Coach Steps In When Goalie Goes Down | New York Rangers News

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On July 16th, so there's this legendary hockey story from 1928, the Rangers versus the Montreal Maroons. The Rangers were down two games to none, looking like they were done. But then in game two, their goalie Lorne Chabot took a puck right to the eye and had to be rushed to the hospital. With no backup goalie, the team was in a serious bind. They asked the Maroons if they could borrow their goalie, but that was a no-go.
So the Rangers coach Lester Patrick, who was 43 at the time and hadn't played goalie in years, decided he'd step in himself. He famously told the trainer to get him dry underwear and then put on Chabot's gear. Imagine that, the coach suiting up midgame because his team had no other option. The crowd of Montreal actually gave him a round of applause, probably out of sheer disbelief. Reports from the time described Patrick's gear looking a bit oversized, like he was wearing his dad's old pants. It was a wild gamble, but it shows the kind of desperate measures teams would take back then. This whole situation, the goalie injury and the coach stepping in, is often called one of the greatest underdog stories in hockey history. It's a testament to how far people will go when they're up against the wall.
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