Zach Dietz tried to stay calm as he went viral on social media Saturday.
The University of Ottawa Gee-Gees goalie, who was called upon to suit up for the Ottawa Senators before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as an emergency backup goalie, was caught on camera trying to run to the arena on the highway before the game.
“It’s very different, but I had a lot of fun. I was able to enjoy it with my friends and family,” Dietz said in an interview Monday with radio station TSN1200.
When Anton Forsberg was injured during warmups, forcing Linus Ullmark into action, the Senators had to call on Dietz as an emergency goaltender. The 22-year-old then told them he was near the arena, but traffic on the road could cause problems getting there in time.
“We were at my girlfriend’s uncle and aunt’s house. We were getting ready to leave, but I saw my phone blowing up around 5:50 p.m. and I said to my girlfriend, “We have to go because I think they want me in uniform.” , Dietz said.
“I got a few calls from my goalie partners and the goaltending coach, Justin Peters, of the Ottawa Senators, but that’s when I realized we were going to have to hurry to get there at the game because you never know with the traffic in Ottawa. »
It turned out that traffic was a major problem.
“My girlfriend and I were sitting in the car about a kilometer from the rink, completely stopped, for about 10 minutes. We were thinking about the best thing to do, and I said, “You know what, I think I can go out and run, and I think I can get there sooner than you.” We thought about it for about a minute, and I was ready to give it a try, while she was ready to jump in the driver’s seat. We put the car in park, I grabbed my gear and started running.”
Dietz began running into the opposite lane, which was empty, and that’s when the video was captured by a witness. He arrived at the rink about 20 minutes before his girlfriend with the help of a couple who were also going to the game and who picked him up and carried him the remaining few hundred yards.
“I realized the reality when I entered the arena – still out of breath – and saw that there were 15 or 20 cameras. I was like, “Oh my God, this is a big deal!” »
The Gee-Gees goaltender had already planned to go to the game with his girlfriend, and he showed up at the rink wearing a jersey signed by Josh Norris that had been provided to him by a friend, which resulted in at other viral moments.
“Once I got the call, I wasn’t going to change or anything, so it was funny to see me come in with a sweater like that, like I’d been pulled from the stands as a fan just to go down and put on the Sens uniform. »
Ultimately, Ullmark stopped 25 of 27 shots on an uneventful night to lead the Senators to a 3-2 overtime victory.
“The team kept the jersey in case this situation happened again during the rest of the season, but at the end of the year they said I could keep the jersey with my last name sewn on it. »
