CHICAGO (AP) – Emergency goaltender Scott Foster played the final 14 minutes after Chicago lost Anton Forsberg and Collin Delia to injuries, closing out the Blackhawks’ 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
Forsberg was expected to start, but he was scratched after the team said he got hurt during warmups. Delia, who was just recalled from the minors Wednesday, then stopped 25 of 27 shots in his NHL debut before he was helped off the ice in the third period due to a lower-body injury.
Enter Foster, a 36-year-old former goaltender at Western Michigan University. After a short warmup, the game resumed and Foster got a big cheer from the crowd of 21,839 when he denied Tyler Myers for his first save about a minute after he came in.
Backed by chants of “Foster! Foster!” and more loud ovations down the stretch, he finished with seven stops. Before facing the playoff-bound Jets, winners of six in a row, Foster’s last competitive action was 20 minutes in relief for the Broncos during his only game in the 2005-06 season.
It was Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook’s 1,000th NHL regular-season game.
Seabrook got the start alongside Duncan Keith for Thursday night’s matchup with Winnipeg. He has appeared in 77 of Chicago’s 78 games this season.
Each of the Blackhawks warmed up in Seabrook’s No. 7 jersey, and the franchise recognized the defenseman during a pregame ceremony. He was presented with a commemorative silver stick, a painting and a family vacation to Disney World.
Seabrook, who turns 33 on April 20, was selected by Chicago in the first round of the 2003 draft. He helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and also played on Canada’s gold medal-winning team in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
He is the fifth player in franchise history to skate in 1,000 or more games for the team, joining Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Eric Nesterenko and Bob Murray.
