Goaltender Dalen Kuchmey, 19, was given the chance to play in his first Ontario Hockey League playoff contest last night because fellow Windsor Spitfires netminder Alex Fotinos was sick. The result was unfortunate, but it was Kuchmey’s reaction that made it unusual.
His opponents, the London Knights, scored eight goals on 26 shots by 14:26 of the second period. At that point, Kuchmey apparently had enough because he decided to skate off the ice and leave the arena entirely.
That didn’t sit well with former NHL player and current Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner.
“He quit on our team and he quit on his teammates,” Boughner said, according to the Canadian Press.
Boughner did ask Fotinos if he would be willing to go in after London took a 4-0 lead through 20 minutes. Fotinos said that he would play if called upon, but he wasn’t over the illness. When Kuchmey left, Windsor had to use Fotino, who stopped 11 of 13 shots in the 10-2 loss.