The NHL’s emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) rules can create some amazing stories.
On Tuesday night, the San Jose Sharks backup goalie is actually a geologist.
The Sharks were without Yaroslav Aksarov due to illness. That pressed Alex Nedelkovic into a second consecutive start.
And more notably, it meant the Sharks signed Justin Kowalkoski for the night.
Kowalkoski is an EBUG, a goalie nearby that can stand in if a team is without a goaltender.
These guys aren’t professionals. They have day jobs. They just have shown themselves to have enough of a goalie past to earn this gig.
It rarely results in actual in-game action, but it can.
Kowalkoski suited up for the Detroit Red Wings in 2018-19 but didn’t play.
His goalie background ended at Colgate University in upstate New York from 2005 through 2008.
He’s now a principal hydrogeologist for a company called Roux.
But on Tuesday night, he was an NHL goalie.
He even got the traditional rookie lap:
The #SJSharks give Kowalkoski a rookie lap! pic.twitter.com/YPaqFkp9uT
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) December 9, 2025
It’s definitely a night Kowalkoski will never forget. And one he’ll get to talk about at work all day Wednesday.
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