“I’m Actually Sitting There Doing Homework”: University of Alberta Netminder Opens Up on Receiving a Once-in-a-Lifetime NHL Opportunity

Imagine this. You are an ice hockey enthusiast and a spectator in an NHL game and all of a sudden the team you are cheering for gives you a lifetime of opportunity to play as their backup goaltender. Now, it sounds dreamy, right? Well, for the 25-year-old psychology student, Matt Berlin, it was the dream come true. 

On Saturday, 28th January, Edmonton Oilers skated into the All-star break on a positive note, as they trounced the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 7-3. Nevertheless, the game does not only have post-match highlights, but it also has a feel-good story behind the scenes. As the Oilers entered into the third period of the match, the team called an Emergency Backup Goalie (EBUG), due to the unavailability of both the previously chalked-out goaltenders. Now, this impromptu EBUG took the University of Alberta student, Matt Berlin, by surprise as he was chosen to back up the Oilers. Let’s see how Berlin’s golden opportunity folded out.

Matt Berlin’s NHL debut with Edmonton Oilers

On Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers’ regular goaltender, Stuart Skinner, was ruled out of the match due to an illness. To rectify the situation, the team called Matt Berlin, who was initially signed to an amateur tryout by the Oilers. As per the report of the Offside, Berlin said, “I’m actually sitting there doing homework and my heart rate spikes ‘like oh my god, what’s going on”. 

The head coach, Jay Woodcroft, suggested the idea of bringing the youngster on board as the backup of Jack Campbell, who already restricted 25 shots out of 28  from the Blackhawks. The young star entered the game with 2:26 remaining in the third period. Astonishingly, the 25-year-old even stopped the puck from Chicago’s Caleb Jones and helped the team to earn a point. Describing his experience from that day, Berlin added, “It was then a bit of a whirlwind of a day”.

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However, it was not the first time that Berlin played in an ice-hockey tournament. As a backup player at the University of Alberta’s Golden Bears, he even helped the team reach the finals.

Berlin’s Golden Bears’ victory

In 2022, the psychology student played five games in the University ice hockey tournament. Nevertheless, just like he saved the day by backing up Edmonton Oilers at the last minute, he helped the Golden Bears to reach the University Cup final. Interestingly, Berlin isn’t the only Golden bear who made it to NHL. In fact, Edmonton’s forward Derek Ryan also is an alumnus of the University of Alberta and joined the Oilers program from 2007 to 2011.

More so, Berlin became the 15th Golden Bear to make it to the NHL. Expressing his encomium for the young star, Oilers captain McDavid stated, “Maybe we’ll see him one day in the league”. Clearly, Berlin did a commendable job as a goaltender and helped the team to reach the winning score. What do you think about the puck-handling prowess of the young prodigy? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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