The National Hockey League has quietly professionalised one of its most eccentric traditions, handing 32 goaltenders a salaried seat on the bench and a legitimate shot at the improbable. Gone are the days when a local accountant or arena operations manager might be summoned from the stands to face NHL calibre shooters. In their place: qualified netminders who travel on the team charter, wear the double-zero sweater, and exist solely to absorb rubber so the stars do not have to.
The new normal in the crease
Brendan Bonello can recite every goaltender to pull on a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey over the last twenty years. The 27-year-old from Mississauga once chased the same dream, patrolling the crease in the Ontario Hockey League, at university, and for a cup of coffee in the ECHL. When the playing career stalled, he settled into a familiar groove: the practice squad body, the extra pair of pads at morning skate. Then the league rewrote the rulebook.
“This is surreal,” Bonello said, adjusting his glove after a session facing Auston Matthews and William Nylander. “Your goal is to make it. Getting a second chance, you don’t take it for granted.”
He is one of 32 men now designated as Emergency Backup Goaltenders — EBUGs in league parlance — for the 2026-27 campaign. Each club carries one. They are full-time employees, ineligible for the salary cap and outside the NHL Players’ Association. To qualify, a goaltender cannot have appeared in an NHL game under a standard contract, must own 80 or fewer professional appearances, and must not have played pro hockey in the three previous seasons.
From folklore to formal structure
The change formalises a loophole that once produced instant folklore. In 2018, Chicago Blackhawks accountant Scott Foster stopped seven shots in 14 minutes. Two years later, David Ayres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver and Leafs practice goalie, entered a game in Toronto and became the unlikely hero of a Carolina Hurricanes victory. Ayres was named first star. The hockey world delighted in the absurdity; the league saw risk.
“We have seen in recent years more and more goaltender injuries,” Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. “Not to have a qualified goaltender on the bench as a backup can be concerning.”
Carolina defenceman Jaccob Slavin, a veteran of the Ayres game, put it bluntly. “You’ve now got people who are paid to be in that position. And you know you’re not going into an arena and getting their Zamboni driver.”
Protecting the assets
The motivation extends beyond avoiding viral moments. The grind of an 82-game schedule, compressed by back-to-backs and transcontinental travel, exacts a toll on the league’s 64 starters and backups. Practices have intensified. Shot volumes have climbed. Having a dedicated, high-calibre netminder to absorb the workload preserves the primary assets.
“It’s pretty taxing on your body,” Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz said. “Having somebody who’s a high-calibre goalie go in there to take the load off you is extremely helpful.”
Vancouver’s Kevin Lankinen echoed the sentiment. “To work on the details and maybe not getting hammered with 200 shots. In a long season, it’s easy to let those little things — little habits — slip away.”
Bonello, who also runs a goaltending school, understands the assignment. “Three games a week and then three practices. The wear and tear can add up.”
The best job in hockey?
New York Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer laughed when asked about the lifestyle. “Fly on the team charter, stay in all the best hotels. Other than the paycheque, it’s probably a pretty good gig.”
The compensation is modest compared to NHL minimums, but the perks are undeniable. Dusty Nickel, 35, spent five seasons as Calgary’s on-call amateur before earning the permanent role. A former Junior A goaltender who co-owns a construction business and operates a goalie school, he trains year-round like a roster player.
“Right place at the right time,” Nickel said. “Pretty exciting for someone my age. I’ve taken the role pretty seriously, even the minor bit it was before. This is the best of the best. You want to be physically ready.”
Bonello shares the intensity. He does not want Matthews or Nylander easing up. “That’s my job and I take a lot of pride in it. I don’t want them taking anything off their shots. It’s muscle memory. I want them to shoot like they would in the game.”
Why it Matters
The professionalisation of the EBUG role represents a rare instance of the NHL choosing pragmatism over romance. While the league sacrifices the occasional feel-good story of a civilian stealing the spotlight, it gains competitive integrity, player safety, and a developmental pipeline for goaltenders who might otherwise vanish from the sport. For the 32 men now living out a deferred dream in double-zero, the arrangement offers dignity, structure, and the faint, tantalising possibility that the phone rings — and this time, they are already dressed.
