City of Raleigh proclaims Tuesday 'David Ayres Day'
David Ayres' dream weekend continued on Sunday, as he learned the city of Raleigh will honor him on Tuesday, declaring it "David Ayres Day," announced mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
The emergency backup goalie who starred for the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday will also sound the siren at PNC Arena during Tuesday's tilt against the Dallas Stars.
Since the 2008-09 season, the Hurricanes have invited a celebrity, season-ticket holder, or fan to activate the hand-cranked siren that makes a storm warning sound as the team hits the ice at the beginning of each period.
See you Tuesday, Davey!
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 23, 2020
Ayres will be in the building on Tuesday and will be our @VectorSecurity Siren Sounder! pic.twitter.com/L4zH4Az0lj
Ayres stopped eight of 10 shots on Saturday to help the Hurricanes defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 after netminders James Reimer and Petr Mrazek went down with injuries. The Ontario native became the first emergency goalie in NHL history to record a win.
Ayres, a 42-year-old Zamboni driver for the Toronto Marlies, has been with the Maple Leafs organization for 11 years, and he was back in the net at Marlies practice on Sunday.
A day after his dream came true, David Ayres was back on the ice with the Marlies. 👀
— theScore (@theScore) February 23, 2020
(🎥: @Sportsnet) pic.twitter.com/P8Bq5BUuzr
"The whole Leafs organization from top to bottom has been amazing to me since Day 1," Ayres said following Saturday's game, adding that getting on the ice in Toronto was "just unreal."
The Hurricanes are also selling a T-shirt with Ayres' name and number on it, with proceeds going to the netminder and a kidney foundation of his choice. Ayres doubted his future in hockey after undergoing a kidney transplant 15 years ago.