Image: Yahoo.comBut one thing I do know is that when the Minnesota Wild signed 51-year old Paul Deutsch to play as a back-up goalie while the main goal tender Niklas Backstrom was out and the back-up may not make it on time, that is nothing short of the word Awesome!
Every sports person would love to be part of a professional game, even if that means sit on the bench for hours. Deutsch didn't start, or even take the ice during the game- but at least he could say, with pride, I was once signed on a professional team.
As a person in the news, this brings sensation to its peak. Writing an article like this will touch so many fans of the game and just sports fans in general that it will promote itself.
Reading the rest of these articles about Deutsch, it seems like this happens more often in hockey than other sports-- I can definitely see why.
Except for that legendary joke where the St. Louis Brown owner Bill Veeck hired midget (small person) Eddie Gaedel for a pinch-hit stunt, or that time when The Yankees hired Billy Crystal for a 1-day contract in spring training as a birthday wish, I can't remember to many of these. Can anyone remember a similar incident out of hockey?
Deutsch is slightly different than those two incidents though. He actually plays in a league, knows the team fairly well, and has been hired before to practice- but still to actually get lucky as to be an official part of the team during a game is a once in a lifetime experience, i'm sure he won't forget.
--La Guerre
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I missed this story. Great find!
ReplyDeleteI saw this story reported on ESPN and I laughed when I saw it. It is extremely unusual without a doubt, and it might have been a desperate move on the part of the Minnesota Wild. But honestly, it was good to see but it is so often the case that age is what takes athletes out of the game. And it was good to see with this story that age truly did not matter here. 51 years old or 75 years old, he was the best option for the team at that time and no one can take that away from him.
ReplyDeleteYay publicity stunts!
ReplyDeleteGreat move by the Wild to draw some attention to a sport that is still out of the public eye, despite the newly-ended NBA lockout. Teams and sports have done this since the beginning of time. It's about getting media coverage and putting butts in seats. Good, light-hearted move.