The biggest story of Saturday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens had nothing to do with the score. University of Toronto goaltender Jett Alexander signed an ATO to back up Ilya Samsonov in net. Even better, Alexander got the chance to man the net himself, playing for the final 1:10 of the game.
After the Leafs ran up the score 7-1, Alexander got his moment to shine, earning a warm welcome from both his newfound teammates and Leafs faithful in attendance.
“First thing [I thought] was, hopefully they win the D-zone draw and then get the puck out and then nothing comes at me,” Alexander said of the experience postgame. “But yeah. Pretty special! It was pretty nerve-wracking, obviously, but something I’ll remember.”
In the final 70 seconds of the game, the Habs failed to put any pucks on net, so Alexander wasn’t called upon for a save. Did he wish he had the chance to face an NHL shot?
“Yeah, from the blue line, maybe, with no traffic,” he said with a laugh. “Just to get that one.”
Though the son of a Habs fan, the 23-year old Alexander grew up a Leafs fan and was overjoyed to join the team, even for just a day. He even gets to keep his jersey, which he plans to frame.
“Just, whether you get a shot or not, whatever it is, it’s seventy seconds on the ice,” Alexander said. “It’s a game played in the NHL, so pretty cool.”
Alexander is a current junior studying English and Environmental Science. He has a 12-7-2 record with the university’s team this season.
Though he served as an emergency backup goalie in December 2021, a replacement goaltender arrived early enough that Alexander never made it to the bench. This time, he played a bigger role.
“Just tried to soak it all in once I got here,” Alexander said.
Ilya Samsonov, who faced a brief injury scare earlier in the game, was elated to see his newfound teammate get the spotlight. When Alexander was called into the action, Samsonov met him at the bench with an encouraging pat on the back.
“I’m so happy for him,” said Samsonov after the game. “Great to see, is this moment, yeah? For him, first NHL game, yeah. Doesn’t matter [that] it’s one minute but it’s big for him.”
He expressed further gratitude towards the Leafs for making Alexander’s moment happen. “Thank you team. We got a chance for another one dream.”
Ryan O’Reilly emphasized what the opportunity meant for Alexander.
“You could tell he was so excited to do it. And it was awesome that we did that for him, go out and finish the game and such. Pretty special. Great guy, amazing experience for him.”
Alexander is only the sixth amateur goaltender to play in the NHL. Earlier this season, the Edmonton Oilers pulled a similar move when they ATO goalie Matt Berlin played the final 2:26 of a game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Jett Alexander joins this list of EBUGs to appear in an NHL game#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/h0Xujp9e7R
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 9, 2023
After creating a lifelong memory, Alexander will now return to life as a college student. With the end of the year coming, he still has four final exams left.
“Maybe I’ll start studying tomorrow,” he quipped.
Night to remember😁✈️ pic.twitter.com/9VkdfGizR7
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 9, 2023
Screenshot: Toronto Maple Leafs/NHL.com
