Ayres is a native of Whitby, Ontario, and grew up playing youth ice hockey and camps in the town. His late father, Bob, and his brother, Chris, were also goaltenders. He became ill and required a kidney transplant in 2004. Ayres worked as a building operator at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, which is the home arena for the Toronto Marlies. His job responsibilities occasionally included maintenance and operating an ice resurfacer, which gave him the "Zamboni driver" moniker used in news articles about his NHL debut. The Marlies equipment man found out he was a goalie and coach, so head coach Sheldon Keefe started using him as a goaltender at practice when an extra man was needed, as did the Maple Leafs.
Hockey career
Ayres played eight games with the Norwood Vipers of the Allan Cup Hockey League in 2014. As a goaltender, he allowed 58 goals, had a.777 save percentage and an 0–8 record. Ayres has served as a backup to both the Toronto Marlies and Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League, the primary affiliates of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively.
NHL appearance
On February 22, both of the Carolina Hurricanes' goaltenders, James Reimer and Petr Mrazek, were injured during a game against the Maple Leafs. Ayres entered the game during the second period as the emergency backup goaltender, after signing a one-game contract with the NHL. Donning Kasimir Kaskisuo's old Toronto Marlies helmet and pads, and wearing a Maple Leafs t-shirt under his equipment, he entered the game at 8:41 left in the 2nd period with a 3–1 lead. He allowed goals on the first two shots that he faced before stopping the next eight shots on goal, along with recording one shot on goal, to help seal a 6–3 win for Carolina. He became the first emergency backup to enter a game in the NHL since Scott Foster in 2018. The Carolina Hurricanes sprayed water after the game on Ayres with the water bottles in the locker room. Ayres also became the oldest goaltender to win his NHL regular-season debut, and for this, the Hockey Hall of Fame was given his game-used goalie stick. The record had been held by Hugh Lehman since 1927 at 41 years 21 days. Ayres was named first star of the game and kept his game-worn jersey and game puck. Had he signed a Professional Try-Out Agreement he would have been paid $500 for the game, but Ayres said after the game that under the terms of his contract he was not paid. Reimer also gave him an autographed goalie stick, and Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina's coach, gave Ayres an autographed bottle of wine. His debut occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. Following the game, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they would be selling t-shirts with Ayres' name and jersey number 90, with royalties going to Ayres and a portion of the proceeds being donated to a kidney foundation of Ayres' choice. Ayres was invited to sound the siren at the start of the Carolina Hurricanes home game, on February 25. While in North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper declared Ayres, a Canadian citizen, an honorary citizen of the state of North Carolina, and Raleigh honoured him by naming February 25, 2020 "David Ayres Day" in the City of Raleigh.
