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With CBA changes, the Oilers will need to find a full-time EBUG

Photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

By Michael Menzies

Aug 6, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 6, 2026, 00:54 EDT

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The Edmonton Oilers will need to make one more signing this off-season as part of a new wrinkle in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.

One of the more charming and whimsical elements of hockey in recent years is the idea that a man off the street could suddenly be thrust into game action. The emergency backup goalie situation is rare: when both the starting and backup netminders leave the game due to injury or become unavailable, allowing a third virtual unknown to emerge.

An EBUG situation doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s a great story. No one will forget when the Toronto Maple Leafs lost to 42-year-old arena Zamboni driver David Ayres in 2020, or when local boy Matt Berlin finished the dying moments in an Edmonton Oilers game in 2023.

However, the new CBA has done away with the old EBUG system. Beginning in 2026-27, every NHL team must declare and sign their EBUG, which is then approved by the league.

No longer does the home team provide the EBUG for both teams. Instead, it’s a full-time role where these goalies will travel with the team and be available for practices.

But not just anyone can do this job, as the NHL isn’t going to allow teams to have recently retired pros as EBUGs to circumvent the cap.

To qualify as an EBUG, you must never have played an NHL game and have played fewer than 80 total games as a professional. Also, if you’ve played pro hockey for the last three seasons, you aren’t allowed.

It is believed that the Oilers have signed a local individual to be their EBUG for the 2026-27 season, but haven’t made an official statement. And if all goes well, fans will never have to see the EBUG in action.

In the past decade, there have been only six EBUGs who’ve seen game action.

Jorge Alves (Dec. 31, 2016) – Carolina Hurricanes equipment manager played 7.6 seconds vs the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Scott Foster (March 29, 2018) – Chicago Blackhawks needed seven saves from Foster, a 36-year-old accountant and beer-league player, who earned a combined shutout over the Winnipeg Jets.
David Ayres (Feb. 22, 2020) – The most famous situation, as Ayres played just over 28 minutes for the Hurricanes against the Maple Leafs, and stopped eight of 10 shots for the win.
Thomas Hodges (April 29, 2022) – Hodges played nearly an entire period, but only faced three shots in the Anaheim Ducks net in a game against the Dallas Stars.
Matt Berlin (Jan. 28, 2023) – A great moment for a local goalie who played for the Sherwood Park Crusaders and University of Alberta Golden Bears, Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft gave Berlin a lifelong memory.
Jett Alexander (April 8, 2023) – The last game action for an EBUG, as varsity goalie Alexander played 1:10 for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Montreal Canadiens.

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.

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