The Ottawa Senators faced an emergency on Saturday night when backup goaltender Anton Forsberg suffered a pre-game injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With little time to spare, the team had to call on 22-year-old University of Ottawa Gee-Gees goaltender Zach Dietz to serve as the emergency backup goalie (EBUG). What followed was Dietz running down a highway with full equipment on his back to reach the Canadian Tire Centre for puck drop.
@SunGarrioch – he deserves a few minutes of play for running to the rink with his gear! pic.twitter.com/yqVsnWQhFK
— Ryan (@muggers_hockey) December 15, 2024
According to Postmedia hockey journalist Bruce Garrioch, Dietz received the call at 5:50 p.m., giving an hour to get to the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata for 7 p.m. Stuck in heavy traffic, he decided not to wait and risk missing the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead, Dietz took matters into his own hands, grabbing his gear and running through traffic on Huntmar Drive, just off Highway 417. A video of him running with his pads and hockey bag quickly went viral on social media–and to add to the charm, Dietz was wearing a Josh Norris Senators jersey, making it look like he was rushing to a casual pick-up game with friends… not suiting up for an NHL team.
The NHL’s EBUG rule ensures that every team has a designated emergency backup goalie ready to step in, if both the starting and backup goaltenders are unavailable due to injury or illness. These goalies are typically non-professional players who attend games and sit in the stands if needed.
In an interview with Postmedia, Dietz recounted the decision to jump out of his car. “My girlfriend and I agreed that if I was going to get there as quick as I can, we’ve got to do it by whatever means possible,” he said. Dietz recounts his girlfriend having the idea to jump in the driver’s seat, while he got out of the car, grabbed his gear and started running.
The Canadian Tire Centre is a 25- to 30-minute drive from the University of Ottawa campus, but game-time traffic can stretch the trip to 45 minutes or more. Despite rules against running or walking on Highway 417 and Huntmar Drive due to heavy traffic and safety concerns, Dietz was not ready to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass him by. As Dietz approached the arena and traffic cleared, a fan attending the game ended up giving him a ride the rest of the way.
Zach Dietz is the emergency backup for the Ottawa Senators tonight.
He currently plays for the University of Ottawa in USports. 👀 pic.twitter.com/iRHVsQLMDl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 15, 2024
Although Dietz was not allowed to sit on the bench due to NHL rules, he was listed as the no. 2 goalie for the Senators and the no. 3 for the Penguins. If Ottawa’s starting goaltender, Linus Ullmark, had been injured during the game, Dietz would have been called into action.
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Even though Dietz didn’t touch the ice, running through traffic with goalie gear to chase his dream with his favourite NHL team made for a story he will likely tell for the rest of his life.
