The Chicago Blackhawks are battling an illness that is running rampant throughout their locker room. At puck drop on Friday night against the Washington Capitals, the Blackhawks were without their top two NHL goalies, Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom.
With the two backstops ailing, the Blackhawks recalled Drew Commesso from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to make his third career NHL start. However, that left the backup netminder position vacant, so in stepped Dave Nozzolillo, a beer-league goalie for a local men’s team.
Nozzolillo took the ice wearing Soderblom’s number 40, but with 100 fewer NHL games under his belt. As an emergency backup, Nozzolillo won’t be paid for his services but will get to take home the jersey off his back.
Nozzolillo’s last beer league stats come from 2021, when he played for both the Titos Chargers and the South Water Signs. With the Chargers, he went 7-1-1 with a 3.80 goals-against average. The team plays its games at Johnny’s Icehouse, which has two rinks on W Madison St, less than 5 minutes from the United Center.
The NHL’s newest EBUG also has an EliteProspects page that credits him with one year of NCAA DIII hockey (2000-01) with Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois.
According to his public LinkedIn profile, Nozzolillo currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Wintrust Commercial Banking and as a board member of the Healthy Schools Campaign. He also has a brother, Nick Nozzolillo, who is also a hockey goalie.
In the first period, the Capitals fired just six shots on Commesso, but the 23-year-old goaltender allowed three goals. Despite the youngster’s early struggles, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill did not turn to Nozzolillo.
