offensive Lineman (EBUL?) in professional football or an Emergency Backup Point Guard (EBUPG?) in professional basketball (not perfect analogies, but you understand the point). Hard to fathom isn’t it!
Ice hockey, one of the greatest games on the planet! There’s nothing like it. The NHL Emergency Backup Goalie, there’s nothing like it!
To date there have been just six times the EBUG has actually played in a game:
Dec. 31, 2016. Carolina. Jorge Alves played for the hometown Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning. No saves on no shots faced. Alves, the Carolina equipment manager (yes, a team employee) played the final 7.6 seconds after the starting goalie was unable to play and the backup became ill during the game.
Mar. 29, 2018. Chicago. Scott Foster played for the hometown Chicago Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg Jets. The Blackhawks won 7-2. Seven saves on seven shots faced. Both Chicago goalies were injured and Foster got on the ice. 36 years old at the time, the accountant and former Western Michigan University goalie played 14:00 minutes.
Feb. 22, 2020. Toronto. David Ayers played for the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes won 6-3. Eight saves on ten shots faced. 28:14 of playing time! Both Hurricanes goalies were injured during the game and the 42-year-old Zamboni driver for the team (not an employee of the team per rules) gave up goals on the first two shots he faced, but stopped the next eight shots. Ayers earned the win for the Hurricanes and the memory of a lifetime.
April 29, 2022. Dallas. Thomas Hodges played for the visiting Anaheim Ducks. Dallas won 4-2. Two saves on three shots faced. 0:54 playing time. Both Anaheim starting goalies were injured. The 28-year-old former college club player and Life Insurance salesman played in the NHL for a minute.
Jan. 28, 2023. Edmonton. Matt Berlin played for the hometown Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks. Edmonton won 7-3. One save on one shot faced. 2:26 of playing time. Starting goalie Stuart Skinner was a gametime scratch. College goalie Berlin served as backup during the game and was put in for the last two minutes at the prompting of forward Connor McDavid.
April 8, 2023. Toronto. Jett Alexander played for the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens. Toronto won 7-1. No shots faced. 1:10 playing time. College goalie Alexander served as backup during the game and was put in for the last 1:10.
Image Credits:
- David Ayers: Sportsnet