I’m not exactly a massive NHL fan, although the trials and tribulations of that mascot, Gritty, have been worth keeping an eye on.

Sometimes a story comes along that is just too good to miss, which is the case with 42-year-old David Ayres.

Ayres was sitting in the crowd, watching the NHL showdown between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs, when Hurricanes goalie James Reimer was injured.

As a precaution, Ayres, the on-call emergency goalie, headed to the changing room to suit up, on the very minor chance that the first back-up keeper, Petr Mrazek, suffered an injury.

Well, Mrazek was involved in a serious collision, and Ayres was called upon to make his NHL debut, which makes quite a change from his regular job of driving the machine that smooths the surface at an ice rink.

Here’s the injury, and then Ayres making his way out from the 2:20 mark:

Ayres is not a rank amateur by any stretch of the imagination, reports the Guardian, but his performance on the day surprised many:

…he had an improbable first NHL win. He is the oldest goalie in NHL history to win his regular-season debut.

Ayres allowed goals on the first two shots he faced before settling down and stopping the next eight as Carolina picked up a stunning 6-3 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night…

Ayres was paid $500 for his services and gets to keep his jersey. “It was wild, it was fun,” he added.

Ayres, who had a kidney transplant 15 years ago and wasn’t sure if he would ever play hockey again, has been a practice goalie with the Leafs and the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for the last eight years.

Ayres, who usually works as a maintenance worker and a Zamboni driver for the Marlies, faces shots from professional players on an almost-daily basis during the season, but never thought he’d be called into service in an NHL game.

If you’re after a lengthy look at his match, head here, but this video below covers his standout moments:

It’s safe to say he was popular with his teammates following the win:

A memory we’ll all have forever pic.twitter.com/LUxqs8o3Wr

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 23, 2020

He may not have slept a great deal, but he was still pretty chuffed the morning after:

Props to his teammates, too, who made his job a little easier:

“These guys were awesome,” Ayres said. “They said to me, ‘Have fun with it, don’t worry about how many goals go in, this is your moment, have fun with it.’”

…Ayres was asked what he’ll remember most from the game. “These guys,” he said. “How great they were to me. The crowd in Toronto was unreal. Even though I was on the other team they were so receptive. Every time I made a save I could hear them cheering for me. Awesome.”

A story for the grandkids.

Or anyone who will listen, really.

[source:guardian]