David Ayres, an emergency goaltender in Toronto, got the call when Carolina’s starter and backup both went down with injuries. Ayres' curtain call came when he was named first star of the game, a fitting bow on an unforgettable debut. Reimer wanted to go back in the game, but a lower-body injury prevented him from doing so. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. David Ayres reflects on his memorable night one year later: 'It's surreal still': The Carolina EBUG still gets recognized a year after his historic game. And it also made him a star not just in the Canadian sports world, but south of the border, too. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game's first star after they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6 … Emergency backup goaltender David Ayres is loving the limelight after helping the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada, securing a win in shocking fashion. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. He became the first emergency goaltender in NHL history to record a win after the Hurricanes defeated Leafs 6-3. He was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22 when they beat the Leafs. Grab your t-shirt jersey to support the Canes' newest legend! 2800 2800 2800. Am 22. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. “I got off the ice and I was going back to the change room and an (off-ice official) stopped me and he said, ‘You’re going nowhere, you’re going back on the ice,’” Ayres said. “When Mrazek got injured, it was an ‘Oh my gosh’ moment,” Sarah Ayres said on Sunday as her husband was on the ice. Maple Leafs forward Pierre Engvall had just beaten Ayres, in net for the Carolina Hurricanes, with just under five minutes to play in the second period. “You figure they would have been shooting from anywhere, but Carolina did a really great job of blocking everything and keeping everything to the outside,” Ayres said. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Except the Leafs didn’t score again, and Ayres made NHL history in his emergency role, becoming the oldest goaltender to win in his NHL debut. David Ayres is a Canadian ice resurfacer driver. Ayers stopped eight of 10 shots in his NHL debut, helping the Hurricanes capture a 6-3 victory on Saturday night, and was named the game’s first star. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Screen printed with Ayres' name and number on back. Something that occurred to observers also didn’t make much sense to Ayres. I didn’t even really watch the entire game. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. “I knew as soon as he came back on the third and he was acting like himself, everything would be fine,” she said. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. “They didn’t really give them much of a chance to shoot from anywhere, really.”. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. Verrücktes Profi-Debüt in der NHL: David Ayres sitzt als Fan der Toronto Maple Leafs auf der Tribüne. © 2021 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. That number grew Sunday morning when more texts poured in, including congrats from Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell and former Marlies coach Dallas Eakins. I can't wipe the smile off my face," Ayres told CBC News Network host Heather Hiscox. “After the second goal, I looked up and I was like, ‘Oh please make a save here,’” Ayres said on Sunday. Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. All video credit goes to https://nhl66.irLike and Subscribe! (Veronica Henri, Toronto Sun), Emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game’s first star. “It was just nerves … I’m so proud of him, but at the same time, this is a big stage. Ayres was back to part of his normal routine early on Sunday afternoon in his role as an every-so-often practice goalie with the Leafs. Glad I saw this. Happy to see I heard wrong on TV. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres was named the game's first star after the team beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 in Toronto on Saturday. I settled down in the third period and he came in after the game and he was pumped up.”. “I sent him a text message … Next thing I know everything went dead, no more communication with him and they were getting them ready. “He said to just be a goalie, make saves. Ayres, wearing his Toronto Marlies-themed mask and blue-and-white pads, made the next save after the Engvall goal and finished with eight in total, becoming the oldest goalie in league history to win in his debut. It took its toll emotionally. It still was a bit unbelievable to comprehend the following day, and that was just for those of us watching. Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game's first star following his team's 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. WATCH: David Ayres explains the whirlwind after his big win. Read more about cookies here. And the 42-year-old netminder will never forget when the incredible nature of the once-in-a-lifetime moment dawned on him. In the midst of a playoff race for both teams. And no, Sarah Ayres was not overly concerned when the Leafs scored those two quick goals, by captain John Tavares and Engvall. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. “It was tough loss for them, but he was happy for me. After emerging victorious in his National Hockey League debut for the Carolina Hurricanes, 42-year-old emergency backup goalie David Ayres has become an overnight sensation. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Grab your t … And there was a chat with Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. “He sat with me during the second intermission and said ‘Just have fun, this is your time, this isn’t your full-time job, but you’re out here, you’re having fun, you know what you’re doing,’” Ayres said. Definitely thought I heard third star while on the broadcast and thought he should've definitely gotten first star. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. ', CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. That brought the Leafs to within a goal of the Hurricanes on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, trailing 4-3, and likely everyone in the building figured only another shift or two stood between the Leafs and the tying goal, never mind an easy Leafs victory. Emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game’s first star. