Woodsworth Student Serves as Emergency Backup Goaltender for NHL Hockey Team

Managing university work is always a challenge - especially more so when you get called in as backup goalie for a professional hockey team. This was a day in the life of Jett Alexander, Varsity goaltender and student in Woodsworth College at the University of Toronto, last Wednesday. 

On Dec. 1, hockey fans at Scotiabank Arena saw a team using an "Ebug", Emergency Back-Up Goaltender, for the third time since Feb. 2020. When the Colorado Avalanche team’s goalie Darcy Kuemper suffered an upper-body injury, the back-up goalie was still en route to the game. As a result, Alexander was called in as an emergency back-up to take warmups with the team. 

Alexander has had a long history of successes in hockey. In 2017-18, he set an OJHL-record 10 shutouts as a Mississauga Steelheads draft pick, helping North York achieve their first 40-win season in the team’s history. In the 2017 season, he was named the OJHL MVP, the league's top goaltender, and the top netminder in all of Canadian Jr. A.

Alexander’s roommate, Alex Bishop, also had the opportunity to serve as back-up goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs in October. Bishop was the emergency back-up for Alexander on Wednesday as well. 

"It's crazy to think that the both of us have done this by Christmas," said Alexander. "It's super cool to share the experience with him."

While he didn’t get the chance to actually sit on the bench in an NHL game, his got his 15 minutes of fame while warming up with hockey stars on the team, which is an unforgettable experience in itself. 

As Alexander said, "It's pretty special. I'm just kind of lucky. Just one of those things, you're in the right place at the right time."

 

Image Credit: Mile High Sports