NHL stunner: A 36-year-old accountant who has never played pro stars in Blackhawks win

By Allyson Chiu March 30 at 6:05 AM

On Thursday night in the middle of a National Hockey League game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets, an unfamiliar figure in a No. 90 Blackhawks jersey stepped onto the ice at the United Center. ... “Hey, who’s this guy?” an announcer joked.

That guy was Scott Foster, the team’s emergency goalie, a 36-year-old accountant who hadn’t played in a high-stakes hockey game in more than 10 years. He played hockey for Western Michigan University from 2002 to 2005 and plays in an amateur league, albeit a high-level one composed of former college and professional players. His venue most of the time is not the Blackhawks’ United Center, with a capacity of 23,000, but Johnny’s Ice House in Chicago’s elite league. ... Foster has never played in the NHL.

Less than 15 minutes after he took the ice, the Blackhawks came away with a 6-2 victory, and Foster emerged a hockey hero, delivering a performance that left everyone who watched it in awe. ... Foster is one of a small group of “emergency backup” goaltenders who are kept on hand, usually in the press box or the stands, in the highly unlikely event both regular goalies on the roster are hurt or otherwise unavailable.

“Among hockey’s great quirks,” as Hockey News explained, “is that it’s the only pro sport with the potential for someone not on the roster to come out of the stands and actually play in the game.” But, “it takes a very rare set of circumstances to open that door.”
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Allyson is an intern for the Post's local desk. She studies journalism at Northwestern University. Follow @_allysonchiu

Meet Scott Foster, accountant who played for Blackhawks on Thursday

Emergency backup goalie gets in game after injuries, makes seven saves

NHL.com @NHL
1:09 AM

Scott Foster lived every amateur athlete's dream Thursday night. It was also kind of a nightmare.

Foster, a 36-year-old accountant from Oak Park, Illinois, got his chance in an NHL game. Something he never thought would happen while playing at Western Michigan University. And certainly it was something he didn't think would happen playing rec league hockey for the past decade. ... But hey, you never know.

"Who would have thought? You just keep grinding away in men's league and eventually you get your shot," Foster joked after he became the story of the night in the NHL. ... He stopped all seven shots he faced as the Blackhawks, who lost scheduled starting goalie Anton Forsberg during warmups and backup Collin Delia with 14 minutes left in the game, held on for a 6-2 victory against the Winnipeg Jets.
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When Foster was pressed into duty in the third, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville could be seen chuckling to himself on the bench as Foster passed him to head out to the ice. ... "I think I would (laugh) too," Foster said. "I am an accountant by day. A few hours ago, I was sitting on the computer typing on a 10-key."