“I’ve never been so nervous in my life, but I’m glad I didn’t get embarrassed,” commented 28-year-old Hodges, who commented on his first start in the world’s most famous hockey league.
John Gibson started the match in Anaheim’s goal, but an injury in the upper half of his body drove him out of the cage. Anthony Stolarz caught the middle twenty minutes, but he was injured in the lower half of the body for a change. So the Ducks team had to call SOS and the chance to go to the NHL event was given to an “emergency goalie”.
The native of Shropshire, England, wore a Stars mask and green concrete, which contrasted sharply with the Anaheim jersey. “I breathed a little, but it went pretty well,” he breathed in the conversation just after the end of the match. He didn’t even have a name tag on his jersey, his back was decorated with the number 68, which Czech fans have associated with the legendary Jaromír Jágr. He no longer plays overseas, but this time the 68 was definitely back in the NHL. This was also confirmed by videos from the locker room, where the players received a standing ovation.
Hodges, who caught his last match in the Allen Americans from ECHL in the 2016-2017 season, has certainly fulfilled a huge dream. Maybe he didn’t expect such a chance to come. He has not seen the left eye since he was fourteen, which he admitted, for example, in an interview with the Southern Methodist University. But even that didn’t stop him on his way to becoming a hockey goalie.
“I had to work hard to get back to the original level after the accident, far more than my peers. But over time, I think it had a very positive effect on my work ethic, “the goalkeeper said. And now he’s got a sweet reward in the form of a NHL start.” I really appreciate the way my home fans cheered for me. The goalkeeper shone.
