Coyotes sign goalie off the street for one game
A. Isaac One of the greatest traditions in amateur athletics is the Texas A&M Aggies’ “Twelfth Man”. The story goes that a player named E. King Gill was not on the roster but the depleted squad needed an extra man just in case. Gill never got into the game but was later quoted as saying “I simply stood by in case my team needed me.” Well Gill, step aside, because Tom Fenton has a story of his own to tell. The Phoenix Coyotes were short a goalie when Ilya Bryzgalov came down with the flu and a scout was told to look for somebody local who could show up in the next few hours.
Enter in Tom Fenton, who played hockey for American International College in 2009.
“My phone rang, I didn’t pick it up,” Fenton, 26, said, according to the Coyotes’ website. “I eventually saw who it was so I picked it up after the haircut and called them right back. They basically said I have to get my butt down to MSG as soon as I can.”
According to the ever omniscient Puck Daddy, this isn’t the first time this has happened in recent memory. The Pittsburgh Penguins needed a late back-up for Marc-Andre Fleury last year and two years ago, the Washington Capital hilariously had to suit up a web site producer when a goalie didn’t show up in time.
Two years ago, a Washington Capitals Web site producer famously went from the press box to the bench to backup Jose Theodore(notes) because Semyon Varlamov(notes) didn’t arrive in time from his call up and Brent Johnson was suffering with a hip injury. Brett Leonhardt(notes) didn’t see any action that night, but did more media than any Washington player the rest of the week.
So, I guess the moral of the story is, never say never. Or at the very least, “you’re telling me there’s a chance”.
Amateur goalie Tom Fenton signed by Coyotes [ESPN]
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