From moose calls to toilet-paper ties, meet Lightning backup goalie Brian Elliott

Ryan Reaves says goalies can often be stiff or superstitious. But when it comes to Brian Elliott, the “Moose” can let loose.

Reaves and Elliott were teammates in St. Louis, and he recalled when the goaltender disappeared from Chris Stewart’s wedding reception in 2013. Reaves, now a New York Rangers forward, couldn’t believe what he saw when Elliott re-appeared on the dance floor.

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Elliott had taken off his tie and replaced it with a toilet-paper version of a bow tie. He had picked up the idea back in his college days in Wisconsin and has pulled it out at many big events ever since.

“I don’t know where he learned it or if it is his party trick,” Reaves said, laughing. “But the first time I saw it, it was hilarious.

“He’s not a good dancer, but he likes to dance. He can be the life of a party.”

With that personality, the 36-year-old Elliott fits right into the Lightning dressing room (hence the video of him double-fisting popcorn in the dressing room following his first win a few weeks ago). The father of three — his youngest, Brooks, was born in August — is the classic outdoorsman who loves fishing and hunting. His nickname, Moose, was sparked by a family friend who was a world-champion moose caller. He’s got a strong attachment to the military, with his wife, Amanda, having served in the Air Force.

But the most important thing is that Elliott is expected to be an ideal partner for Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner and arguably the best goalie in the world. Keeping Vasilevskiy fresh, especially during an Olympic year, is of top priority, which means Elliott could be an X-factor in the Lightning’s quest for a historic three-peat. Elliott, who is 1-1 so far, won’t play Thursday in his return to Philadelphia — where he played the last four seasons — but should get between 20 to 25 starts this season.

“He does all the little things that really endear himself to teammates,” said Mike Valley, a good friend and former goalie coach. “He’s a guy that, when called upon, can be a No. 1 guy. In Tampa, you have arguably the best goalie in the world, but from time to time, he’ll need rest. You need to have a guy that can get the job done. (Vasilevskiy) needs to be able to feel he can have nights off, and Brian will push Vasilevskiy in a really good way and make him better.”

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Unlike Vasilevskiy, the former first-round pick and touted prospect, Elliott was drafted in the ninth round (back when there were nine rounds) in 2003 by Ottawa, and is on his sixth NHL team. He’s been a two-time All-Star, a No. 1, part of a tandem and a mentor to Thursday’s Flyers starting goalie, Carter Hart.

The fact that Elliott surpassed 500 career games surprised many, including him, and the only thing missing is a Stanley Cup.

“It’s been a crazy road, not that we could have predicted anything,” said his wife, Amanda. “The thing he loves to say is, ‘We’re still here, baby.’ There’s always haters, but if you’re around this long, you’re doing something right.”

Amanda wasn’t a big hockey fan when she met Brian on campus in Madison, Wisc. Her roommate had Badgers tickets, though, so they’d go to a couple of games together.

Somehow, on a campus of 40,000 students, Amanda and Brian had two classes together, and that included Political Science 103. So they’d see each other almost every day.

Amanda, who had joined the ROTC, was in her uniform, and most students thought she looked like a flight attendant. They sat in a big lecture hall, both on the balcony. It took Brian a semester to say hello.

What was his move? Brian dropped his pencil, having it roll down to Amanda, who passed it back to him. At the end of class, he asked if they could study for finals together.

“The rest is history,” she said.

Amanda served in the Air Force for four years as an intelligence officer, first training in west Texas and stationing in Grand Forks, N.D. She mainly handled pre- and post-mission briefings and security threats for pilots of refueling tankers — most notably the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. She had two deployments, one to Qatar and another to Kyrgyzstan.

One of Amanda’s friends snuck her a satellite phone, which didn’t work too well, but she’d try to schedule calls with Brian, who started his pro hockey career in 2007. They’d see each other one weekend every two months. They’d write emails almost every day. This was before FaceTime, of course, and Skype wasn’t always consistent.

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“It sucked, but looking back, we both said it was good because we had our own things going,” Amanda said. “I learned a lot. We’re both 37, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I did some pretty cool shit when I was 22-23.'”

Amanda grew up watching war movies with her father, and her brother was in the Air Force. Both she and Brian bonded over that military background. Brian, who grew up in Newmarket, Ontario,  remembers his father, Bill, proudly telling him and his brother, Dan, stories about the work his grandfather, George, did on Base Borden, the birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force. George, whom Brian called “Papa,” would train soldiers in small arms before they’d fly to Europe and battle for Canada in World War II. George’s father, Brian’s great-grandfather, wore the Maple Leaf on the ground in the Battle of Somme.

Amanda has helped with an organization called “Operation Shower,” a nonprofit geared toward hosting baby showers for military members who can’t be with family, friends and loved ones while on deployment. Elliott started “Moose’s Troops” in Philadelphia, hosting two Canadian Armed Forces Veterans at 15 home games throughout the season.

“It’s something we’re proud of,” Brian said. “Amanda’s family is heavy into that, too. Her brother was in the Air Force Army reserves and her sister (was) in the Peace Corps. We’re one of the only families to say we had three siblings who have been to Kyrgyzstan.”

When Brian made his NHL debut for Ottawa in the 2006-07 season, Amanda was in Qatar. They didn’t know where Brian’s career would take him, or how long it’d last.

“It was definitely a hard road to get here,” Brian said.

Elliott was at a “turning point” in his career about a decade ago.

He played parts of three seasons with the Senators, then got traded at midseason to the Avalanche, with whom he played in 11 games during 2010-11 (the same year Tampa Bay reached the Eastern Conference finals).

