The creation of this article included the use of AI and was edited by human content creators. Read more on our AI policy here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably seen the clips. A random guy in street clothes suddenly suiting up in an NHL locker room. The crowd going absolutely nuts when he takes the ice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you caught it on TikTok, or your buddy texted you a video with the caption \u201cbro is this real??\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s real. And they\u2019re known as an EBUG: one of the most delightfully bizarre things in all of professional sports.<\/span><\/p>\n On Oct. 9, Timm Chiusano<\/strong> \u2014 a <\/span>former marketing executive<\/span><\/a> who has built a massive following with his \u201cday in the life\u201d content \u2014 dropped a TikTok that had hockey fans everywhere finally understanding one of the NHL\u2019s strangest secrets.<\/span><\/p>\n In the video<\/span><\/a>, Chiusano pulls back the curtain on his gig as a double-emergency backup goalie, calling it \u201cone of the strangest positions in sports.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And honestly? That might be an understatement.<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> 12 of the Funniest, Craziest, Most Unbelievable Viral Moments Across Sports History<\/a><\/p>\n Picture this: Every single NHL game, there\u2019s someone sitting in the arena \u2014 maybe eating popcorn, maybe watching nervously from a suite \u2014 who could theoretically be called down to play professional hockey at any moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not a player on the roster. Not someone making millions. Just\u2026 a really good amateur goalie who happens to be available.<\/span><\/p>\n If that sounds like something out of a sports movie, you\u2019re not wrong. But it\u2019s completely real, and Chiusano\u2019s video gives us a peek into what that wild existence actually looks like.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo by John Lamparski\/Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Chiusano\u2019s day starts at around 4 am, per the video. He gets a workout in and makes sure all his goalie equipment is ready to go at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/span><\/p>\n Then comes morning skate, where he typically practices with the home team. He even gets his own ice time, complete with skaters feeding him shots so he can stay sharp.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You know, just in case tonight\u2019s the night he goes from anonymous spectator to NHL goaltender.<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Who Is Laila Edwards? The Hockey Star Set to Become the First Black Women to Compete in the Winter Olympics for Team USA<\/a><\/p>\n The food situation? That\u2019s where things get real.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d probably want to throw up if I actually got thrown into the game, so I want to eat clean,\u201d Chiusano said in the video.<\/span><\/p>\n Let that sink in for a second. This guy is so aware of the pressure that comes with potentially playing in an NHL game that he\u2019s managing his diet around the possibility of stress-induced nausea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s not just preparation \u2014 that\u2019s psychological warfare with yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n And where does he sit during games?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI often get asked, \u2018Where do you sit during games,\u2019 and as a very superstitious goalie, I base that on wherever the popcorn is made,\u201d he joked.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps the most poetic description Chiusano offers is this gem: \u201cAnd for the rest of the game, you\u2019re kind of like a life vest that never gets used.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Think about that. You\u2019re there. You\u2019re ready. You\u2019ve done the morning skate, eaten your clean meal, found your lucky popcorn-adjacent seat. And then\u2026 you just watch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Game after game, season after season, you\u2019re the insurance policy everyone hopes they never need to cash in.<\/span><\/p>\n Chiusano also clarified something important: he\u2019s actually a <\/span>double<\/span><\/i>-emergency backup goalie. That means he\u2019d only play if the primary emergency backup goalie is somehow unavailable. He\u2019s the backup to the backup to the backup.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Who Is Aaron Rodgers\u2019 Wife Brittani? Here\u2019s Everything We Know About His Mystery Wife<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s like being third in line for the throne, except the throne is a crease in a professional hockey rink and the crown is a goalie mask.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the unusual nature of the gig, Chiusano clearly has mixed feelings about it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd while I love this is one of the jobs I\u2019ve picked up since I left my corporate job, I do miss my family,\u201d he says of wanting to get back home.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a surprisingly human moment in a video about one of sports\u2019 most surreal jobs.<\/span><\/p>\n Alright, let\u2019s break this down for everyone who\u2019s been nodding along while secretly wondering what the official deal is.<\/span><\/p>\n An emergency backup goalie, also known as an EBUG (pronounced like it looks \u2014 \u201cee-bug\u201d), is a goalie who is \u201cnot on a team\u2019s roster but attends all team home games and occasionally practices with the team,\u201d <\/span>according to ESPN<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The EBUG exists for one very specific scenario: what happens if <\/span>both<\/span><\/i> of a team\u2019s goalies go down?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Josh Allen Reacts to Pregnant Hailee Steinfeld Cheering for Broncos in 2016 Photo<\/a><\/p>\n In hockey, you can\u2019t just throw a defenseman in net and hope for the best. You need someone who actually knows how to play the position. Enter the EBUG.<\/span><\/p>\n The rule that makes this all possible is <\/span>NHL rule 5.3<\/span><\/a>, which states: \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis goalkeeper is eligible to sit on the player\u2019s bench, in uniform,\u201d the rule adds.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you need to know about how this whole system works, per ESPN:<\/span><\/p>\n That last part is key. Even if you don\u2019t get paid, you walk away with an NHL jersey that you actually wore in an NHL game. That\u2019s the kind of memorabilia money can\u2019t buy.<\/span><\/p>\n Photo by Grant Halverson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Now for the part you\u2019ve been waiting for: when has this fever dream actually become reality?<\/span><\/p>\n There have only been six instances in which EBUGs have logged minutes in a game, per ESPN. Six times in the entire history of this rule where someone went from \u201cguy in the stands\u201d to \u201cguy facing NHL shots.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the complete list:<\/span><\/p>\n If you only remember one EBUG story, make it David Ayres.<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> LeBron James Teases Major Tuesday Announcement \u2014 and Fans Get a Hennessy Ad Instead<\/a><\/p>\n Of those six emergency backup goalies who\u2019ve seen NHL action, Ayres is the only one to record a win. Let that sink in: a guy who wasn\u2019t on any NHL roster, who was just there as emergency insurance, actually <\/span>won<\/span><\/i> a professional hockey game.<\/span><\/p>\n It gets better. Ayres is also the oldest NHL goaltender (42 years, 194 days) to win a regular-season debut, per ESPN.<\/span><\/p>\n Forty-two years old. Making his NHL debut. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And he won.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ayres game is the kind of thing that makes you believe sports really can produce movie-worthy moments without any scriptwriters involved. A 42-year-old Zamboni driver (yes, he actually drove the Zamboni for the Maple Leafs\u2019 AHL affiliate) suddenly finds himself defending the net for Carolina against his own organization\u2019s NHL team.<\/span><\/p>\n You genuinely cannot make this stuff up.<\/span><\/p>\n The EBUG system represents something beautiful about hockey: the acknowledgment that chaos can strike at any moment, and you need to be prepared for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s also a reminder that somewhere out there, regular people with regular jobs are staying ready for the most extraordinary opportunity of their athletic lives.<\/span><\/p>\n Chiusano\u2019s viral video resonates because it humanizes this bizarre corner of professional sports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These aren\u2019t robots waiting in storage \u2014 they\u2019re people with families, superstitions about popcorn placement, and very real anxieties about potentially throwing up if they ever have to play.<\/span><\/p>\nA day in the life of an actual EBUG<\/b><\/h2>\n
The daily routine of someone who <\/b>might <\/i><\/b>play in the NHL<\/b><\/h2>\n
Timm Chiusano likens the EBUG role to a life vest<\/b><\/h2>\n
So, what exactly is an emergency backup goalie?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
The EBUG rulebook is actually pretty wild<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The six times an EBUG actually logged minutes<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Why This Matters (Besides Being Incredibly Cool)<\/b><\/h2>\n