Almost a year later, the story of Dave Ayres and his improbable victory, while serving as Emergency Goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, is the stuff of Legends by now. However, the story of how he almost never made it to that moment is less known. At the age of 25, Dave’s kidney was failing him and he needed a transplant. Luckily, his mom Mary was a match and donated to her son. He hasn’t looked back since and has used that blessing and the sudden fame of his NHL appearance to try and bring awareness to the Kidney Foundation and Organ Donation.

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