Zamboni driver Ayres helps Hurricanes win as EBUG, lights up social media

David Ayres went from Zamboni driver to toast of the NHL in a matter of 28 minutes and 41 seconds.

The 42-year-old Zamboni driver for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL was pressed into duty as the Carolina Hurricanes emergency backup goalie (EBUG) and helped deliver them to a 6-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Ayres was called upon after James Reimer left the game with a lower body injury and Petr Mrazek was knocked out of the game after colliding with Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford.
Ayres, who has spent the past five years as operations manager at Mattamy Athletic Centre, the former Maple Leaf Gardens, played the final 28:41 and stopped eight of the 10 shots he faced.
His victory on was reminiscent of the last time an
EBUG saw extended game action, when Scott Foster stopped all seven shots he faced
for the Chicago Blackhawks to help defeat the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 on March 30, 2018. Foster, though, was
far from the only unique EBUG story
.
Unlike Foster, however, who entered his game with just over 13 minutes left in that game, Ayres was the goalie of record and earned the win for Carolina.
During the game, nerves and tensions were high, and the Hurricanes were tweeting through it.

Ayres' wife, Sarah, also shared some thoughts on social media. (We can show most of them here.)

"She's still alive? I'm surprised she hasn't dropped dead! Poor girl," joked Ayers a postgame interview.
Nothing to worry about of course.
The tweets started piling up after the Hurricanes win. Ayres was of course named the game's first star.
The AHL had to take some credit for Ayres standout play.

The Durham Bulls were inquiring about adding Ayres as a catcher.

Roy Cooper, the governor of North Carolina, wants to make Ayres an honorary citizen of the state.

Recently retired goalie Roberto Luongo, as usual, had a joke to make.

Plenty of Hurricanes players chimed in, summed up best by forward Jordan Martinook, who led the "DAVEY, DAVEY!" chants on the way to the locker room.

And, of course, Ayres got a post-game shower from his new teammates.

"I never thought I was going to play hockey again," said Ayres, referring to the kidney transplant he had 15 years ago. "Started with the Marlies and it's been eight years with the Marlies and I guess three with the Leafs now... To be able to get on the ice, here in Toronto, all the fans... it's unreal."