FORMER COUGAR ENJOYS BRUSH WITH BIG LEAGUES
Heritage Classic a game U of R alumnus will always remember, despite not playing
Mitch Kilgore did not see a millisecond of action during one of the most memorable games of his hockey career.
In fact, he didn’t even dress. The 28-year-old Regina resident was the emergency goaltender during the NHL’S Heritage Classic, in which the Winnipeg Jets posted a 2-1 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames on
Oct. 26.
Kilgore sat in the stands at Mosaic Stadium — on a justin-case basis — alongside his girlfriend, Ashton Lowry.
“It was a cool situation, a cool gig,” the former University of Regina Cougars and Weyburn Red Wings netminder said. “All in all, it was a great experience.
“I can’t thank the Jets enough for hooking me up. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
An unforgettable NHL game was played last Saturday when emergency goalie David Ayres
— a 42-year-old Zamboni driver — manned the crease for the final 28 minutes for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 6-3 victory over the host Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ayres — who was named the first star after stopping eight of 10 shots — was pressed into duty after Hurricanes goalies James Reimer and Petr Mrazek were injured.
The Ayres story immediately went viral, with the buzz continuing into the early part of the week. He made the talk show rounds on Monday.
Kilgore, not to be outdone, was interviewed by the Leader-post.
His services were required by the Jets because they were technically the home team for the neutral-site outdoor game. Therefore, they were responsible for ensuring an emergency backup goaltender — someone who was available to play for either team — was on the premises.
With that in mind, Jets assistant general manager Craig Heisinger reached out to Regina’s Todd Liskowich, a longtime friend. A few names were thrown around, with the assistance of former Cougars and Regina Pats goalie Rod Houk, and given to Heisinger.
While all of that was percolating, Kilgore was at the Lowry family’s cabin in Invermere, B.C., for Thanksgiving weekend.
“I got a call from a Manitoba number,” Kilgore recalled. “I answer the phone and there’s this gentleman on the other end, introducing himself as the assistant GM for the Winnipeg Jets, Craig Heisinger.
“My first thought is, ‘This isn’t happening. Someone’s screwing with me.’ I probably sounded like an idiot on the other end of the phone, because I wasn’t saying anything. I was just processing it at this point. As he keeps talking, I’m thinking, ‘This is actually him. He sounds legit.’
“My second thought was,
‘What does he want with me?’ I haven’t played elite hockey, so to speak, since the Cougars, which was three years ago. I’m just a washed-up senior goalie at this point.”
The Outlook-born Kilgore has been tending goal for the Qu’appelle Valley Hockey League’s Grenfell Spitfires since graduating from the Cougars men’s hockey program in 2017.
He had been awarded No. 32 shortly after accessing Mosaic Stadium, via the players’ entrance, in the early hours of a numbingly cold October evening.
“I met their staff there and they came up with a swag bag of sorts, loaded with all the Jets gear you can possibly imagine,” said Kilgore, a financial accountant with Group Medical Services. “I’ve handed out three or four sets of gear to close friends and family.
“The cool part was I got my own authentic NHL jersey, with my name bar on it. In case I did have to go downstairs and get dressed, that was the jersey I was going to wear.”
Kilgore was also given two seats, which were occupied by himself and Lowry. Shawna Kilgore and Eric Johnson bought game tickets just in case their son ended up making his NHL debut.
It was not to be. All four goalies emerged from the game unscathed. In fact, the only netminder who experienced any discomfort was the emergency backup.
“After the game, we didn’t do much,” Kilgore said. “I just got home ASAP and tried to get the feeling back in my toes.”
The toes eventually thawed out. The precious memories, however, are frozen in time.
My first thought is, ‘This isn’t happening. Someone’s screwing with me.’