It's every men's league hockey player's dream. Being called up to the NHL and playing in front of thousands of screaming fans, and making a play, or series of plays, that wins the game and makes you an instant hero. It is the stuff dreams are made of. For Scott Foster, that dream became a reality in Chicago this week.

Called on to suit up as the emergency backup goalie after starter Anton Forsberg went down in warm-ups with an injury, the last thing Foster thought was that he would actually play in the game. Foster was resigned to sit on the bench and have the best seat in the house to watch the hometown Blackhawks take on the Winnipeg Jets.

Then, with just over 14 minutes left in the game, goalie Collin Delia went down with an apparent injury and the stars aligned.

It was Foster time.

Dream come true

While no one ever wants to see another player get hurt, Delia going down with the cramps gave Foster the only avenue that he would ever have to play in the NHL. With a sizable lead, all Foster had to do was be competent and he would walk away with the victory. Foster made the most of his one night in the net with a few stellar saves on stars like Paul Stastny and Dustin Byfuglien.

The final score ended up a Chicago win, 6-2.

While the rest of the Blackhawks season has been a disappointment, this was a big win for everyone involved. The guys played for Foster like he was their starting goalie in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They wanted the win for him almost as much as he did. It was just another way that the game of hockey is incredibly unique, all the way up to the professional level.

For one night, Scott Foster, an accountant by day, was the MVP on an original six franchise.

The emergency backup goalie

In the NHL, they have a rule that teams must keep a small roster of emergency goalies that can suit up at a moment's notice for either team on a given night. These guys are usually men's league goalies who, if called upon, get a nice night spending time with a professional NHL team.

The idea isn't so much that these guys will play, but if the worst case scenario occurs, like it did in Chicago last night, then a goalie would be ready to take the ice and keep the game moving. It's the type of rule meant to avoid the catastrophe of a team having to finish a game without a goalie. But for Foster, it will forever be the reason he was a Chicago Blackhawk for one night. Taking it all in, he even had a little fun with the reporters during the post-game interviews.
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