Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Walker to serve as Avs’ honourary emergency goalie Sunday
Larry Walker is trading his baseball mitt for a goaltender’s glove.
Walker, the longtime Colorado Rockies outfielder/first baseman, will serve as the Colorado Avalanche’s honourary emergency goalie for Sunday’s game against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche announced the news regarding the 53-year-old Walker, who harbored dreams of becoming a professional goaltender while growing up in Maple Ridge, B.C.
The NHL elected not to alter its emergency backup goaltending protocol at its recent meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. The topic was brought to light after Zamboni driver David Ayres, 42, made headlines last month after serving as an emergency goaltender in Carolina’s 6-3 win over Toronto.
Walker’s hockey aspirations ended after he failed to make the cut with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats. He shifted gears soon after and signed with the Montreal Expos as an undrafted free agent in 1984.
WATCH | Walker gets call to Hall:
Walker batted .313 with 383 home runs and 1,311 RBI in 17 seasons with the Expos (1989-94), Rockies (1995-2004) and St. Louis Cardinals (2004-05). He won three National League batting titles in a four-season span with the Rockies from 1998-2001.
Walker is the second Canadian player selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Pitcher Ferguson Jenkins was the first in 1991.
Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Walker will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 26.
