Rob Laurie has been out of hockey for more than 10 years, but he’s become somewhat of a goalie-for-hire in the Southern California area.
The Vancouver Canucks signed the 43-year-old to a professional tryout contract Sunday to back up the team’s backup goaltender, Eddie Lack. Canucks starter Roberto Luongo didn’t dress for Sunday night’s tilt with the Anaheim Ducks because he was hurt, and the team’s AHL affiliate is in Utica, N.Y., some 2,700 miles away from Anaheim.
Vancouver tried to call up goalie Joacim Eriksson, but he wasn’t going to get to Anaheim by game time, according to Yahoo! Sports. So, the Canucks turned to Laurie, whose 11-year minor league hockey career ended in 2001-02.
Laurie wasn’t called into the game Sunday night, but it wasn’t for lack of experience as an emergency netminder. In April 2013, Laurie was signed to a similar contract by the Ducks when Jonas Hiller was unable to suit up for a game, giving the start to backup Viktor Fasth. Emergency call-up Igor Bobkov‘s flight was delayed, and Laurie took warmups. Just 3:53 minutes into the game, Bobkov arrived, and Laurie’s quick stint in the NHL was over — until Sunday, that is.
Photo via Twitter/@AnaheimDucks
