The Toronto Maple Leafs were put in a bit of an awkward goaltending situation on Saturday night, but it turned out to be a pretty feel good moment for their team, their fans, and of course emergency backup goaltender Jett Alexander.
The Maple Leafs, who have already secured their spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, were facing off against the Montreal Canadiens in what was a relatively meaningless game for both teams with the Habs well out of playoff contention. The Leafs would dominate the contest, taking a 7-1 lead in the third period, and that opened the door for Jett Alexander to step in.
The 23 year old goaltender from the University of Toronto was given the thrill of a lifetime when he got to step out onto the ice in the final minute of the game thanks to a terrific gesture from head coach Sheldon Keefe and Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov.
Alexander now joins a very short list of emergency backup goalies that have played in the NHL, and the Maple Leafs finally find themselves on the right side of one of these stories.