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Watch: Senators Emergency Goalie Sprints to Make Puck Drop

The Ottawa Senators needed an emergency backup goalie and he seemed to barely make it on time.

Nick Horwat

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Before the Ottawa Senators could drop the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins on the second half of a back-to-back, expected starting goalie Anton Forsberg suffered an injury and was unable to play. While Linus Ullmark got his second start in as many nights, the Senators were forced to sign an emergency backup goalie (EBUG) for the game.

The Senators brought in University of Ottawa goalie Zach Dietz for the game, and it was a late notice for just about everyone. Even Dietz who was originally attending the game as a fan.

While wearing a signed Josh Norris jersey, Dietz was told to grab his goalie pads and be ready in case of an emergency.

Before the game, Sportsnet caught the 22-year-old goalie arriving at the arena with his equipment, and still donning the Norris jersey.

While he didn’t make it into the game, a new video of Dietz circulated around the internet following the Senators’ overtime win.

A clip surfaced of Dietz running alongside traffic with his goalie equipment (in his Norris jersey) presumably trying to make it back to the arena on time after being told he’s serving as backup.

Dietz has six recorded games played with the University of Ottawa over the last two years and has a 3-1-0 record.

The Senators went on the beat the Penguins 3-2 in overtime and Ullmark stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced.

The NHL has seen a few EBUGs join teams during the 2024-25 season, but none have made it into game action. No matter if they make it into the game or not, there's always a fascinating story to go alongside the call.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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