Before this week, Scott Foster was a 36-year old accountant in Chicago that you'd almost certainly never heard of.
Today, he might be the most popular Chicagoan not named Sister Jean.
Foster is a rec league goalie who played some collegiate hockey for Western Michigan from 2002-06. During the day, he works with spreadsheets; at night, he plays hockey with his friends a few nights a week.
As a precaution, Foster is also on a short list of emergency backups that the Blackhawks keep around, in case the franchise were to somehow lose all three of its primary goalies to injury. But what are the odds of that happening, right?
Well, Corey Crawford hasn't played since December 23, due to a mysterious upper body injury that's largely unknown to the public. Backup goalie Anton Forsberg (2.97 GAA) has filled in during Crawford's absence with mixed success, but hurt himself in the locker room before Thursday's game while trying to play soccer.
Then, in the third period, fill-in goalie Collin Delia, who was making his NHL debut, was sidelined with cramps.
Winnipeg, for their part, was carrying a nice six-game win streak into Thursday's game. That streak has now been ended, though the Jets do retain some pretty serious playoff aspirations.
It's unlikely that Foster will ever see time on the ice again in the NHL, but seven saves and zero goals allowed puts him in the pantheon of NHL spot appearances. Obviously in good spirits after his first career NHL win, he joked with reporters in the locker room after the game.
"I think I'm just about hitting my prime," Foster quipped.
Indeed.
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