The cast of Rent-A-Goalie

Goalies are a unique breed. What compels them to stand in front of a slapshot hurtling towards their head and body at breakneck speed? Historically, goalies have always been strange individuals — Jacque Plante used to knit his own underwear to calm his nerves, Patrick Roy had a ritual of asking his goalposts to help him ward off pucks, and my midget team’s not-so-famous goaltender puked before every game.

With the explosive growth in recreational hockey, the lack of goaltenders has led to some business-savvy hockey players setting up “rent a goalie” services. You can place a phone call and, for a nominal fee, your team will have an experienced net-minder. Christopher Bolton, the creator, executive producer, writer and lead character (Cake) of the new Showcase comedy Rent-A-Goalie got the idea for this witty sitcom when his beer league team hired one of these irregular individuals.

Rent-A-Goalie is largely set in Cafe Primo, in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy. The owner of the café (Louis Di Bianco) is an elderly Italian gentleman with just a hint of Mafioso godfather and is the father figure Cake never had. The two met in drug rehab, and to say that Cake is an interesting individual is an understatement. He has a sordid past that includes being a belt-winning ultimate fighter and a sex toy developer. The zany cast includes his stable of bizarre goalies, an arch nemesis that runs a competing goalie rental service, a romantic interest, a well-connected city alderwoman and a constantly ringing cellphone. Cake lives his life by the “hockey code” and “protects the goalies as if they were his own mother.” The combination of the series’ premise, Cake’s history and the idiosyncratic goalies makes for a funny show, but can also lead to muddled storylines. As it enters its second season, Bolton says efforts are being made to “streamline the plots.”

Rent-A-Goalie features several cameo appearances by former hockey stars such as Darryl Sittler, Tie Domi and The Sport Network’s (TSN) Off the Record star Michael Landsberg. Like the Chris Isaak Show that featured established musicians playing themselves, often against type, the hockey legends featured on Rent-A-Goalie often shine brighter than the regulars. If you missed the first season of the show, back-to-back episodes of Rent-A-Goalie run Sunday nights on Showcase, with a rerun at 10:30 p.m. and the new season debut at 11 p.m. on Sunday, November 4. Check the Showcase website, www.showcase.ca/rentagoalie, for past episodes as well. This program should have you laughing out your five hole and thinking “what the puck” — a must for hockey fans.