Saskatoon’s Toth recalls NHL call-ups as Canucks’ emergency goalie

Rylan Toth knows a thing or two about last resorts.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds goaltender is usually his team’s last resort to keeping opponents off the scoreboard.

He’s also the last resort when the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks are out of goaltending options, serving as one of three emergency goaltenders for Canucks home games.

The part-time job usually gets him nothing more than a seat for a hockey game and a bag of popcorn, but he has nearly played on two occasions.

“There has been a couple times where I’ve had to throw on the gear because one goalie got hurt or something, but I’ve never had to go in (to the game) like that guy in Toronto,” Toth said.

Toth recalled his time spent as an emergency goalie days after David Ayres became an overnight sensation. The 42-year-old former Zamboni driver entered an NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Making the rare occasion even more memorable was Ayres not only winning the game, but doing so as an employee of the Maple Leafs’ ownership group.

The NHL instituted a rule two years ago making it mandatory for the home team to have an in-house emergency goaltender available to both teams should one of their goalies be injured.

UBC’s goaltenders share the emergency duties for all Canucks home games.

“We get two tickets to the game, and then we bring our gear, leave it in a dressing room … and you hang out for 10 minutes before the game starts,” Toth said. “Most nights it’s uneventful. You just go watch a hockey game and then go back home to being a student.”

The Saskatoon product spent his junior days in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds, reaching the Memorial Cup in back-to-back seasons.

Even that résumé didn’t prepare Toth for getting the call on Dec. 15, 2018.

“It was during finals — everyone was busy that I asked to come with me, so I was by myself that game, hanging out in the stands,” Toth said, remembering when a Philadelphia Flyers goaltender left the game with an injury.

“I was sitting there eating some popcorn and I got a text from the guy who co-ordinates it with us … So I go down. (I) had to throw my popcorn out and put my gear on.”

Rather than think about his lifelong dream of pursing a career in the NHL, Toth had one thought running through his mind.

“It was so new to me and I was just like, ‘This is crazy. I hope this game just ends. I don’t really want to be playing against the Canucks in Vancouver,’ ” Toth said.

Toth’s second call to action happened last year after the Canucks traded goaltender Anders Nilsson to the Ottawa Senators in the midst of injury troubles.

The Canucks avoided playing Toth, instead choosing to start then-19-year-old Michael DiPietro, a goalie for the OHL’s Ottawa 67s.

“He just got thrown into the fire. The team didn’t play great in front of him — he was just getting completely lit up,” said Toth, recalling how he nervously watched another emergency goalie take a thumping loss on the dressing room TV.

“They could only take him out of the game if he was hurt or something, so he’s just stuck in the cage getting absolutely shelled.”

DiPietro finished the game with 19 saves in a 7-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Toth never made it to the bench for either game. Being on the bench would mean signing an amateur contract with the Canucks, something the team hopes to avoid if possible.

Even though both calls to suit up didn’t result in any playing time, Toth is happy just to soak in each game experience.

“Obviously being from Saskatoon, there’s not many NHL buildings nearby so I went to maybe one or two NHL games before coming to UBC,” he said. “Now I get to go to 10 a year.

“It’s pretty uneventful, but it’s fun being there and being behind the scenes seeing what goes on.”