Sarah and David Ayres are photographed in their Bowmanville, Ont. home on Dec. 17 2020.
Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
David and Sarah Ayres go to the gym on weeknights. They almost never go on a Saturday, lest he gets pressed into service as an emergency backup goalie in an NHL game.
They went to a fitness centre despite that last Feb. 22, and David overdid it big time. As he exercised, he added more and more weight to the leg-press machine, until he lifted 900 pounds. “I’ve never seen Dave leg press as much weight for as long as he did,” Sarah says.
For two years, he had served as an emergency netminder at all Maple Leafs games at Scotiabank Arena. The league requires home teams to have one ready in case the starter and backup for both themselves and the visitors get injured.
To that point, it had happened only once in NHL history – and never to David Ayres.
“I did as many reps at the gym as I could,” says Ayres, who is six feet and 200 pounds. “I didn’t want to waste a perfectly good workout. I thought there was no way I would ever get to play.”
Shortly after that, the couple drove to Toronto from their home in Bowmanville, about an hour to the east, fully expecting to be spectators as they had so many times.
When they got to the rink, they left David’s gear in the car – it’s not as though he would need his pads and blocker anyway – and bought Reuben sandwiches and fries at a concession stand. Then they ascended a long series of stairs until they reached Section 317, where they stand and watch games from the rail.
“On the way up, Dave complained that his legs were killing him,” Sarah says. “He said, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I had to play tonight?’”
They never imagined it would happen. They never imagined that David, a 42-year-old former Zamboni driver with a transplanted kidney, was going to play the lead in the feel-good hockey story of the year. They never imagined it would captivate so many people that it would prompt Disney to make a film.
Early in the first period, James Reimer, the starting netminder for the Carolina Hurricanes, suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Petr Mrazek.
That left nobody else if Carolina’s backup got hurt, so David fetched his equipment from the parking garage and began to get dressed in a lounge beneath the stands.
Sarah started to text family and friends to let them know to tune in to the Hockey Night In Canada telecast in the highly unlikely event that David entered the game. It was the third time he had put gear on, but circumstances had never been so dire that he was needed.
Sarah was in Section 317, peering down at her phone, when she heard the crowd roar with 8 minutes 41 seconds left in the second period. Looking up, she saw Mrazek sprawled motionless on the ice. He had incurred a concussion in a collision with Toronto’s Kyle Clifford.
Stunned, she texted a message – “WTF” to David, who was unaware of what had just transpired.
“The second goalie is down!” she told him.
At the time, the Hurricanes were applying a name bar to the back of a jersey for David. The game was delayed for 10 minutes until he was prepared to play.
“I was sick to my stomach the whole time,” Sarah says. “I thought, ‘If he messes the bed, it is not good for any of us.’”
When Ayres skated out, he was so flustered he headed for the wrong goal. Players shouted, “No, no, no! The other end.”
“After all these years of practice, I was very excited,” David says.
He had been a practice goalie for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL for eight years and for the Maple Leafs for two.
“I could feel that all eyes were on me,” he says. “I was thrilled to be in the net, but it was one of those moments I would have liked to be watching myself.”
Carolina was ahead 3-1 when he came in, but there was half a game to play. Carolina scored again to make it 4-1, then Toronto scored on its first two shots
“I threw all of my expectations out,” Sarah says. “I told myself to just enjoy it, that it was something that would never happen again.”
Ayres made one save before the teams headed to their dressing rooms to rest between the second and third periods. During the intermission, Reimer took a seat beside Ayres and told him to relax, that he was doing fine.
Before they went back out onto the ice, Ayres told his teammates if they scored one more goal, he would shut the door on the Maple Leafs.
“They looked at me like I had three eyes,” he says.
In the final 20 minutes, he made seven saves and the Hurricanes won, 6-3. He became the first emergency backup goalie in NHL history to be credited with a victory (on March 20, 2018, 36-year-old accountant Scott Fisher entered a game for the Chicago Blackhawks, but did not play long enough to officially get the win) and was selected as the game’s first star.
“I was halfway down the hall when one of the game operations officials stopped me and told me to wait,” Ayres says.
Then he was summoned out for a celebratory skate onto the ice.
“I have seen many games in that arena, and when the Leafs lose, the place usually empties out pretty quickly so I thought nobody was going to be out there,” he says. “When I stepped onto the ice, I looked up and the arena was three-quarters full and everyone was on their feet.”
David did a national television interview after the game, and then Sarah was asked to join him for another. With apologies to the Stanley Cup champion Lightning, theirs was arguably the biggest story of the season in the NHL.
Ayres, whose usual recompense for being the emergency goalie is free admission, was paid $500 by the Hurricanes.
The following day, Ayres flew to New York and was shuttled around in a limousine as he made multiple television appearances and met NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. On Tuesday, he and Sarah flew to Raleigh, N.C., and were honoured before a Hurricanes game. David signed autographs for fans lined up on the concourse, where one guy asked him to sign his forearm so he could use it as an outline for a tattoo. The Hockey Hall of Fame added his goalie stick to its collection and James Corden, the late-night television talk-show host, hooked him up with officials at Disney, which is beginning to make a feature film.
“This is the craziest thing that has ever happened to us,” Sarah says. “There is nothing even to compare to it. I can’t believe it has been 10 months.”
COVID-19 suspended the NHL season and life has mostly returned to normal for the Ayres’s.
“The brakes went on,” Sarah says. “Things went from crazy to a sudden halt.”
Although COVID-19 has slowed things down, David continues to get requests for personal appearances, and fans send items to his home for him to sign. “It’s a little out of our comfort zone,” Sarah says. “It’s not like we don’t feel worthy, but it is a lot to take in.”
They are a normal suburban couple that fortune shined upon and are trying to make the most of it. They have been married for three years and David has since adopted Sarah’s three children, ages 10 to 16.
He has given up his job as a facility-operations manager and occasional Zamboni driver at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto (at the former Maple Leaf Gardens), and now works for a company that makes ice for hockey rinks. Ayres, who played minor hockey as a youth, plans to return as emergency backup goalie this season – if the Leafs play at Scotiabank – and says he feels more confident now if he gets to play again.
He spends most of his leisure time on charity work, and was recently honoured for helping to raise nearly $100,000 during the pandemic for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. He had his transplant in 2004, with his mother as the donor.
“It has given me a platform to do good things,” he says.
Before COVID and everyone having to wear a mask, people recognized him. And Sarah, everywhere they went. Now, until at least the next NHL season, they will return to anonymity.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
