Carolina Hurricanes

CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 23, 2021 David Ayres saved the Hurricanes a year ago today. And yes, a Disney movie is happening By Chip Alexander like, ‘OK, it’s going to be what it’s going to be and hopefully we can hold the fort down, but we’re not expecting much.’” At 10 o’clock Monday morning, David Ayres said he was doing his sixth interview of the day. After winning the game, he went through a round of interviews with the network shows in New York. He was on A year after the fact, people still want to hear his story. They The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, then Ayres and his still want to hear about the night he put on his goalie gear in wife, Sarah, came to Raleigh. It was officially proclaimed Toronto, went in net in an emergency and won an NHL game “David Ayres Day” in the city and Gov. Roy Cooper named for the Carolina Hurricanes. him an honorary state citizen. That the Canes beat the Maple Leafs that night, Feb. 22, Ayres sounded the warning siren before the Feb. 25 game 2020, is something Ayres is often reminded of in the Toronto against Dallas and signed autographs. No. 90 jerseys soon area. were available in PNC Arena and in merchandising, with “Oh, yeah, like every day,” Ayres said Monday in an parts of the proceeds going to a kidney foundation of Ayres’ interview with the News & Observer. “Every single day. choice. When people see me or message me they’ll say, ‘I hate you “The people there were unbelievable, so nice, so for beating the Leafs but the story was great.’” embracing,” Ayres said. And it was a great story. Ayres, then 42, was the emergency The coming of the pandemic put an end to the NHL’s regular backup goalie at the game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. season in March 2020, just a few weeks after the game. As a Thrust into the game when Canes goalies James Reimer kidney transplant survivor, Ayres has had to be cautious in and then Petr Mrazek both were injured, he kept his dealing with the coronavirus threat and possible COVID emotions in check and held his poise as the Canes won 6-3. exposure. “The thing that’s special to me is that when the players first “It’s been kind of crazy,” Ayres told the N&O. “Obviously we saw me on the ice for the first time, how great they were,” had a lot of stuff planned and we’re going to go to a lot of Ayres said. “They were already on my side, not even places, meet a lot of people, speaking, things like that. knowing who I was. How they embraced having me on the COVID shut that down but I have been able to do stuff ice with them and how they played so well in front of me, and online, virtually. we got the win, it was fantastic.” “We wanted to go back to Carolina, wanted to go back in Ayres was named the game’s first star and given a postgame March. COVID kind of slowed everything but we were able to ovation — in Toronto. He then was welcomed like a do a lot more family stuff, so that was all good.” conquering hero in the Canes’ locker room, the short video of his entrance quickly going viral as his story spread. Disney movie is planned Some referred to him simply as the “Zamboni driver” but that Ayres said a Disney movie based on his story is in the works, was misleading. It was learned the Whitby, Ontario, native although no title has been chosen. It’s a story, he said, to had served for several years as a practice goalie for the which people can relate: An average Joe suddenly in the Toronto Marlies, the Leafs’ AHL team, and, yes, had on spotlight and unexpectedly getting the opportunity of a occasion driven the Zamboni at the rink. lifetime. Since that night in Toronto, he also is a goalie of record in One thing is for sure: He has had more than 15 minutes of the National Hockey League and his record is 1-0. His goalie fame. In June, NHL.com had fans vote on the “Greatest stick was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Moment of the NHL season ... So Far” and Ayres got more than 80% of the vote. “I think I get emotional every time I see something about it,” Canes forward Jordan Martinook said Monday. “Still to this Ayres said he now works for CIMCO, a company specializing day, it’s kind of mind-boggling that it happened and the way it in ice-rink refrigeration technology. He said he still plays played out. When you think of the game of hockey you think some pond hockey, laughing as he added, “Just trying to of those feel-good moments.” keep my game sharp.” Martinook said he remembers looking at forward Brock His plans for Monday night: watch the Hurricanes’ game McGinn on the bench when Ayres first came on the ice, against Tampa Bay. And reflect. wearing No. 90. They both then glanced over at Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour, who appeared downcast, dejected. While Brind’Amour was groaning at first on that night last February, he could smile at the end of an unforgettable game “There’s video of Roddy’s face that kind of tells the whole and moment — and still does. story,” Martinook said. “He was like rolling his eyes. I think all of us were excited for (Ayres) and everybody was kind of CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS • February 23, 2021 “It’s hard to believe that was a year ago because of what’s “My memories of that are all good because it turned out well. gone on in a year’s time,” Brind’Amour said. “Everything was I like the fact we’re still talking about it. It’s a memory that I good up until that day. We were normal and maybe took it for think we’ll all cherish, really.” granted, that normal. And now here we are a year later and yet look how far we’ve come, even in a year, with everything. Tampa Bay Lightning outdistance Carolina Hurricanes in 4-2 victory By Chip Alexander Fast scored again for the Canes in the final minute of the second and also had the biggest collision of the period, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was blunt sending Tampa Bay’s Erik Cernak sailing into the Canes Monday in assessing a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. bench. That set up an intense third period that had the The Canes can’t win playing 40 good minutes of hockey, he Canes’ Brock McGinn absorb a big hit. said, let alone knock off the 2020 Stanley Cup champion. Ondrej Palat finally pushed Tampa Bay ahead at 8:04, Oddly, the game Monday at PNC Arena had the Canes (12- winning a battle with defenseman Brady Skjei around the 4-1) chasing the Lightning throughout the first period, yet crease and getting off a shot that glanced off Skjei and past leading 1-0 when it was over. Jesper Fast scored his first Reimer. goal as a Hurricane just after a Carolina power play ended, Alex Killorn’s empty-netter clinched it as the two teams now banging in a rebound of a Martin Necas shot, and the Canes go to Tampa for two games. went to the locker room with the lead. After Nedeljkovic shut out Tampa Bay 4-0 on Saturday, there “Obviously we weren’t ready to go from the start,” were questions whether he might start again Monday. Brind’Amour said. “They’re the Stanley Cup champs and Reimer got the nod, instead, and weathered the first period, they took it to us in the first period and we were fortunate to making saves with every part of his body, before the be ahead. Lightning broke through. “We were scrambling, that’s for sure. We had a game plan Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his 10th win of the season in net going in and that goes out the window and everybody for the Lightning with 34 saves, facing 17 shots in the third. basically is off. That happens. It’s not that much. It can be a little bit from every guy, but when every guy is just that much “The second and third periods we were right there with them (off) that’s what it looks like in the first period.” if not even better,” Brind’Amour said. “We had the bulk of the chances in the third but we probably got what we deserved. The Lightning (11-4-1), shut out by the Canes in their first You’ve got to pay a 60-minute game.” two meetings this season, continued to push and probe and keep the pressure on goalie James Reimer and the Canes The Lightning effectively shut down the Canes’ top line -- defense. Tampa Bay was a half-step quicker than the Canes, Sebastian Aho and Brock McGinn did not have a shot on and two of its biggest stars soon gave the Lightning the lift goal and Andrei Svechnikov had two shots on a mostly quiet they needed. night. Rookie defenseman Jake Bean, making a fifth straight start, had a game-high seven of the Canes’ 36 shots as his Steven Stamkos blasted a shot past Reimer on the power comfort level grows.

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