Coyotes award championship belt to banker/bather-turned-backup-goalie
Nathan Schoenfeld thought he had his hands full bathing his twin 5-week-old boys at about 6 o'clock on Monday night. Then his father-in-law texted him.
"Pack your bag," Stan Wilson told Schoenfeld.
Wilson is the Arizona Coyotes' head equipment manager. And backup goalie Anders Lindback had just suffered an Achilles' tendon injury. With about an hour to spare before the Coyotes took the ice vs. Montreal, Wilson turned to the club's designated emergency goalie â Schoenfeld, who makes a living as a banker and had Monday off for Presidents Day.
"I was at home with my wife," Schoenfeld told FOX Sports Arizona's Todd Walsh, "we were bathing our twin boys, and I told her 'I'm sorry, I've got to leave, I got the call.'
"It was a little bit of a panic, packed my bag, and I got here just in time."
With traffic lighter than usual because of the holiday, Schoenfeld was able to make it Gila River Arena in about 30 minutes, sign an Amateur Tryout Agreement and put on the No. 40 uniform in time to take the ice before puck drop.
"There wasn't much reading," Schoenfeld said of the paperwork. "It was signing and dressing at the same time."
Schoenfeld wasn't needed in the game -- Louis Domingue stayed healthy and played the entire way in the Coyotes' 6-2 win.
"The way we played tonight, I thought he (Schoenfeld) would have made it OK," Domingue told the media after the game.
Schoenfeld is the son of Jim Schoenfeld, a former NHL defensemen and Coyotes head coach from 1997-99 who is currently an assistant general manager with the New York Rangers.
He told Walsh he had enough time to call his father and notify him.
"I called him before I got here, I asked him does New York have any scouts at the rink," Schoenfeld said. "I said 'Hey, if you do, you might want to check out the backup goaltender tonight.' I think he made a few calls to see if anyone's around here."
Before Schoenfeld headed home and back to his life as a father and banker, he was awarded the player-of-the-game championship belt.
"There was no question about that," said Martin Hanzal, who had a goal and two assists in the victory. "He's the lucky charm now. That means he's got to give it away. He's got to play the next game."
Schoenfeld, 31, skates with the team during the offseason and plays, recreationally, with the Coyotes alumni team. His last competitive game was 10 years ago for the Arizona State club hockey team.
Every NHL team is required to give the league the name of a goalie in the home market who could dress in case of an emergency.
Schoenfeld lingered in the locker room, uniform still on, for quite some time after the victory, soaking in the moment.
"I was just going to keep my jersey on and stay here as long as I could, but I think eventually I'll have to go home," Schoenfeld said.
His enthusiasm wasn't lost on the rest on his teammates for a day.
"It was fun to see a guy sit in there after the game in his equipment and take it all in," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.
"He's been around the game a long time with his dad, but just sitting in the dressing room, on the bench, the action, I'm sure it's a thrill for him. It's one of those feel good stories, and the guys are all happy for him."
Schoenfeld was back at the bank on Tuesday morning, but only to recount the experience for his co-workers. Then it was back on the ice for Tuesday's practice, since Niklas Treutle, recalled from the American Hockey League to serve as Domingue's backup, was still en route.
"They take it easy until you stop one and then they try a little bit harder, but I got a few saves in there," he said. "It wasn't too bad."
As much as he enjoyed getting involved in some action, it couldn't match the thrill of Monday night.
"The game was a little surreal, especially the way it went, with the win, Doaner giving me the belt," he said. "Those are just things you can't imagine at all."
Back to reality pic.twitter.com/VVe9B9zYPH
— Nathan Anders (@NathanAnders6) February 16, 2016
