It was a story straight out of a Hollywood script.
David Ayres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver and kidney transplant recipient, stepped in for the Carolina Hurricanes as an emergency goaltender Feb. 22 in Toronto.
After letting the first two shots to get past him, Ayres, who had played minor league hockey, stopped the final eight shots sent his way and helped Carolina defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-3.
It’s a warm, feel-good story, and hockey fans wondered if a trading card commemorating the event was possible.
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It was.
Upper Deck cut a deal with Ayres, but it had to come up with an individual contract.
That’s because Ayres is not a member of the NHL Players’ Association. Upper Deck holds the rights to NHL trading cards through the league and the NHLPA, but the company found a way to include Ayres in this year’s sets.
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