Alexander lives dream, plays for Maple Leafs as emergency goalie

TORONTO -- Jett Alexander, who was signed to an amateur tryout by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, played the final 1:10 in goal of their 7-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.

The 23-year-old goalie, who is 12-7-2 with a 2.21 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in his second season with the University of Toronto, did not face a shot after entering the game with a face-off in the Maple Leafs' zone.
"First thing [I thought] was hopefully they win the [defensive]-zone draw and get the puck out and nothing comes at me," Alexander said. "But yeah, it was pretty special. Pretty nerve-racking obviously, but something I'll remember."
"Whether you get a shot or not, it was 70 seconds on the ice and a game played in the NHL."
Alexander said he did not get much notice that he would be entering in relief of Ilya Samsonov, who made 20 saves.
"It was just 'Jett, you're going in,'" Alexander said. "I took my hat off, hoped over the boards and kind of blacked out, I guess. It was pretty cool. Didn't really think too much about it. I didn't think that would be something that happened, but it's a pretty cool way to end the game and something I can have under my belt forever."
The Maple Leafs signed Alexander after Matt Murray was unable to back up, still dealing with the effects of a head injury sustained in a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.
Alexander also served as an emergency backup for the Colorado Avalanche against the Maple Leafs on Dec. 1, 2021, for the first period of an 8-3 Toronto win. Justus Annunen, who was recalled that night from Colorado of the American Hockey League, took over in the second period upon arriving at the arena.
Alexander grew up in Bloomfield, Ontario, about a two-hour drive east of Toronto.
"Being a Leafs fan for a very long time, it's pretty special when you get to put that jersey on and just be out there and sitting on the bench just taking it all in was a dream come true, honestly," Alexander said.

Alexander thought he might have to enter the game during the second period after Samsonov appeared to be in discomfort when he stretched his left leg out to make a save. But after consulting with the medical staff at the next television timeout, the decision was made to keep Samsonov in the game.
"First thing I said was, 'Oh, no,' and just worrisome," Alexander said. "'Hopefully he's OK' is the first thing that goes through your mind. He's a big part of the team. I watched him and he seemed to be all right and he played a really good game. It didn't seem to affect him down the stretch. Maybe a little bit nerve-racking there for a second, but then he looked pretty normal."
Samsonov said he was thrilled to come out of the game when he did to allow Alexander the chance to play.
"I'm so happy for him," Samsonov said. "It was great to see this moment, yeah. I think for him, first NHL game, it doesn't matter just one minute, but it was big for him."
Alexander has one more year at the University of Toronto studying English and earth and environmental science but said he is hoping to continue playing hockey professionally once he graduates.
"I still love the game a lot and would love to explore that opportunity, but I've got one more year and I'll see where I am when I'm done my degree," Alexander said. "Hopefully that's something I can do."
For now, though, his focus lies with his four remaining exams.
"Maybe I'll start studying tomorrow," he said.