alex stalock
2020-21 minnesota wild / edmonton oilers game and/or practice worn goalie pads

Born on July 28, 1987 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Alex Stalock was drafted 112th overall by San Jose in 2005 after he led Cedar Rapids to the USHL Clark Cup behind his MVP winning performances. Before turning pro, he went the collegiate route first. The 2009 NCAA Champion and Goaltending MVP, transitioned to the pros and had an excellent debut AHL season with Worcester in 2009-10 (61 GP, 39 wins), leading the entire league in wins. In his sophomore campaign, Stalock was given his shot. Replacing Antti Niemi in goal for nearly 30 minutes on February 1, 2011 vs the Phoenix Coyotes,, Stalock stopped all 9 shots that he faced in a 5-3 victory. By 2013-14, he had become the full-time backup in San Jose and held that role until 2015-16 when he was traded to Toronto for James Reimer. That off-season, he was signed by the Minnesota Wild, and he once again faced a similar journey of working his way back to an NHL role. By 2017-18, he had taken over the backup role in Minnesota peaking in 2019-20 with 38 games played, 20 wins, and 4 shutouts. The unusual situation with the worldwide pandemic in 2020-21 created an unusual situation for many NHL teams as they had to assign several players to something called a "Taxi Squad", players that were quarantined from the virus and could be recalled and immediately used in the event that another player was injured or ill. After missing the majority of the season with injury, he was waived by Minnesota in March, then claimed by Edmonton, where he got the role of their Taxi Squad goalie, even dressing as the backup for two games. After he contracted the pandemic virus in 2021, he was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation as a complication of it which may put him out for a large portion of the 2021-22 NHL season. The San Jose Sharks re-acquired him that season, where he appeared in one NHL game, though spent the rest of the season in the AHL. He is currently under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2022-23 season.
 
What you are looking at right now is a set of goalie pads used by Stalock both with Minnesota and brought to Edmonton with him at the beginning of his time with the Oilers and likely worn for practices before he got his Oilers colored pads he wore in his two backup appearances. This is an excellent piece about the "Taxi Squad" rule in play in 2020-21.         
 
Acquired from: Edmonton Oilers Locker Room Sale (Nov 2021)
 
Dates of Game Use:
Likely used in practices with Minnesota, then Edmonton after he was claimed on waivers.
 
Photomatched: Referenced to style he wore in Minnesota.