Stories about average folks getting to suit up as NHL goalies pop up every so often, and I'm a sucker for them every time. It takes a perfect storm, and that storm arrived Thursday in St. Louis.
Here's what happened, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
It was a strange night for the Blues after backup goalie Carter Hutton took a puck to the foot in the morning skate and couldn't play. The Blues had to summon Ville Husso in from San Antonio, but since his flight wouldn't get in until after the game started, they called in 25-year-old Tyler Stewart, a former St. Louis University club goalie who is now going to grad school at Maryville and plays in the adult league at Brentwood. Stewart skated with the team in pregame warmups and watched the first period from the Blues dressing room until Husso showed up late in the period.
Stewart, a vending machine worker, called the opportunity a "dream come true."
Alas, he wasn't called into any real action. As noted, Husso showed up by the end of the first period and regular starter Jake Allen not only stayed healthy but recorded a shutout in a 3-0 win over Dallas.
A similar thing happened to the Wild in 2011, when they called on 51-year-old Paul Deutsch as an emergency backup. Minnesota won that game and Deutsch didn't have to play. Mike Yeo, coach of the Blues now, was the coach of the Wild back then.
