Langhamer sent back to Tucson after emergency victory
Marek Langhamer's stay with the Arizona Coyotes was as short as it was glorious.
The Coyotes announced Wednesday that Langhamer was assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League.
Langhamer, a 22-year-old from the Czech Republic, was recalled from Tucson last week on an emergency basis to serve as Mike Smith's backup while Louis Domingue recovered from a lower-body injury.
It was never expected that Langhamer would play, but he was pressed into action in Monday night's game vs. Anaheim when Smith got knocked over and hit his head on the ice. League protocol mandated that Smith be examined for a possible concussion, and Langhamer was suddenly called upon to protect a 3-1 lead again one of the better teams in the league.
"He's a real calm kid," coach Dave Tippett said afterward. "He's got a really solid demeanor about him. I was looking him down there when I heard Mike might have to come out. I said, 'Marek you might want to stretch or do something out there.' He said, 'no I want to play.' "
Langhamer gave up one late goal but made a pair of game-saving stops in the final seconds as the Coyotes escaped with a 3-2 victory. He finished his first career game with seven saves on eight shots.
"Obviously, it was tough to just jump right into it, but the guys played a great game in front of me and didn't let them come into the offensive zone," said Langhamer, a seventh-round draft pick in 2012.
"I was glad I could pull that off. I was trying to stay calm, just like in any other game."
