{"id":551186,"date":"2026-04-12T14:57:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/551186\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T14:57:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T14:57:16","slug":"banker-turned-backup-goalie-thrust-into-nhl-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/551186\/","title":{"rendered":"Banker-Turned-Backup Goalie Thrust Into NHL Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

Dave Nozzolillo, a Senior Vice President at Wintrust Commercial Banking, found himself in the unexpected position of being the emergency backup goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks after an illness swept through the team’s locker room. Despite his background as a beer-league goalie and former NCAA DIII player, Nozzolillo donned the jersey of injured Blackhawks goalie Arvid S\u00f6derblom and sat on the bench during the game, raising questions about the NHL’s policies around emergency backups.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

This story highlights the unique circumstances that can arise in professional sports when injuries or illnesses sideline key players. While Nozzolillo’s opportunity is a feel-good moment, it also raises concerns about player safety and competitive integrity when non-professional athletes are thrust into high-pressure NHL situations.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

With the Blackhawks’ top two goalies sidelined, the team recalled Drew Commesso from their AHL affiliate to start in net. That left the backup position vacant, which the team filled with Nozzolillo, a local banker who has played recreational hockey for beer-league teams like the Titos Chargers. Nozzolillo, who wore S\u00f6derblom’s number 40 jersey, won’t be paid for his unexpected NHL cameo but will get to keep the jersey as a memento.<\/p>\n

Nozzolillo stepped in as the Blackhawks’ emergency backup goalie on April 12, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Dave Nozzolillo<\/p>\n

A Senior Vice President at Wintrust Commercial Banking who also plays recreational hockey as a goalie for local beer-league teams.<\/p>\n

Spencer Knight<\/p>\n

One of the Blackhawks’ regular NHL goalies who was sidelined due to illness.<\/p>\n

Arvid S\u00f6derblom<\/p>\n

One of the Blackhawks’ regular NHL goalies who was sidelined due to illness, with Nozzolillo wearing his jersey number 40.<\/p>\n

Drew Commesso<\/p>\n

The Blackhawks’ goalie who was recalled from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs to start the game, with Nozzolillo serving as the backup.<\/p>\n

Jeff Blashill<\/p>\n

The head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The NHL will likely review its policies around emergency backup goalies to ensure player safety and competitive integrity, especially in high-pressure situations.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

This story highlights the unique challenges that can arise in professional sports when unexpected circumstances sideline key players. While Nozzolillo’s opportunity is a feel-good moment, it also raises questions about the NHL’s policies and the potential risks of allowing non-professional athletes to step into such high-pressure situations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Dave Nozzolillo, a Senior Vice President at Wintrust Commercial Banking,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551187,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[521,37,96,5263,5,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-551186","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-blackhawks","8":"tag-blackhawks","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-chicagoblackhawks","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116392325506406570","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}