Hockey Web Producer Turns Pro, Retires In Minutes

Metropolis may have Clark Kent but Washington had Brett Leonhardt. For half a period at least.

For a brief moment in time, 6'7" tall Leonhardt got to see his dream of being a pro athlete come true. Thanks to a combination of injury to starting goalie Jose Theodore and scheduling conflict for their AHL goalie Simeon Varlamov, the Capitals were left without a backup goalie to start Friday's game against the Senators. Fortunately they had their team website producer waiting in the wings.

"Every dream come true," Leonhardt said. "Growing up in Canada, playing since I was 4. It was just very surreal. It was a blur, went by real quick."

Although he didn't play, Leonhardt — whose nickname is, you guessed it, "Stretch" — enjoyed the thrill of his life as he dressed in jersey No. 80 and went through the usual player's pregame routine, including having his skates sharpened. Teammates greeted him warmly during pregame warmups as he fended off shots from superstar Alex Ovechkin and others while tending goal at the Verizon Center.

Varlamov showed up halfway through the first period of the Capitals' 5-1 win and Leonhardt was back in a shirt and tie. No word on whether he changed in the locker room or a phone booth.

• The Devils and Rangers duked it out in a high scoring ice battle, ending in a 8-5 New Jersey win. The Devils almost blew a four goal lead before finally pulling off the win late in the game. I'm sure the New York and New Jersey fans handled this one well.

• The Bruins took down the Thrashers 7-3 while Boston's Phil Kessel scored in his 14th straight game, giving him the league's best scoring record. Oh, thank God. Another dominating Boston sports team.