St. Louis native Joey O'Brien serves as Stars backup goalie

Just as Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger was leaving Friday’s game against the Ottawa Senators due to injury, Joey O’Brien was looking for the TV remote to change the channels at the sports bar where he works.

A football game had just ended, and as per usual, the customers at O’B Clarks - the popular sports bar in Brentwood - wanted a hockey game on.

“I saw the Senators and Stars were playing, so I put the game on right as Oettinger was heading off the ice. I didn’t think much of it,” O’Brien told stlouisblues.com. “Then a little later, I was downstairs changing a keg when I got a text from Blues Assistant General Manager Ryan Miller, who said the Stars might need me for the morning skate. Going to bed last night, I was like ‘OK, let’s just see what happens here.’”

O’Brien was a goalie for CBC High School in St. Louis, then played two years of junior hockey in Canada before playing in college for Niagara University until he graduated in 2019. Before all that, he also played for the AAA Blues, where former Blue Al MacInnis was one of his coaches.

For the last three seasons, he has served as an emergency backup goalie in St. Louis, which means he attends games at Enterprise Center with goalie pads in case an injury requires him to suit up. In those three years, he’s occasionally practiced with the Blues when one of its goalies have needed a maintenance day.

Serving as an EBUG means you could be called upon at any time, but O’Brien says he has yet to experience anything quite like this.

Because of the injury to Oettinger, the Stars having back-to-back games and salary cap complications, Dallas won't be able to get another goalie to St. Louis for Saturday’s game. As a result, O’Brien has signed an amateur tryout agreement and will serve as the backup. He will take warm-ups with the team and be on standby if he needs to play in relief of Dallas’ Scott Wedgwood, who is anticipated to start against the Blues.

“It’s definitely been a whirlwind of events,” said O’Brien, who worked with the Stars’ goalie coach on Saturday morning. “It’s been an interesting 18 hours so far, for sure.”

O’Brien said Ben Bishop, a former Blues and Stars goaltender and St. Louis native, called Saturday afternoon to wish him luck.

“He got my number and told me to enjoy it,” O’Brien said. “He also mentioned that if I end up going in (the game), I’d be on the ice with guys that are in the NHL, they’re going to tighten up around me, be there and have my back. He said just do the best you can and that’s really all I can expect out of it.”

All-in-all, Saturday will be an incredibly memorable experience for another St. Louis kid - one who less than 24 hours ago was changing kegs and stocking the refrigerator for his dad and uncle at their restaurant.

“It’s a whirlwind,” O’Brien added, “but I’m perfectly content being able to experience this and get a good seat to watch a hockey game.”