Todd Scarola was born to be a hockey goalie. His father was a goalie, and so were his older brother and sister.
“My dad threw me in skates when I was still in diapers, when I was 2 years old,’’ Scarola told Newsday in a telephone interview Monday. “I didn’t really have a choice… It’s just been a huge passion of mine, and I loved it my entire life.’’
Scarola, 27, came oh so close to fulfilling his lifelong dream of playing in the NHL on Sunday, when he was called upon to dress as the emergency backup goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes in their 2-1 victory over the Islanders at Barclays Center in Game 2 of the teams’ second-round playoff series.