Larry Walker to serve as Avalanche’s emergency goalie vs. Golden Knights

A soon-to-be baseball Hall of Famer will serve as an emergency backup goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche.

Larry Walker of Maple Ridge, B.C., is listed as the team’s EBUG for Colorado’s home game on Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights and the organization will present him with a special gift pre-game.

Walker, 53, was elected into Cooperstown in January during the 10th and final year of eligibility after an MLB career that spanned 1,988 games with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1997 National League MVP and five-time all-star is no stranger to playing in net, having done so while growing up. One of his big breaks — at least baseball-wise — may have come in the mid-1980s when he was cut not once, but twice, by the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats.

The emergency backup goalie slot has been a hot topic of late in the NHL after Zamboni driver David Ayres had to fill in for the Carolina Hurricanes during a February game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now, Walker might get a shot to show his former hockey coaches he can still play between the pipes.

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