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Wild Sign 51-Year-Old Hockey Goaltender

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Paul Deutsch's pals in his recreational hockey league needed to find a replacement goalie Wednesday night. The 51-year-old embroidery shop owner was going to be suiting up for another team: The NHL's Minnesota Wild.

The Wild signed Deutsch to an amateur tryout contract to serve as an emergency backup to starter Josh Harding for Wednesday's game against the Nashville Predators.

"Actually giving up my Wednesday night game," Deutsch said. "We play at Bloomington Ice Gardens at 9:45 p.m. till they turn the lights off. Tonight's the night. I can't make it."

Deutsch was signed after Niklas Backstrom was declared out for personal reasons. Matt Hackett was recalled from Houston, but his flight wasn't scheduled to land in the Twin Cities until about 6:30 p.m. and, with the holiday traffic, Minnesotacouldn't take any chances of being short a goaltender.

Deutsch's improbable shot at playing in an NHL game ended almost as quickly as it started, though. Hackett arrived at the arena just before the 7 p.m. game time and Deutsch was scratched.

Wearing a pair of former Wild goaltender Manny Fernandez's pads, Deutsch participated in pregame warmups.

"Pretty nervous and I just want to make sure I don't do anything stupid," Deutsch said. "Stay out of their way and do what I'm supposed to do, give Harding a break when he needs one and let the guys fire away."

Deutsch's signing was not as unlikely as it seems for someone who last played in a competitive league in 1978, when he was a junior varsity defenseman for Minneapolis Roosevelt High School.

He is a good friend of former Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey and has been used as a fill-in goalie at Minnesotapractices.

And because of NHL rules, the Wild wasn't allowed to sign a goaltender with professional experience. Deutsch's amateur tryout contract fit within the rules.

"It's very nervous," Deutsch said. "Practice is one thing. I have to tell you the game faces are on. I don't see that very often with these guys. At practice it's calm, laughing and ha-has. Game day is different."

Deutsch runs a screen printing and embroidery store in a St. Paul suburb and plays recreational hockey. He didn't even start playing goalie until he was 37.

"When you play senior men's hockey and there is no goalie, there is no game," Deutsch said. "That's how I started. I was tired of coming into the room and saying 'Oh rats, there aren't two goalies.' Guys would literally go home. So I said, "You know what, I'm going to play."

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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