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Once he got a minute to check his phone, by Ayres’ estimation there were 160 congratulatory messages waiting for him. “I talked to Sheldon (Saturday) night,” Ayres said. A little over an hour later Ayres was getting a water bottle shower and was named first star in a 6-3 win, and it was one of those things that never happens, almost never. Played as an … "Zamboni driver by day, emergency goaltender by night" David Ayres earned First Star honors and saved the day for the Canes in Toronto! Eishockey David Ayres: Vom Hausmeister zum NHL-Helden. David Ayres (* 12. While the Hurricanes locked it down defensively in front of him, it still was a little bewildering the Leafs were unable to get more than 10 shots on him. The 42-year-old, who hails from Whitby, Ont., and used to drive the Zamboni for the AHL's Toronto Marlies, was forced to be Carolina's emergency goalie for its road game Saturday night. David Ayres will never forget his night in the National Hockey League. He was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22 when they beat the Leafs. Front of … Raleigh, N.C. has declared a 'David Ayres Day. David Ayres, 42, is the oldest goalie to win in his N.H.L. Of course, the previous 17 hours were the extreme opposite of routine for Ayres. In less than two periods of play, David Ayres had gone from a completely anonymous Zamboni driver to First Star on a Saturday night and overnight celebrity. The ovation that I got from the Toronto fans, even though I wasn’t on the Toronto team, was fantastic.”. “Zamboni driver by day, emergency goaltender by night” David Ayres earned First Star honors and saved the day for the Canes in Toronto! We encountered an issue signing you up. “I knew all he needed to do is get in that dressing room and calm down.”. Otherwise, the Leafs did not practice. Ayres, a Zamboni driver and building operations manager at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, stopped eight of 10 shots he faced in his NHL debut, helping the Hurricanes capture a 6 … He was in net for the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 22 when they beat the Leafs. Everyone has been pretty receptive and I could not ask for much more.”. Carolina Hurricanes. "It's obviously something you don't think was going to happen, so it's great. As a goaltender, he allowed 58 goals, had a .777 save percentage and an 0–8 record. Not too bad for a Zamboni driver/arena maintenance man, one who had a kidney transplant in 2004. My focus was on him.”. Today, he’s in New York doing the talk-show circuit usually reserved for the big stars of the game. “That was the part that scared me the most for him was stepping out there (with 19,386 in attendance). This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Highlights of David Ayres About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features © 2020 Google LLC What is David Ayres Famous For? He is best known for playing the NHL game on 22 February 2020, where he played for the Carolina Hurricanes as an emerging backup goaltender against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ayres will be in Carolina Tuesday for the Hurricanes' home game against the Dallas Stars. 'A perfect storm of disappointment': Analyzing the mental state of the flailing Maple Leafs, David Ayres, the 42-year-old emergency goaltender who helped the Carolina Hurricanes win an NHL game in Toronto, has become a sudden star, appearing on major U.S. networks. I'm really excited," he said. At the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, Ayres was on the ice taking pucks from winger Ilya Mikheyev, who is making his way back from a wrist injury, and William Nylander, who was putting himself through numerous shooting drills. He … (THE CANADIAN PRESS), MIRACLE ON ICE: Emergency goalie and Hurricanes humiliate the Leafs, 'IT'S A BIG WIN': Maple Leafs finally show some life in blanking Penguins, tap here to see other videos from our team. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. David Ayres Talks To Toronto Media After First NHL Win | FULL Post-Game Sound - YouTube. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. First Star Although he gave up two goals he did tell his brand new teammates he was nervous and that he would be ready for the third. Those fans who remained in the rink erupted with cheers. He turned his attention to aiding Ayres. August 1977 in Whitby, Ontario) ist ein kanadischer Eishockeytorwart. (THE CANADIAN PRESS) Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game's first star after they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, in Toronto, on Feb. 22, 2020. Ayres sealed the deal in the final stanza stopping all 7 shots he faced and was named the game’s first star with 8 saves on 10 shots. “That’s when I kind of soaked it all in and said to myself that ‘I’m okay, just calm down, relax, breathe, look around and have fun with it.’ I had to bear down.”. I put wife first because that’s what Sarah would make me do. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This won’t surprise Leafs fans who came to admire Reimer during his tenure in Toronto: It was the ex-Leafs goalie who helped Ayres find mental stability before the third period. Though he was not busy in net, Ayres was named the first star, considering the unique circumstances. That included Ayres’ wife, Sarah, who was sitting in the 300 level at Scotiabank when the enormity of the situation became clear at 11:19 of the second period after Mrazek was knocked out of the game following a collision with Leafs forward Kyle Clifford. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press) David and Sarah Ayres are the best hockey story since John Scott’s NHL All-Star Season, and it truly couldn’t have happened to a more genuine wife/hubby combo. Emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game’s first star. Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres salutes the crowd after being named the first star of a game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Feb. 22, 2020. Comments are welcome while open. Emergency backup goaltender David Ayres is the first star of the game and gets an ovation from Leafs fans The next issue of The Toronto Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. PostPandemic: How COVID-19 is reshaping Canada, Emergency goalie David Ayres an unlikely star: 'I could not ask for much more', David Ayres is greeted by fans and the media before taking to the ice at the The Ford Performance Centre on Feb. 23, 2020. Februar 2020 bestritt er als kurzfristig verpflichteter Ersatztorhüter etwa die Hälfte einer Partie für die Carolina Hurricanes in der National Hockey League (NHL). Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. Carolina Hurricanes emergency goaltender David Ayres skates a lap after being named the game's first star after they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 in Toronto on Saturday. David Ayres recalled his kidney transplant 15 years ago when he never thought he’d play hockey again. “I thought he was phenomenal. “So I thought I was getting the third star, and it was the first star. After injuries to Hurricanes goalies James Reimer and Petr Mrazek, Ayres, who had been lounging in the media room on the event level, was thrust into a Leafs game on Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada, in a full building, going against a team of Leafs he has faced often in practice. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. “I was surprised how many people stuck around in the arena. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. Ayres has served as a backup to both the Toronto Marlies and Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL), the primary affiliates of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. “I’ll take it,” a beaming Ayres said after being named the game’s first star. It was really cool. 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