‘It’s horseshit. It’s not fantasy hockey.’ The ATO goalie trend is an insult to players on the NHL bubble

Credit: Jett Alexander (© Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

I’m officially over how ATO goaltenders are being utilized by NHL teams.

On Jan. 29, the first unusual occurrence happened. With Stuart Skinner out sick, the Edmonton Oilers signed University of Alberta goaltender Matt Berlin to an amateur tryout agreement. He was needed to back up Jack Campbell that night against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Having an ATO backup happens occasionally in today’s NHL. Teams get in a pinch and need a warm body on the bench. In the past, those goalies didn’t actually play unless someone was hurt. But that night in January, the Oilers players successfully lobbied coach Jay Woodcroft to put Berlin in the net for the final 2:26 of the game. He made one save on the only shot faced.

It had to be the thrill of a lifetime for Berlin. And when it happened, I smiled and thought it was a fun one-off. The Oilers were clobbering the lowly Blackhawks 7-3. And Chicago was long out of playoff contention. Edmonton knew they had the game in the bag.

Right place, right time for Berlin. It was a feel-good human interest story that got the NHL some publicity. But now I look back and fear the Oilers’ heartfelt decision has started a trend. And I don’t like it.

Toronto is the latest team to utilize an ATO goalie in a strange way: the Leafs have now played two games in a row with an amateur backup. But the Leafs had a different reason than the Oilers. Toronto was pressed up against the salary cap. And by using an ATO goalie, the Leafs found a contract that didn’t count against it.

It’s a brilliant move by the Leafs, as long as the starting goalie that night doesn’t get hurt. It’s a gamble to dress an ATO goalie instead of an NHL-contracted goalie. There’s a real, yet slim, chance the amateur goalie could end up playing. And given the lack of pedigree, a chance of singlehandedly losing the game.

But Toronto can afford to gamble because they’re locked into their Stanley Cup playoff position. The Leafs will finish second in the Atlantic regardless of what happens in the final week of the regular season. So, smart biz to dress an ATO goalie, I suppose. It’s within the parameters of the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement. Why not utilize an ATO when it’s perfectly legal?

If I was in charge of an NHL team, I probably would, too. But unlike the Leafs, I wouldn’t be calling down to the bench and instructing my head coach to put the ATO goalie in the game. Because according to Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe, that’s exactly what happened on April 8 when Toronto gave ATO goaltender Jett Alexander the final minute of play in a 7-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Call me grumpy if you want, but I think there’s some real fear of missing out (FOMO) among NHL teams. The Leafs saw the overwhelmingly positive response Edmonton received when Berlin played. It was enough of a story that Toronto had to know that there would be post-game chatter if Alexander wasn’t also given the same clean-up duty.

I liken it to something I experienced coaching squirt hockey this season. One team sent over their captains to shake hands with us, the coaches, before the game began. During warmups. When we’re trying to prepare our team to play the game.

I found out later it started a few years ago, and now more teams are doing it. Coaches fear they’ll look like the bad guy if they don’t send over players to shake hands before the game. FOMO. It’s ridiculous and unnecessary. The kids already shake hands after the game. Should we all shake hands between periods, too?

Anyway. I digress.

Here’s the thing: I’m all for good stories. Berlin and Alexander now have memories to pass down through generations. Fans ate it up. Toronto players high-fived Alexander and were genuinely happy for him.

That wasn’t the case, however, for Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman, who chastised the Leafs for making a mockery of his team. “They’ll get what they deserve in a few weeks,” Wideman quipped, alluding to the Leafs inability to get past the first-round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in recent years.

I get why Wideman was upset. It’s been a long season in Montreal, and by playing an ATO goaltender for even just a minute to close out the game, the Leafs were shoving it Montreal’s face.

Now, to be fair to Toronto, it wasn’t intentional. It was supposed to be a happy moment. But I also think the Leafs brass simply didn’t want to look insensitive by keeping Alexander on the bench so shortly after the Oilers turned the Berlin situation into a viral moment. So they decided to make his dreams come true.

What a nice story.

And that’s where I draw the line. I know how hard it is to make it to the NHL on merit. It’s next to impossible. I had to fight for every callup during my 14-year pro career. And while I was never able to stick the landing in the NHL, I kept grinding for that next opportunity.

I know the heartache of being sent down. And the jubilation of being called up. I may have only played in a quarter of the NHL games I dressed, but I earned the right to sit on the bench and open the door most nights.

What gets me is that Berlin and Alexander were put into action by choice. Unlike Scott Foster (Chicago Blackhawks) and David Ayres (Carolina Hurricanes), who were both forced into action due to an NHL team’s goaltender being injured. They had to play. And I’m totally cool with how each of those situations unfolded because they were a legit emergency.

I’m afraid to admit this, but somewhere deep inside of me, I resent the fact that Berlin and Alexander got to play in the NHL without earning it.

Maybe that’s short-sighted. Maybe everyone deserves a chance to play in the NHL if they really want to. Society seems to be headed that way.

But for me, it doesn’t fly. It is – and should be – a privilege to play in the NHL.

I’ve talked with plenty of other ex-NHL and current players, and I’m far from alone in my thinking. It’s just that no one wants to say it publicly.

“I think it’s a joke,” according to another ex-NHL goaltender. “Guys grind it out for years and never get a chance now they are just handing (out playing time).”

“Makes the league look so Mickey Mouse,” said a 10-year pro with several dozen NHL games under his belt.

“I think it’s horseshit,” one former NHLer told me. “It’s a privilege to play in the NHL. It’s not fantasy hockey.”

Now, those quotes don’t speak for everyone. Several players that I spoke with didn’t have a problem with ATO goalies getting some playing time. Coaches, too. But it’s definitely a topic that elicits a visceral response from some – and it tends to be guys that were bubble players for most of their career.

I’m curious to see if the NHL addresses ATO goaltenders in the future. Not because they want to keep them from playing. Like I said before, it’s good publicity. But I don’t think the NHL envisioned the Leafs skirting the salary cap by dressing an amateur. That wasn’t on the bingo card.

With less than a week left in the regular season, I doubt we see another ATO goalie in an NHL crease. Maybe nothing more comes of it. But it’s still a trend. And as Coolio once said: “I ain’t with that.”

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‘It’s horseshit. It’s not fantasy hockey.’ The ATO goalie trend is an insult to players on the NHL bubble

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