> Whether home or away, both teams in any given game can pull from the same roster

I am in New Zealand and know nothing about ice hockey, but wouldn't it be risky to accept your opponents recommendation? Wouldn't a fan of their own team be a better bet, even if a worse player?

I think there’s a few reasons they don’t worry about it:

1. This very rarely comes up at all.

2. These guys aren’t usually that good (by NHL standards) and you’ve probably lost the game anyway. You’re relying on your defense to keep the puck away from them more than you’re relying on them to excel.

3. (Probably most important to your point). This is one of the best days in this guy’s life. He’s In an NHL game and will be in the highlight reels. Playing well and stopping his team’s power forward from scoring is a massive high that does way more than his preferred team winning or losing.

> These guys aren’t usually that good (by NHL standards) and you’ve probably lost the game anyway.

Interestingly, EBUGs have a pretty good record -- teams using an EBUG have won 3 of 4 games they've been used in. I think #3 factors into it: the players know that a "normal" (to be clear: while EBUGs aren't NHL caliber, they're not scrubs or beer leaguers, either) guy has gotten the night of a lifetime, and they'll (based on a subjective eye test) play more tightly in their own end.

It'd make absolute sense to play more tightly on defence when you've got an EBUG in your net as plain self-preservation. Of course the players may want to give extra support to the emergency guy out of sympathy as well, but if you've still got any shot left at the game, you'd also do it for simple tactical reasons.

> Interestingly, EBUGs have a pretty good record -- teams using an EBUG have won 3 of 4 games

This is mostly coincidental: the goalies only appeared in the dying minutes or seconds of games their teams were already leading.

My point is more that, given the wide skill gap between an NHL-caliber player and a EBUG, there's a reasonable chance that the EBUG would "blow" the lead (a hockey goaltender is one of the most consequential positions in sports, probably second to a gridiron football quarterback). Of the four EBUG appearances, three were no-decision games (the lead didn't change after the EBUG came in) and one win (a come-from-behind victory after the EBUG came in).

>"EBUGs aren't... beer leaguers"

is contradicted by the stories in this thread

Most EBUGs had their career apex in either minor leagues or NCAA D-I college hockey; while the EBUGs may still play in local beer leagues, the colloquialism doesn't really apply to them ("beer leaguer" being a pejorative that implies a player's career apex was in a beer league).

>These guys aren’t usually that good

To further this point, the person in this article is nearly blind in one eye.

And on three, I agree. But the rule also applies to playoffs and it's interesting to imagine how you would play with your favorite team's Stanley Cup dreams riding on it. More so when you add in how the city would react to your actions.

I don't think it applies in the playoffs. Last night in the Hurricanes Bruins game, canes goalie left game early in the first period. The backup entered the game, and during the intermission they showed another canes goalie that had gotten dressed and was waiting in the locker room if needed. This goalie is a player for the canes AHL team, and had actually started a game for the canes earlier in the season. So it seems during the playoffs teams can provide their own team affiliated (professional) EBUG to dress if needed. I assume away teams travel with one as well.

The rules specify that the EBUG needs to be available for playoff games, though it does also say that if both goalies are injured any member of the player roster can dress as a goalie. And in the playoffs the roster limit becomes 50, so it's unlikely to come up unless all the other goalies under contract are also deep in the playoffs.

Waiting in the locker room is key though, you can only break the 20 players dressed rule if both goalies are injured.

> He made two saves on three shots, allowing a goal from Jason Robertson, which wound up being the game winner to help secure a 4–2 win for Dallas.[7]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Hodges_(ice_hockey)

I'm not sure why you're responding to me with that quote.

> > These guys aren’t usually that good

> To further this point, the person in this article is nearly blind in one eye.

You mentioned that he's nearly blind in one eye in response to someone saying that EBUGs aren't usually that good. And yet, he stopped 2 of the 3 shots on him securing the game win. So perhaps, he is actually that good.

>And yet, he stopped 2 of the 3 shots on him securing the game win

>which wound up being the game winner to help secure a 4–2 win for Dallas

Hodges was playing for Anaheim. Plus, stopping 2/3rds of your shots is pretty terrible.

Linking Scott Foster's page would have made more sense, he stopped all 7 shots, but even he would probably agree he isn't that great.

Teams bring their own goalies in the playoffs. A third goalie travels with each team.

Typically, said goalie is from the minor league (AHL) and not the EBUG.

But better to have a goalie, ANY goalie than no goalie at all?

Icing a goalie who is actively aiming for you to lose vs six skaters? Six skaters no contest. In most scenarios the EBUG is the better option though, I'm fantasizing about the extremely unlikely happening at the extremely key moments.

That's not really a choice for the visiting team to make. A team can only have two goalies dressed for a game. The emergency backup goalie rule (which is unique to the NHL, AFAIK) is that the home team has to have an emergency goalie booked who's available as a stand-in for either team should both of the team's dressed goalies get injured during the game. Either team would only realistically take that option if they have no other choice.

It's a relatively rare occurrence, and I imagine that anybody who ends up playing as an emergency backup would make an honest effort out of sportsmanship, and also because it's an unique opportunity and experience, even if it's for the visiting team.

