Kristers Gudlevskis makes history with first start for Lightning
TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis made history Friday night.
With his start against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Times Forum, Gudlevskis became the first goaltender to play in the ECHL, American Hockey League, Olympics and National Hockey League in the same season.
He played in 11 games (246 saves) for the ECHL's Florida Everblades and 34 games (774 saves) for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch. He also played for Latvia in the Sochi Games, where his highlight was a 55-save effort in a near-upset of Canada in the quarterfinals.
Gudlevskis, 21, was a fifth round pick, 124th overall, in the 2013 draft. He was recalled Wednesday after goaltender Ben Bishop sustained an upper-body injury in the first period of Tampa Bay's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
