Ayres starts emergency fund to benefit kidney patients

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The man who helped rescue the Carolina Hurricanes during a game in February is doing his part during a real-life emergency.

David Ayres is launching a fund in conjunction with the Kidney Foundation of Canada to help kidney patients amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"This time of year, and this situation that we're in, is tough for a lot of people that are going through kidney disease, whether it's dialysis or post-transplant," Ayres told 680 News' Lindsay Dunn on Friday.

Ayres, who underwent a kidney transplant of his own during the SARS epidemic in 2004, said the goal is to raise $100,000 for the campaign.

The 42-year-old became the first emergency backup netminder in NHL history to notch a victory when he helped the Hurricanes defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Feb. 22.

Ayres is the operations manager at Mattamy Athletic Centre (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens) in Toronto, having formerly served in a similar role at Ricoh Coliseum, where he drove the Zamboni among other duties.