For the 1965-66 season, the NHL instituted the following rule for how many goalies a team must dress for each game:
5.3 Goalkeeper Each team shall have on its bench, or on a chair immediately beside the bench, a substitute goalkeeper who shall, at all times, be fully dressed and equipped ready to play. Except when both goalkeepers are incapacitated, no skater in the playing roster in that game shall be permitted to wear the equipment.
In regular League and Playoff games, if both listed goalkeepers are incapacitated, that team shall be entitled to dress and play any available goalkeeper who is eligible. This goalkeeper is eligible to sit on the player’s bench, in uniform. In the event that the two regular goalkeepers are injured or incapacitated in quick succession, the third goalkeeper shall be provided with a reasonable amount of time to get dressed, in addition to a two-minute warm-up (except when he enters the game to defend against a penalty shot).
If, however, the third goalkeeper is dressed and on the bench when the second goalkeeper becomes incapacitated, the third goalkeeper shall enter the game immediately and no warm-up is permitted.
As a result, teams have dressed goalie coaches, vending machine working, maintenance men, and more. While most of these guys just suit up and hang out in the locker room, in 2015 the Panthers got famously close to sending goaltending coach Robb Tallas onto the ice after Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya both suffered injuries.
While New York Rangers didn’t come close to playing an unknown emergency backup goalie, they did have to dress one on Friday night after Ondrej Pavelec left the game with an injury. To comply with NHL rules, they gave pads and a jersey to Andrew Margolin.
Not just any jersey, they gave Margolin the greatest jersey in New York Rangers history:
My roommate is the emergency backup goalie for the @NYRangers and this is the jersey they stick him with 😂 pic.twitter.com/UzTGNvToFe
— Adam Kaiser (@akaiser) February 10, 2018
McBackup #69 is the most legendary jersey I have ever seen. Props to Andrew and/or the equipment guy that had the idea to make this jersey happen. If the Rangers don’t start selling these jerseys immediately, they’re absolute morons who absolutely hate making money.
Also, nice to see they gave Andrew with all of the essential equipment to succeed:
