Larry Walker, who is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, has another honor in his future: he’s going to be the emergency backup for the Colorado Avalanche-Las Vegas Golden Knights game on Sunday.
Walker will be honored by the Avalanche as part of a pregame ceremony at Pepsi Center. Then he’ll actually be available to the team in the event the team’s other goaltenders get injured during the game.
It’s not something that is insanely out of the question: last month a man named David Ayres, a Toronto area Zamboni driver who was designated emergency backup goalie, was called into action against for the Carolina Hurricanes against the Maple Leafs when the Canes lost two goalies to injury. After allowing two goals on the first two shots he faced, Ayers settled down and made eight saves to help Carolina preserve a 6-3 win, making Ayers an instant celebrity.
Walker, is already famous, of course, but getting into a hockey game, however unlikely, would definitely add an unexpected new chapter to his legacy. One that the Maple Ridge, British Columbia native might’ve dreamed about when he was playing hockey as a teenager. Those dreams died when he figured out he was way better at baseball than hockey, but you know what they say about never giving up on your dreams.
