My understanding of the emergency backup rule is that: each team dresses two goalies, and if both of them are unable to play then the team has the right to dres

My understanding of the emergency backup rule is that: each team dresses two goalies, and if both of them are unable to play then the team has the right to dress "any available goalkeeper" in the area. The de facto way this works is that each team keeps a running roster of local "talent" that can dress at a moment's notice. So road teams don't travel with an emergency backup goalie[1], which is why they use whoever is on the list for the city they are in. As a side note, I'm a WPG fan so I've had the pleasure of listening to every single news outlet that doesn't normally cover sports rub it in my face today that we got stomped by a 36 year old accountant last night. EDIT 2: This actually reminded me of a less heartwarming but equally fun story that arose from the very liberal emergency goalie rules. One of the greatest goaltenders of all time was a guy named Patrick Roy (French, pronounced "wah"), who was not only incredibly talented but well known for… let's say shenanigans on the ice you don't normally see from a goalie. He ended his career in Colorado in the early 2000s, and in 2013 ended up becoming the head coach of the Avalanche. In 2016, Colorado found themselves in a situation where they almost needed an emergency backup goalie, and Patrick Roy was prepared to dress and play in net for the team. Unfortunately this never happened, but I would love to visit the alternate timeline where it did. EDIT: Here's the full goalie substitution rule from the NHL rulebook: "In regular League and Playoff games, if both listed goalkeepers are incapacitated, that team shall be entitled to dress and play any available goalkeeper who is eligible. This goalkeeper is eligible to sit on the player’s bench, in uniform. In the event that the two regular goalkeepers are injured or incapacitated in quick succession, the third goalkeeper shall be provided with a reasonable amount of time to get dressed, in addition to a two-minute warm-up (except when he enters the game to defend against a penalty shot). If, however, the third goalkeeper is dressed and on the bench when the second goalkeeper becomes incapacitated, the third goalkeeper shall enter the game immediately and no warm-up is permitted."[2] [1]: Other comments have pointed out that the emergency backup is often a team employee, and this can be true (often times goalie coaches or equipment managers act in this capacity so road teams can leverage that), but just as often it can also be a local amateur. Emergency backup goalies are almost never used. [2]: http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/rules/2017-2018-NHL-rulebook.pdf http://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/rules/2017-2018-NHL-ruleboo... (Section 2, Rule 5.3)