Derek Whitmore, 40, skates with the Maine Mariners during a Dec. 31 game against the Trois-Rivières Lions at the Cross Insurance Arena. Whitmore came out of retirement to play for the Mariners for one game. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald

If Derek Whitmore’s hockey comeback was a one-off – and it sort of looks that way – what a way to go.

Whitmore, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Dec. 17, suited up for the Maine Mariners on Tuesday afternoon for a game against the Trois-Rivières Lions at Cross Insurance Arena. Near the midway point of the third period, Whitmore parked himself in front of the Lions’ net, took a pass from Cory Dennis and scored the tying goal. The Mariners won in overtime on a Wyllum Deveaux goal. Whitmore was named the game’s second star.

Not bad for an old guy who hadn’t played a professional hockey game in three years. Whitmore, who lives in Scarborough with his wife, Sarah, and daughters Blake, 10, and Remi, 4, spent three seasons of his playing career with the Portland Pirates, the city’s former American Hockey League club, from 2008-09 through 2010-11. Suiting up again on Tuesday for the Mariners was like going home.

“I had zero (expectations). I was just, enjoy the moment. Be present. Whatever I was asked to do, I was going to do it to the best of my ability,” Whitmore said after Tuesday’s game. “Once the game started, the competitive juices get going. You don’t want to be that guy to make a bad play or a bad read or cost the team a goal. … This is where I call home now. A majority of my career was played here. I love the city. I love the fans.”

Whitmore’s opportunity came because the Mariners had a pile of injured forwards. Jimmy Lambert and Evan Vierling, two of the team’s top three scorers, are out of action. Plus, the team traded forward Patrick Guay to the Savannah Ghost Pirates for forward Lynden McCallum, who didn’t arrive in time for Tuesday’s game. So head coach and general manager Terrence Wallin reached out to his friend Whitmore. Did he know anyone who could play for the short term while the injured Mariners got healthy?

Derek Whitmore heads out onto the ice with the Maine Mariners during a game in Portland on Tuesday. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald

When he got Wallin’s text message, Whitmore was actually at Cross Arena, watching the University of Maine men’s hockey game against Bentley late Sunday afternoon.

“I texted him a couple days ago to gauge his interest to see if he knew of anybody in the area, and we started to go down a rabbit hole about how he could fill in,” Wallin said.

On Monday, Whitmore took a physical, signed a contract, and was issued No. 21 for the Mariners, who play in the ECHL, a tier below the AHL.

Whitmore was retired, but his skates weren’t in the attic. He’s a volunteer assistant coach with the Bowdoin College men’s hockey team, and he runs his own business, Whitmore Hockey Development, in which he coaches, advises and mentors younger players. Originally from Rochester, New York, Whitmore started his pro career in 2008 after playing at Bowling Green University. In 256 games over three seasons with the Pirates, including playoff games, Whitmore had 63 goals and 53 assists.

Whitmore retired in 2018 after 33 games with the Reading Royals, one of the Mariners’ rivals in the ECHL North division. In 2021-22, he was called back for a pair of games with the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders. It was a similar situation to his Mariners stint. The team needed a player, and Whitmore, then a coach with the Chicago Steel, a junior team, was available. He played two games for Iowa and scored a goal.

In 2011-12, Whitmore played two games in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres.

Derek Whitmore sits on the bench before heading back onto the ice for the Maine Mariners in Tuesday’s game. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald

“It was emergency time. We figured, Whit has an NHL pedigree. He might be 40 years old, but he’s got a very good brain, a very good hockey IQ, and he just knows what he’s doing out there. It doesn’t matter if he’s in shape or the best skater in the world. He can navigate the game. Clearly, he did a good job,” Wallin said.

Tuesday, Whitmore was 10 years older than his next oldest teammate, Sebastian Vidmar. That hockey IQ was on display when Whitmore scored his tying goal. He got to the front of the net and anticipated the pass from Dennis. Before the game, Wallin urged the Mariners to get to the front of net. Whitmore said he was just following his coach’s instructions.

“The older you get and the more you watch the game, you just think it a little differently. You’re just so much smarter,” Whitmore said. “Yeah, I’m not going to be able to blow by guys and make big hits and get up and down the sheet like I used to, but make sure you’re on the right side of the puck and get to good spots. The coaching background comes into play. All these things we teach players as a coach, you’re thinking about.”

Wallin set up Whitmore to succeed, putting him on the ice for offensive zone faceoffs. When the teams played 3-on-3 in overtime, Whitmore didn’t leave the bench, and for that he was thankful.

“Tough for a 40-year-old to go 3-on-3 with some of these kids,” he said.

With players returning to the lineup, Whitmore was released on New Year’s Day. If the team needs help again, Wallin knows where to find him.

“It’s nice to know he lives in the area, and he’s here constantly. If we are in an emergency basis, we have him in our back pocket,” Wallin said. “At the same time, it was nice to have his leadership in the room, to have that kind of voice, almost like the elder statesman. If it works out, we’d like to have him here.”

Whitmore was pleased his daughters got to see him play. For 4-year-old Remi, it was her first time watching Dad play hockey in a real game. When Tuesday’s game was over, Whitmore went around the locker room, thanking each of his teammates and offering them some advice.

“Enjoy the room. Enjoy the teammates, and take advantage of every opportunity they have. What a special day,” Whitmore said. “I showed up today, played a hockey game, and that was a big win for this team.”