In 2004, Dave Ayres, a goaltender toiling around in low-level minor hockey and various pro-am camps, received a kidney transplant from his mother.
He figured that was the end of the road for his hockey playing career.
A little more than 15 years later, at 42 years of age, Ayres stood in the hallway of Toronto's Scotiabank Arena with an iconic Hockey Night in Canada towel draped around his neck. In emergency relief, he had just recorded eight saves, the win and first-star honors in his National Hockey League debut with the Carolina Hurricanes.
"Do you believe in miracles?" Al Michaels asked on Feb. 22, 1980, as a scrappy group of American amateurs upset the vaunted Soviets in an instant classic Winter Olympics match. "Yes!"
Two unbelievable hockey stories separated by exactly 40 years, both tales of the ordinary accomplishing the extraordinary.
"Right now, it's kind of hard to put into words," Ayres managed through a smile that never left his face.
The Legend of Dave Ayres
From receiving a kidney transplant to becoming an unlikely hero for the Canes, this is Ayres' story
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CAR@TOR: David Ayres enters game as emergency goalie
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CAR@TOR: Ayres makes history as emergency backup
Rod Brind'Amour's post game locker room speech.
CAR@TOR: Ayres discusses appearing in first NHL game