In many sports, the designation of “starter” carries a certain level of prestige. The starters are the important players, and everyone else is just a substitute.
It’s not that way in hockey, aside from the goaltenders.
In hockey, shifts are so quick — typically less than a minute each — that starting the game has little to no influence on how much playing time a player will get over the course of 60 minutes.
The Utah Mammoth, for example, often start their third line: Lawson Crouse, Jack McBain and Michael Carcone, as it stands at the time of writing. But they’re seventh, ninth and 12th, respectively, among Mammoth forwards in terms of average ice time per game.
What’s the difference between starting goalies and backup goalies in hockey?
Goalies, on the other hand, typically are decidedly starters or backups, which affects the number of games they play in a given year.
Starting goalies usually play anywhere from 50-65 games, give or take, with the backup filling in periodically. Backup goalies will often take the easier matchup in a back-to-back situation, and if the starter is injured or has a particularly bad start, he’ll sometimes replace him midway through a game.
That happened in the Mammoth’s 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Starting goalie Karel Vejmelka allowed three goals on nine shots in the first period, so backup Vítek Vaněček stepped in to play the latter 47 minutes of the game.
Occasionally, a team will go with a 1A, 1B system where they trust both goalies equally, and they play them as such. It’s not always the most effective system, but can be a big advantage in the right situation.
What happens if both goalies get hurt in an NHL game?
Both goalies getting injured in the same game is extremely rare, but it has happened on a handful of occasions — and it’s one of the most entertaining situations there is: the EBUG.
EBUG stands for “emergency backup goalie,” and it is exactly what it sounds like: a designated guy sitting in the stands who, if needed, will head to the locker room and change into his equipment.
He typically has some goaltending experience at a somewhat high level, but he can’t have played in the NHL on a standard player contract before. He’ll play for either team in the event that he’s needed.
The most famous instance of this was David Ayres, who suited up for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2020. He allowed goals on the first two shots he faced, but was perfect after that and eventually became the first EBUG to ever be credited with a win.
Beginning in the 2026-27 season, teams will be permitted to carry a third goalie on the roster instead of using an EBUG. It’ll be a full-time position with a full-time salary, though not nearly the league-minimum amount that typical players make.
The rules still dictate that the third goalie may not have played in an NHL game under normal circumstances, so it will still be a big story any time he’s called upon.