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Elliott was a free agent that summer, and there weren’t a ton of options. He bet on himself and signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Blues worth $600,000. There was competition, with Jaroslav Halak there, plus a young Ben Bishop and Jake Allen in the wings.

“We had a lot of up and comers, and Jaro was there,” former Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “But ‘Ells’ played the best of anyone in camp. He earned the job with the big club. He just absolutely plays his way onto the team.

“He’s a guy that has had to constantly prove himself.”

That didn’t take long in St. Louis, as Elliott racked up a 23-10-4 record and a .940 save percentage. He was an All-Star. By January, the Blues offered him a two-year, $3.6 million deal. Halak played in more games (46), but Elliott secured himself a spot in the league.

“When he went into that, there was two ways he could go,” Valley said. “You can say, ‘I’m on a two-way, I’m going to be the guy in the minors and have to work my way up.’ Or you can have the attitude of, ‘I’m going to make sure I’m the best goalie in camp and I’m going to be so good, they can’t ignore me.

“That year, he was an NHL All-Star. He’s one of those guys that nothing has ever been handed to him. He’s never been worried about a challenge, he’d just rise to the challenge.”

Elliott was never the bonafide No. 1 in St. Louis, as he served in a tandem with Halak, then Ryan Miller, Allen and, briefly, Martin Brodeur. But Hitchcock said that Elliott was always a great partner. He was supportive and respectful. An “easy fit” on any team. He pushed the veterans and mentored the young guys. He never started more than 46 games in St. Louis.

“The unique thing with Brian is that he can come in cold and be ready to go,” Hitchcock said. “He can play infrequently and still keep his game in line. He’s a guy that’s done the split, and it doesn’t seem to effect him. He’s able to keep his concentration and do it anyway. He’s a guy who you could always trust you were going to get his best.”

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Elliott spent the last four seasons with the Flyers, where he first combined with Michal Neuvirth and then was supposed to compete with, then back up Hart, the touted goalie prospect. But Elliott ended up playing 43 games his first season, and at least 30 the last two. Flyers goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh called Elliott a battler, having to fight for everything to this point, but someone who was a terrific teammate to Hart.

“There were stretches where we relied heavily on him,” Dillabaugh said. “The first year he came to Philly, he came in as a tandem role, what we envisioned for him. We ended up relying on Brian more as the outright No. 1 and he did terrific. He’s a guy that’s been in a tandem before, he’s been in a starter role and a backup role. He knows what it takes. Whenever we needed him to step up, he gave us a chance.”

It was mid-May of this year and Elliott was approaching the end of another season with the Flyers, who were going to miss the playoffs.

They had a day off and Elliot seemed overwhelmed. He had a chat with Amanda.

“Is anyone going to know I’m going to play in my 500th game?” he asked.

Of course, Amanda said. They had it all planned out.

The Flyers honored Elliott before a May 21 home game against the Penguins. Elliott was on the ice in a ceremony, joined by Amanda, who was pregnant with Brooks, and their two sons, Owen and Eddie, both wearing his jersey. There was a video tribute, along with messages from former teammates like Reaves, Joe Pavelski, Jake Allen and his parents, Lou Anne and Bill.

“I just loved to watch you play, son,” Bill said.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux presented Elliott with a Rolex watch. GM Chuck Fletcher gave him a silver goalie stick. The crowd chanted, “Moose!”

The nickname was sparked early in Elliott’s career in St. Louis. Elliott had a family friend named Owen Scott, a champion moose caller. Scott went all out, with the front hood of his pickup truck having a picture of a giant moose. His license plate read “MRMOOSE.” Scott and Elliott’s father, Brian, a TV director and producer, once filmed a video featuring Scott teaching hunting and calling moose, a skill he taught Elliott. So when Scott died Elliott’s freshman year at Wisconsin, the goaltender started putting “MRMOOSE”license plate image on the back of his mask.

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Teammates and coaches like Reaves and Hitchcock said they’ve heard Elliott’s call a few times.

“I think we pestered him long enough that he did it in the room one time,” Reaves said. “But it’s pretty damn impressive.”

Elliott can’t remember the last time he did the moose call, though it’s not something he does very often.

“The next time I’m doing to do it,” he says, “Is when I win the Stanley Cup. Hopefully, it’s pretty soon.”

Elliott had other more lucrative options in free agency this summer, but was pumped when the Lightning reached out. He believes if any team can win three Cup titles in a row, it’s this group. So with Brooks born shortly after free agency, Elliott started the move down to Tampa, driving his 2012 Toyota Tundra truck, which has approximately 130,000 miles on it. Elliott drove from Madison, with his buddy Valley joining him in Nashville. They chatted and laughed in reminiscing. They listen to podcasts, country music and Tragically Hip on the 10-hour drive.

“The truck is of like him,” Valley said. “It’s old, but just keeps going. It’s got some nicks on it. Definitely has some scratches. It still runs like new.”

The Elliotts settled into South Tampa, with their three boys all dressing up as dinosaurs for Halloween. He laughed when asked if he’d pull off the toilet-paper tie again, pointing out the best ones depend on the quality of paper and “the amount of cocktails you had.” Perhaps he’ll pull it off at a potential Cup party.

“Any older ex-player, their advice is to just play as long as you can,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t get any more fun than this. That’s what I’ve tried to do, have fun with it and play as long as I can, try to reach the ultimate goal of the Stanley Cup. It’s been a wild ride, and I just want to keep going.”

(Top photo of Brian Elliott: Bill Wippert / NHLI via Getty Images)

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