The Accountant Who Played 14 Minutes of Perfect Hockey

On an unbelievable night in March 2018, 36-year-old accountant Scott Foster was pulled from the stands to play goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks. In 14 minutes of flawless play, the unpaid amateur stopped every shot he faced and became a legend.

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From Debit to Deferense

The journey from a desk to the center of a professional sports arena is usually one of years, not hours. For Scott Foster, it was the distance between his accounting job at Golub Capital and his seat in Chicago’s United Center. On the evening of March 29, 2018, the 36-year-old father, who played college hockey for Western Michigan over a decade earlier, was at the game to perform a specific, and usually unnecessary, duty: to be the Emergency Backup Goaltender. It was a role he’d performed dozens of times without incident, a kind of living fire extinguisher kept behind glass. But on this night, the glass would shatter.

A Cascade of Calamity

The trouble began before the first puck even dropped. The Chicago Blackhawks’ starting goalie, Anton Forsberg, suffered a lower-body injury during warmups. This thrust backup Collin Delia into the starting role, a significant moment for the young player making just his first NHL start. Foster, watching from the press box while likely eating a hot dog, was officially activated. He went from spectator to on-call professional. The night was already unusual, but it was about to become legendary. Midway through the third period, with the Blackhawks leading the formidable Winnipeg Jets 6-2, Delia went down with cramps, unable to continue. A quiet panic turned into a surreal reality. An announcement echoed through the arena: Scott Foster, accountant, was going in.

Fourteen Minutes of Perfection

After signing a one-day amateur tryout contract for the grand sum of zero dollars, Foster strapped on the pads and skated onto the ice. The crowd, initially confused, quickly rallied behind the ultimate underdog, chanting “Foster! Foster!” as he took his position in the net. He faced a daunting task: 14 minutes and 1 second against one of the league’s top teams. What happened next belongs in a storybook. Foster didn’t just survive; he dominated. He turned away all seven shots he faced, including attempts from stars like Patrik Laine and Dustin Byfuglien. His movements weren’t just lucky; they were technically sound, a testament to the muscle memory forged in his college days and kept alive in recreational leagues. When the final horn sounded, his teammates swarmed him in a jubilant mob. He had not only preserved the win but had also recorded a perfect 1.000 save percentage, a statistical impossibility for a man who had been crunching numbers that morning.

The Everyman Hero

In the aftermath, Foster was named the game’s “First Star,” an honor typically reserved for the league’s elite. His post-game interview became an instant classic, his humble, almost bewildered demeanor endearing him to millions.

“I'm an accountant by day,” he told reporters, a line that perfectly encapsulated the absurdity of the moment. “A couple hours ago I was sitting on my computer, typing on a 10-key. And now I’m standing in front of you guys.”

His story was more than a sports anomaly; it was the manifestation of a universal fantasy. It tapped into the dream of getting that one unexpected call-up, the second chance long after the window seemed closed. In a world of highly paid, specialized athletes, Scott Foster’s perfect night was a powerful reminder that sometimes, the most extraordinary moments are born from the most ordinary lives. The NHL has since amended its rules to ensure designated backup goalies are more readily available, making a true “man from the crowd” scenario like Foster’s even less likely to ever happen again, cementing his singular achievement in the annals of sport.

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