Meet the 2 NC State grads who are the emergency goalies in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- David Ayres will go down in hockey history for being the first emergency goalie to actually play for the visiting team.
Since then he has been skating the media circuit as an overnight sports celebrity.
Making an appearance on Good Morning America, Ayres gave a snapshot of how it went down.
"Just standing in the stands and one goalie goes down. Other goalie goes down and that guy comes into the room and he says 'put your gear on, put the rest of your gear on its time to go out there.'"
Zamboni driver turned Carolina Hurricanes emergency goalie will be siren sounder Tuesday in Raleigh
Canes head coach Rod Brind'Amour had his doubts when Ayres walked out to the ice.
"First impressions weren't great I'll be honest. And then when I saw the first shot go in and the second one I thought maybe this was getting punk'd or something. But then talked to him in between periods and you could see he had a fight in his eye."
Should that scenario play out at the PNC in Raleigh, Calvin Stone and or Spencer Williams would suit up. Both are NC State grads and played club hockey at State.
When the NHL implemented the EMG rules three years ago, each jumped at the chance.
"It's a very slim chance but you have to take it seriously," said Williams. "You watch what you eat. Try and get a good sleep before. I treat it like it's a game day."
Calvin has mixed feelings about following in Ayres rarefied skates.
"I kind of do, I would really like the opportunity to play in an NHL game, but I guess people have to get hurt for that to happen so I'm not really wishing for that."
As per the rules, neither guy actually works for the Hurricanes.
They both have corporate jobs and would sign a tryout contract if they ever had to play.
Brind'Amour would like to see his own guy in the net and that perhaps there should be a change in the rules.
"I think there's probably a way to tweak it, I don't know why we couldn't just throw our guy in. But I don't need to waste much time on it. I don't know that we'll ever see that again."
If needed and Williams or Stone had to play in Raleigh, they'd sign a standard try-out contract before taking the ice which pays exactly $0.
Of course the media blitz after the fact might be worth it in the end. As for the playoffs, it would never happen because the roster expands and the teams carry an extra goalie.
