ITEM DESCRIPTION: This jersey is a 2008-09 Coyotes Set 1 Road Jersey worn by Al Montoya. Montoya had two Set 1 jerseys issued to him during the year, so this sweater could have been used in pre-season/callups or alternated with the other Set 1 jersey. If it is the latter, it is possible that it may have been one of at least two jerseys used in his NHL debut. We have been unable to photomatch it thus far.
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SHORT BIO: Al Montoya, born February 13, 1985 in Glenview, Illinois, was a highly touted prospect drafted sixth overall by the Rangers in 2004. Though he got into pre-season action with the Rangers in 2005-06, he was never able to crack the roster. As a result, he remained in the American Hockey League for three seasons, eventually being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007-08. On April 1, 2009, Montoya finally made his big-league debut for the Coyotes and recorded a 23 save shutout against the Colorado Avalanche. He also became the first ever Cuban-American player in NHL history. That debut also made Montoya one of only a handful of goalies to ever record a shutout in his NHL debut. He played a total of five games with the Coyotes that year before falling back down to the AHL for the following season.
In February 2011, Montoya was traded to the New York Islanders and he cracked the team's roster, playing in 20 games down the stretch. He appeared in an additional 31 games for the team the following season before being picked up by the Jets for the 2012-13 season. There, he played two seasons before being picked up by the Panthers to back up Roberto Luongo for the 2014-15 season. In 2016-17, he was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens and then after starting the 2017-18 season with the Habs, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. After an uneventful season with Bakersfield in 2018-19, Montoya retired from play in 2019. After retiring from play, he was employed by the Dallas Stars as the director of community outreach. In his career, Montoya appeared in 168 games, recording a 67-49-24 record with seven shutouts, five assists, a 2.65GAA and a 0.908% save average. He appeared in zero playoff games. |
YEAR: 2008-09, tagged as Set 1 Away (there are two Set 1 Aways for Montoya, possibly used in different periods of action)
TEAM: Phoenix Coyotes GAME WORN? Yes MANUFACTURER/MODEL: Reebok SIZE: 58G ACQUIRED FROM / LOA: Private collector, has Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Hockey Co LOA DATES OF GAME USE: Unknown NOTABLE MOMENTS: Possibly NHL debut, however other Away Set 1 is matched to that game. PHOTOMATCHED: No AUTOGRAPHED: No AVAILABILITY: THIS ITEM IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE/TRADE/DONATION |