The emergency backup goalie is essentially the ultimate underdog and ends up being the fan favourite for the game. Sometimes the home crowd has started to cheer for him even though he was playing for the visiting team.

I don't know what would be going through the emergency goalie's head if they had to step in for a really high-stakes game, though. I don't think that has happened so far.

The "Zamboni Goalie" David Ayers, provided by the Toronto Maple Leafs when both goalies for the visiting Carolina Hurricanes went down, notched a win for the visitors.

I suppose that, given the backup goalie is local, even if you lose, you win. Cheer on the hometown hero!

> ...The emergency backup goalie is essentially the ultimate underdog and ends up being the fan favourite for the game.

I always thought that EBUG is an excellent PR device. It just feels to be so much "For the love of the game", something that fans on each side can relate.

Win or lose is situative, but the EBUG effect after such games is always humanising. So the lucky activated EBUGs are in the goal to simply play hockey, they are ultimately NHL ambassadors.

I also think it's a great rule, and I don't really even follow hockey nowadays.

Some people would probably say it's too random, has no place in serious top-level sports, or something. But to me it creates awesomely human moments, not to mention that the entire idea of having someone ready to step in for either team in an emergency just screams good sportsman spirit.

If people got called up all the time that might be a problem. But it'd be impossible to justify the cost of flying extra players around, so the practice would simply end if that were a concern.

I don't think many people with a once in a lifetime chance to play in a real NHL game are going to take a dive just so the home team wins.

> it'd be impossible to justify the cost of flying extra players around,

I doubt traveling expense is the limiter, how many years of that would it take to reach even the NHL minimum salary?

Teams would try to game the system if they were given more choice, and it'd lead to more decent goalies riding the bench rather than playing in smaller leagues.

It's actually kind of a tough problem.

A reserved fan ebug is a no go for reasons you stated and others.

An extra roster spot might work, but that's potentially someone playing not very much hockey. OTOH, we already have that scenario since it's a 23 person roster.

The thing is, this latest ebug appearance was kind of an important game. Goalies seem to get hurt more often now (someone just got hurt tonight), and as good as these stories are, you probably don't want to see an ebug when it matters.

Maybe just add the roster spot after the trade deadline or something

The obvious solution is to allow a trainer/coach to suit up in emergencies, teams travel with enough personnel that I'd be shocked if someone isn't as capable as most of the EBUGs.

And I do think keeping talent playing rather than coaching is one of the primary reasons they don't change the rule. With my rule change, if you're a 24 year old ECHL goalie how much money would it take to accept an EBUG "trainer" job? How would the cap deal with that could also be an issue.

Each team brings their own third goalie when it really matters, in the playoffs, and yeah, sometimes it's one of the coaches or trainers, but more often they just bring somebody who plays goalie a lot in his free time, just not at a professional level.

The third goalie would need to be one of their 50 players under contract, so it'd have to be a professional.

Doesn't mean they do a lot of their playing at a professional level.

I am in the UK so have as little right to talk about it really, though I did play in university. Basically this is so rare, it's in the name 'emergency backup', teams take a backup (sometimes third even) to away games; they have to both be injured probably in the same game (because if beforehand they'd roster someone else, call them up from an associated junior team say) for this to happen. And the fan/local has never trained with the team. They're nowhere near NHL level. They're basically 'traffic in front of the net' to whichever team, so it really doesn't make a difference, I don't expect.

(And psychologically for the fan/local, they probably want to give it their all in their moment in the limelight? Why throw your one night in the NHL just because the wrong team got so unlikely injured?)

The opportunity to show off your skills, even if sub-par by NHL standards, likely would outweigh the pride from helping your team get a questionable win in an 82 game season.

Cmon man, you’re ruining dreams here

You're right. I know goaltenders who played in Division I hockey who are retired, but are still young enough and in good enough condition to act as EBUGs.

They are generally goaltending coaches themselves at higher levels of amateur hockey, and/or they play in a very competitive adult league for some part of the calendar year.

That's not quite right. They rotate. On any given night, one of them has to be in the building with their gear, and that's the EBUG for either team. 15-20 guys is just the length of the call list so they can make sure someone is actually there for the game.

You are right, and I should have worded that way. I can see how what I said makes it seem like no one is there, and they just burn through the list until they find someone.

Yes, the "on call" person is actually there, and if for some reason the team knows in advance that the EBUG cannot attend for whatever reason, THEN they go down the list for the next available "on call" EBUG. All of which happens before the game starts.

My team has had the same main EBUG for years, and he even runs his own Youtube channel if it piques your interest.

https://www.youtube.com/c/BonesyTV/videos

Why would there be 20 people on call? Is there a backup for every position? Or do you mean only one or two of those are on call for a specific game?

It's probably not a formal on call where people are required to be available, just a list of people that are willing to jump in if they can.

Imagine 19 other people being 'too busy' to go to an NHL game with a small chance to play goalie.

It's more like 19 being too busy to be at the game in first place on the infinitesimal chance you get called up.