This guide is written by SpareTendy, one of the options below. Details are based on each company's published information and feedback from Calgary teams and goalies, as of October 2026. Policies change, so check with each service before you book.
The short answer: a spare goalie in Calgary usually costs $45 to $80 a game. The fastest way to get one is an app that alerts many goalies at once and lets you pay by card.
Phone, text and email services work but take longer and usually assign the goalie for you. Facebook groups are free but come with no vetting and no protection if the goalie doesn't show.
What does it cost to rent a goalie in Calgary?
Expect to pay $45 to $80 per game all in. Split across a bench of 10 to 12 skaters, that's roughly $4 to $8 each. What moves the price:
- Notice: booking the same day almost always costs more than booking a few days ahead.
- Time slot: late games (10 PM or later) and weekends pay more.
- Location: rinks outside the city, like Cochrane, Airdrie, Okotoks and Chestermere, often add a little for the drive.
- Fees: some services add booking or service fees on top of the goalie's pay. Ask for the total before you book.
How to rent a goalie, step by step
- Have your game details ready: rink, sheet, puck-drop time, game length and your league's skill level.
- Pick how you'll book: an app, a phone or email service, or a Facebook post (compared below).
- Set or confirm the price and how you'll pay before the goalie commits.
- Confirm the goalie by name and share the dressing room and jersey colour.
- Save their details. A goalie who fits your team is worth booking again.
Your options, compared
1. SpareTendy Our pick
A Calgary-built spare goalie app for adult rec hockey and ball hockey in Calgary, Cochrane, Airdrie, Okotoks and Chestermere. Post your game, then either invite a specific goalie after checking their ratings and stats, or broadcast it so every matching goalie gets a text and push alert. You set the goalie's rate ($35 to $80) and pay a $15 booking fee, or $20 with under 24 hours' notice. You're charged only once a goalie confirms, and the payment is held until the game is played.
Pros
- Pick your goalie or broadcast to everyone nearby
- See team ratings, stats and reliability first
- You set the rate
- Card payment, no cash at the rink
- Full refund plus a free credit if a goalie no-shows
- Save favourites and rebook in a tap
- Goalies keep 100% of the rate
Cons
- Brand new: opening in Calgary in 2026
- Goalie pool is still growing
- Booking fee on top of the goalie rate
- Calgary area only for now
For goalies: you see every game that matches your skill, rate and travel area, accept the ones you want, keep 100% of the rate, and get paid within 48 hours. Teams can save you as a favourite, so good games turn into regulars.
2. MyPuck (Puck App)
The longest-running goalie rental service in Canada, operating since 2006 in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Teams book through the app and pick from goalies who opt in to the game. Email and phone booking are also available, though MyPuck says those aren't suited to emergencies.
Pros
- Long track record, operating since 2006
- App booking with card payment
- Teams can pick from goalies who opt in
- Refund plus a free game credit for no-shows “in most cases”
Cons
- Not widely known in Calgary, so in our experience fewer goalies are on it and nets can be harder to fill
- Team service fee isn't published up front
- Teams don't set the rate
- Goalies pay a monthly fee and are paid out monthly
For goalies: you can opt in to games through the app, but with fewer teams posting in Calgary there's less ice time to go around, and pay arrives monthly.
3. GoalieUp
A Montreal-based app used by teams across Canada. When a captain needs a goalie, it alerts the goalies closest to the arena first and the app selects who gets the game. Goalies are sorted into skill categories.
Pros
- Fast location-based alerts
- Goalies grouped by skill level
- Large national user base
Cons
- The app picks the goalie, so teams have little say in who shows up
- Not Calgary-based
- Pricing isn't clearly published
For goalies: responding fast doesn't guarantee you the game, because the app chooses who goes. You have little control over which games you get.
4. Rent A Goalie
A phone and text service. You call or text with your game details and the company assigns a goalie based on your request. In our experience teams pay about $45 to $65 a game depending on the time and rink.
Pros
- A real person handles your request
- Refund if the goalie doesn't show
- Works for teams that don't want another app
Cons
- No online booking; you have to call or text
- The goalie is assigned; you don't choose
- Fees on top of the goalie's pay, and you only learn the total after they've matched you with a goalie
- Usually no direct contact with the goalie until the game, which makes rebooking them hard
- Cash or e-transfer only, no card payments
For goalies: you only hear about ice times the owner passes on to you, so you rely on a middle man for everything, and you're paid by cash or e-transfer.
5. Goalie Guru
An email-based booking service. You send your request and Goalie Guru assigns a goalie for you.
Pros
- Hands-off: someone else finds the goalie
- Fine when you're booking well ahead
Cons
- Email back-and-forth means a long wait from request to confirmed goalie
- Not built for last-minute needs
- You don't see or choose the goalie
For goalies: requests arrive by email and can land in junk. If you reply and don't get the game, you usually don't hear back, so you're left waiting and wondering.
6. Facebook Marketplace and community groups
Posting “need a goalie tonight” in a Calgary hockey group or on Marketplace is free, and you can sometimes find a cheaper rate. The catch is time: you message goalies one by one and hope someone answers before puck drop.
Pros
- Free to post, and sometimes a cheaper rate
- See a goalie's photo and their own description
- Agree the price directly
- Direct line to the goalie for next time
Cons
- You message goalies one at a time; if they're busy, finding a match takes a long time
- No vetting or ratings, and self-written profiles can be thin or inaccurate
- No refund or backup if they don't show
- Cash or e-transfer, with no payment protection
- You're refreshing a post instead of playing
For goalies: teams don't usually turn to Facebook in an emergency, so it's hard to build steady ice time there, and you're chasing payment yourself.
