Eric Semborski had an experience of a lifetime serving as an NHL goaltender for a day with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 23-year-old club hockey goalie served as the Blackhawks emergency backup to Scott Darling on Dec. 3 in his native Philadelphia after Corey Crawford was sent to the hospital for an appendectomy.
And while Semborski didn’t get paid for his services because he signed a one-day amateur tryout contract, he’ll have proof of his experience. On Wednesday, Topps revealed a trading card for Semborski.
#Flyers fan turned #Blackhawks emergency goalie @Sembo182 comes to #ToppsNHL with Topps NOW! Get the first of two cards for FREE now! pic.twitter.com/MIwUhzwkcd
— Topps NHL SKATE (@ToppsNHL) December 7, 2016
Not bad for a guy whose prior playing experience was with a club team at Temple University and the Jersey Wildcats of the Empire Junior Hockey League.
Coach Joel Quenneville didn’t put Semborksi in net during the Hawks’ 3-1 loss to the Flyers, but Semborski did take shots during warmups, which he called “the best 20 minutes of my life.”
During a postgame media scrum, Semborksi told reporters it was his father’s birthday. The elder Semborski turned 58 and the best birthday gift he received was seeing his son dress for an NHL team.
Now the younger Semborksi will have another gift to give his father for Christmas.