There are many numbers that are etched forever in Carolina Hurricanes history. Seven, the number of games it took the team to beat the Edmonton Oilers for the franchise’s only Stanley Cup in 2006. 17, the retired number of forward Rod Brind’Amour, captain of that 2006 team. 10, that of general manager Ron Francis. Two, the number of defenseman Glen Wesley that rounds out the team’s trio of retired numbers. .02, the amount of time left on the clock when forward Jussi Jokinen scored a buzzer-beater goal to give the team a 4-3 win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of a 2009 first round playoff series. The list goes on.
After a New Year’s Eve matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, there will be two more. 40, the jersey number worn by equipment manager turned emergency backup goaltender Jorge Alves during that game. And 7.6, the number of seconds for which Alves, who has been with the team’s equipment staff since 2003, got to live his NHL dream.
When backup Eddie Lack fell ill the day of the game, and with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, in Winnipeg, too far to offer a reinforcement, the Canes had to find a backup, and quickly. They didn’t have far to look, as Alves often fills a net during practices for the team. The Stoughton, Massachusetts native got to fulfill his dream by putting on an NHL uniform and just being on the roster for a game.
“This is the brightest stage in our sport,” Alves said. “To have the honor to do this, everybody dreams about it. Even just working out and running, I’m always thinking about it. What if it ever happened; what would I do; how would I react? And then when it actually did happen, I kind of went blank.”
Alves’ wildest dreams were truly fulfilled when, with 7.6 seconds left on the clock and the Canes trailing by two with a faceoff at the opposite side of the ice, he got the call to enter an NHL net.
“You can’t prepare for that,” Alves said. “It was unexpected. It was just quite a memory. I’m very grateful to the Hurricanes organization and [head coach] Bill Peters for even thinking of me and doing that. After years and long hours of work, it feels good to feel appreciated.”
Alves, for all the work he puts in, is a popular figure around the Hurricanes dressing room. He puts in long hours making sure the team’s equipment is in order, fills the role of practice goalie for many a skate and is an all-around good guy, made clear by how happy his teammates were for him to get to this moment.
“It was a cool moment,” said alternate captain Jordan Staal. “Obviously, the game wasn’t going the way we wanted, but it was a big day for Jorge. He’s taken a lot of pucks, maybe one too many around the head during practice against us. He’s worked hard for us, not only doing his normal job of being the equipment manager but being on the ice for us and taking pucks, making us better. It was a good day to see him be able to get out there and dress up for our team.”
Alves, who played two seasons of club hockey at NC State and spent time in the East Coast Hockey League and Southern Professional Hockey League, has had messages pour in from friends, family, former teammates and countless others. That support means volumes to Alves.
“By the end of the game I think it was a little over 100 [text messages],” Alves said. “Yesterday I think it was up toward 200, and then a lot of Facebook messages too. A lot of love from a lot of people I haven’t heard from in a long time. It’s gotten me choked up to read a lot of the things people said.”
For Peters, putting Alves in the game late if it was out of hand was not something that was planned beforehand. However, when the situation arose, the decision was an easy one.
“It was a perfect storm with the situation and the way it unfolded,” Peters said. “He can say he played in the National Hockey League. He’s as good a man as you know. When you can do good things for good people, you try and do that.”
Seeing Alves realize his NHL dream and what it meant to him to play less than eight seconds of an NHL game made other Canes veterans realize how truly lucky they are to be able to play the game they love.
“It was exciting,” forward Derek Ryan said. “It’s something that he’s probably dreamed of his whole life, and to see that kind of nervous excitement from him before the game and see him go in for the last seven or eight seconds and see the tears in his eyes; it was pretty cool. It makes you realize how lucky we are to have the jobs that we do. Every hockey player, every person involved in hockey dreams of stepping onto the NHL ice, so it really puts things into perspective for us.”
The moment presented a rather unusual scene, a goalie in full gear behind an NHL bench sharpening skates, tending to sticks and going about the usual business of an equipment manager.
“I have a duty to the team and I didn’t want to change that,” Alves said. “I didn’t want our players to be distracted in any way; I didn’t want it to change. For me, it was time to sharpen the skates, and whether I had gear or not, I was going to do it. It’s amazing to hear everybody talking about that, because to me it’s not that big a deal. It’s my job, why wouldn’t I do that?”
It’s that attitude that has made Alves so loved by everyone around the team, and why everyone was so happy for him to get the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream. Those 7.6 seconds in Tampa Bay are proof that, indeed, good things happen to good people.
Equipment manager Jorge Alves assumes his usual duties sharpening skates during intermission. Alves served as backup goalie for the Hurricanes against the Lightning on Dec. 31 after signing a professional tryout contract with the team.
