The San Jose Sharks found themselves in need of a back up goalie on Thursday night as they prepared to take on the Canucks, as Antero Niitymaki went onto the IR list leaving the Sharks in a bit of a west coast bind.
With time considerations of the utmost importance, the Sharks made a call to the University of British Columbia where they secured the standby services of Jordan White.
White who quickly found himself putting any study plans for Thursday and heading over to the Rogers Arena and a spot on the visitors dressing room.
In what must have been the most surreal experience a young goaltender could have, he took to the ice with the Sharks and started his pre game stretches not too far from the Canuck's Roberto Luongo, from there he was in the nets for the warm up period taking shots from the likes of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and the remainder of the Sharks snipers.
While he wasn't called on to take to game time action, it was one of those moments that many a kid playing hockey probably only dreams of, complete but for a hockey card for the family scrap book.
Game over and his moment of NHL fame done for now, White returns now to the challenges of the CIS hockey season and the Thunderbirds game with the Regina Cougars on Friday night.
It marks the second time this season that such a story has unfolded in the NHL, earlier this year the Phoenix Coyotes had to call on a former college goaltender Tom Fenton to work the gate and stand by for action when they played the Rangers in December after the Coyotes starter Ilya Bryzgalov became ill before game time.
For UBC it was the second time that they provided an emergency goaltender for the NHL, it was back in 2003 that Chris Levesque made the journey from Point Grey to the big rink, filling in for an ailing Dan Cloutier, standing by in case misfortune struck Johan Hedberg.
Making UBC we imagine the go to school for replacement parts.
Some accounts of Mr. White's time in the spotlight can be found below
Vancouver Sun-- Jordan White's whirlwind stint as an emergency backup in the NHL
Vancouver Province-- UBCer swims with Sharks
The Straight-- UBC goaltender Jordan White gets emergency call to NHL
Ub;yssey-- UBC goalie Jordan White signed to one-day NHL contract
NHL.com-- University goalie serves as Sharks' emergency backup
CTV.ca-- Sharks call up UBC goalie for game vs Canucks
Macleans.ca-- UBC student signs one day NHL contract
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