Back when he was coaching the Detroit Red Wings, Mike Babcock used to joke whenever he put someone on Pavel Datsyuk’s line that they ought to run to the rink on game night for an opportunity to play in the same unit with the future Hall of Famer.
Saturday, Zach Dietz literally found himself running to the Canadian Tire Centre for the chance that he might get to play for the Ottawa Senators against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
One of three EBUGs for the Senators and a university netminder for the USport Ottawa Gee-Gees, Dietz got the call a little over an hour prior to Saturday’s 7 p.m. puck drop that Anton Forsberg was hurt and he was going to be needed to suit up as the backup netminder.
Zach Dietz (EBUG for tonight’s Senators game) had to sprint to the arena with his gear to make it on time 😅 🏃
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) December 15, 2024
( via @muggers_hockey )
pic.twitter.com/v29WKiWU8u
Stuck in traffic en route to the rink, Dietz took measures into his own hand. Pulling his goalie gear out of his car, he was electing to hoof it through the snow along the highway for the final 500 yards uphill to the arena. Dietz’s girlfriend took over at the wheel of their car while a passenger in another car was catching his run to glory and posting the video on TikTok.
“I was going to miss warmup due to the traffic and everything, but I was talking to (Healey) and I was saying, ‘If I can jump out of the car and run I can get there quicker’ than staying in the car,” Dietz told Postmedia.
“We both agreed that if I was going to get there as quick as I can, we’ve got to do it by whatever means possible. She’s as big a fan of hockey as I am and she plays for the women’s team at the University of Ottawa so she was like, ‘Hey, get there as quick as you can and I’ll jump in the driver’s seat.’
“We just changed out. I put the car in park, she jumped in from the passenger’s seat and I grabbed my gear and started running.”
Dietz has a 1.97 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in three games for the Gee-Gees this season. He didn’t get to see any game action. Last season, he was also called upon to dress for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game at Ottawa after Toronto goalie Joseph Woll was hurt.