The King of EBUGs, Norm Beaudin

Norm Beaudin, Regina Pats early 1960's
The Maple Leafs were beaten by an EBUG (Emergency Back-Up Goalie). David Ayres, part-time practice goalie of the Leafs and Zamboni driver of the AHL Marlies, stopped 6 of 8 shots over half a game. He earned his first (and surely only) NHL victory and even recorded a shot on net with a long clearing pass that hit the net. As inspiring and impressive as Ayres story is, he's got nothing on longtime pro, Norm Beaudin. 
That's right. Beaudin surely has to be the only ever Emergency Goalie to score a goal in the same game. The Hull-Ottawa Canadiens were the Eastern Professional League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and were loaded with future NHLers. Beaudin, in his rookie pro season after leading the junior Regina Pats with 57 goals the previous season, was joined by the likes of Red Berenson, Terry Harper, Jacques Laperriere, Claude Larose, Jimmy Roberts, Cesare Maniago and Ernie Wakely. 
It was Wakely's injury that prompted Coach Scotty Bowman to ask his bench if anyone had any goaltending experience. Norm Beaudin raised his hand, "When your rights belong to the mighty Montreal Canadiens, and you need to make an impression, you put your hand up."
With only six minutes remaining in the game, Wakely had been struck in the mouth with a shot and was rushed to hospital with a severe gash. In stepped Beaudin. He allowed one goal to future original NHL Vancouver Canuck, Murray Hall with less than three minutes to go. After having scored a goal himself early in the first period, Beaudin may very well have been the first ever player to play goaltender in a game in which he scored.
Norm Beaudin would tally 19 goals and 41 points in his pro rookie season. He would go on to skate in the very first St. Louis Blues game in 1967 as well as the being an original WHA Winnipeg Jet in 1972. Skating alongside Bobby Hull and Christian Bordeleau, he collected 103 points to finish 6th in WHA scoring. 
Full disclosure, Norm currently lives in my town North Vancouver, BC and I play beer league hockey with his son Greg on the Vancouver Flying Vees. We have had the pleasure of Norm suiting up for us in league games each of the last two seasons. At 78 years old, Norm still has it.


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