An accountant led the Chicago Blackhawks to a 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night. No, really. It’s true. Scott Foster, an emergency goalie who crunches numbers by day, dressed for the game and was called upon when backup goalie Collin Delia went down with an injury. So, Foster made his NHL debut at the age of 36.

As for his performance? He made seven saves on seven shots.

“That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said after the game. “You understand what’s happening and they’re gonna have a lot of fun with it, so you might as well, too. A few hours ago, I was sitting on the computer, typing on a 10-key, and now I’m standing in front of you.”

Next week? His beer-league playoffs begin.

 

 

The team signed Foster, who played Division I hockey at Western Michigan from 2002 to 2006, a day earlier after he impressed at an Amateur Tryout (ATO).

‘‘You think there’d be a lot of pressure,’’ Foster told the Chicago Sun Times. ‘‘But tomorrow I’m going to wake up, I’m going to button up my shirt and I’m going to go back to my day job. What pressure is there for me?’’

He’s been a reserve goalie for about a dozen Blackhawks games this season, and usually sits in the press box. But, when starter Anton Forsberg injured himself during warmups, the team told Foster to dress and get comfortable in the locker room.

“The initial shock happened when I had to dress,” Foster said. “I think I blacked out after that.”

When backup goalie Collin Delia came down with a severe case of cramps, Foster was called to the ice, and the crowd went wild.

 

Then all went dark.

“I don’t think I heard anything but ‘put your helmet on,'” he told the media.

Head coach Joel Quenneville could do nothing but laugh.

“I think I would, too,” Foster said.

What a day. Now he can go back to his “regular life” with enough stories to make him a rec league legend.