What Is an EBUG? The NHL’s Most Unusual Role, Explained by a Fan Favorite

The creation of this article included the use of AI and was edited by human content creators. Read more on our AI policy here.

You’ve probably seen the clips. A random guy in street clothes suddenly suiting up in an NHL locker room. The crowd going absolutely nuts when he takes the ice. 

Maybe you caught it on TikTok, or your buddy texted you a video with the caption “bro is this real??”

It’s real. And they’re known as an EBUG: one of the most delightfully bizarre things in all of professional sports.

A day in the life of an actual EBUG

On Oct. 9, Timm Chiusano — a former marketing executive who has built a massive following with his “day in the life” content — dropped a TikTok that had hockey fans everywhere finally understanding one of the NHL’s strangest secrets.

In the video, Chiusano pulls back the curtain on his gig as a double-emergency backup goalie, calling it “one of the strangest positions in sports.”

And honestly? That might be an understatement.