HIGHLIGHTS
- Parker Milner, 35-year-old retired goalie turned food critic, backed up Logan Thompson vs. Ducks
- Signed PTO hours before game after Charlie Lindgren suffered upper-body injury
- Read below for video of his rookie lap and postgame reaction
You don’t see this every day in the NHL.
Parker Milner spent Friday morning editing restaurant reviews for the Post and Courier in Charleston. By evening, he was backing up Logan Thompson for the Capitals against the Anaheim Ducks.
The 35-year-old retired goalie hasn’t played professionally since 2019-20 with the South Carolina Stingrays. These days, he’s a food editor and part-time practice goalie for Washington. But when Charlie Lindgren went down with an upper-body injury hours before puck drop, the Caps had no time to recall a goalie from Hershey to the West Coast.
Milner signed a professional tryout to be the Caps’ backup goalie.
“Found out that Chuckie was hurt after morning skate,” Milner told reporters. “Got the news probably around 2:30, so it happened pretty quickly from there. Just hopped on the bus, came here, and tried to enjoy the moment.”
The Capitals gave Milner the full treatment. Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin made sure he got a rookie lap during warmups, leading the team onto the ice while his new teammates tapped their sticks.
“I just really didn’t want to fall, or run into the boards or something,” Milner joked afterward. “It’s a testament to the guys in here that they would have me do something like that.”
Milner never saw game action in Washington’s win, but that wasn’t the point. After seven seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL, he’d finally made it to an NHL bench.
“I’ve played so many hockey games, and I never made it to this point,” he said. “So even to get here, even in this way, was pretty special.”
The full-circle moment wasn’t lost on anyone. Milner’s last professional game came in South Carolina, where Logan Thompson backed him up. Five years later, the roles reversed on hockey’s biggest stage.
Spencer Carbery praised Milner’s work as a practice goalie, noting he takes “hundreds of shots from NHL players every single morning” without complaint.
Milner will head back to his day job now, filing restaurant stories and skating morning practices. But he’ll do it knowing he finally got his NHL moment.
