WASHINGTON — Thursday night in Chicago, 36 year old accountant Scott Foster was called into action as the Blackhawks emergency backup goalie, and in 14:01 minutes of work, stopped all seven shots in Chicago win over Winnipeg.
Foster, a married father of two, who hadn’t played a competitive hockey game since 2005 when he was in college at Western Michigan, was forced into action.
This wasn’t the first time Foster was tapped for the emergency backup gig. He said he had the distinction for about a dozen games this season, but usually ended up sitting in the press box and grabbing some free food as his services weren’t needed — until last night.
The NHL has mandated that each of their teams have an emergency backup goalie on stand-by, just in case the starter and backup goalie can’t play.
From the NHL rule book:
“Each team shall have on its bench, or on a chair immediately beside the bench, a substitute goalkeeper who shall, at all times, be fully dressed and equipped ready to play. Except when both goalkeepers are incapacitated, no skater in the playing roster in that game shall be permitted to wear the equipment.
“In regular League and Playoff games, if both listed goalkeepers are incapacitated, that team shall be entitled to dress and play any available goalkeeper who is eligible. This goalkeeper is eligible to sit on the player’s bench, in uniform. In the event that the two regular goalkeepers are injured or incapacitated in quick succession, the third goalkeeper shall be provided with a reasonable amount of time to get dressed, in addition to a two-minute warm-up (except when he enters the game to defend against a penalty shot).
“If, however, the third goalkeeper is dressed and on the bench when the second goalkeeper becomes incapacitated, the third goalkeeper shall enter the game immediately and no warm-up is permitted.”
So, for the Washington Capitals, who just clinched a playoff berth for the fourth straight season, and tenth time in the last eleven seasons, just who is the emergency backup for the Caps, you know, just in case?
WTOP reached out to the Capitals Communication department.
Tommy Chalk said: “We’ve been asked by a few different outlets about our emergency backup goaltender. Per team policy, we do not disclose this information.”
And we hope that the Capitals never have to grab a lobbyist or barista from the stands or the press box to fill in for starter Braden Holtby, backup Philipp Grubauer or even Phoenix Copley from the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
