One of the coolest things that can happen in professional hockey is when a team needs an emergency backup goaltender and calls upon some local guy who happens to have experience at the position. That’s how 23-year-old Eric Semborski, who played club hockey in college, found himself as the Chicago Blackhawks’ backup goalie on Saturday.
As you might’ve guessed, it was quite a special experience.
Semborski is not a prominent hockey prospect. His prior playing experience was with a club team at Temple University and the Jersey Wildcats of something called the Empire Junior Hockey League. The Blackhawks called him because they needed a goalie, and he was the easiest person to get to Wells Fargo Arena in timely fashion. This is about as close as you can get to a random beer leaguer finding himself on an NHL bench.
And throughout the day, Semborski seemed to take the whole thing in stride. He never ended up playing in the Blackhawks’ 3-1 loss to the Flyers, but his pleasure in being part of an NHL team for a day was readily apparent.
Before the game, he got to skate around the ice with the team in his No. 50 uniform. The Hawks didn’t have any extras on hand when Corey Crawford fell ill with acute appendicitis, so they just replaced the nameplate on one of his jerseys for Semborski:
Eric Semborski. Temple Proud. pic.twitter.com/mDka8WBlkm
— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) December 3, 2016
He also got to stop a shot from Patrick Kane, reigning NHL MVP, during warmups:
Eric Semborski makes a save on Patrick Kane near the end of this. How great is this? Dude’s living the dream. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/9wqTptWTQb
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) December 3, 2016
During the game, he could be seen taking selfies with fans:
Eric Semborski is a celebrity. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/a57KLfHs1s
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) December 3, 2016
And after the game, Semborski got to be part of a scrum with reporters during which he showed how much fun both he and the team were having with the whole situation.
Semborski will not be paid for the game because he signed an amateur tryout contract, but he expressed gratitude at just being there. “I should pay them,” he told reporters after the game. Players such as Patrick Kane also joked with Semborski that he needs to pay a $200 fine for being late to the game.
He also let us all know that Saturday is his father’s birthday, adding an even better wrinkle to one of the best stories of the season. The elder Semborski turns 58 today, and got a present so amazing he could hardly believe it. “I had to tell him like three times. He was like, ‘Dude, no,’” Semborski said.
Maybe the only thing missing from Saturday was Semborski actually getting into game action. For a Flyers fan — well, every day other than today — being able to actually play against them in a Blackhawks uniform would’ve been the perfect cherry on top. Coach Joel Quenneville even said after the game that he would’ve put Semborski in if the Flyers had scored in the final minutes to push their lead to 4-1.
When Semborski was told that Quenneville said he considered putting the goaltender into the game, Semborski responded: “That probably would have been a big mistake.”
One thing that’s been apparent throughout the whole afternoon is the sense of humor Semborski brought to the situation. This could be a really intense, high-pressure experience for a lot of people, but Semborski cracked jokes and did his best to fit right in, like when he said he’d like a championship ring if the team wins a Stanley Cup.
Now the Blackhawks will move on, and most likely promote goaltender Lars Johansson from the Rockford IceHogs to be Scott Darling’s backup for now. As for Semborski, I’m guessing this whole experience will stick with him for the rest of his life.