Video shows Golden Knights' equipment manager deserved an assist on a goal after replacing a broken stick mid-play

Broken sticks are a common occurrence in hockey. After all, they are thin slabs of flexible wood putting force onto nearly six ounces of hard vulcanized rubber. They’re bound to break sometime!

On Monday, during a hectic Game 2 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, the Vegas Golden Knights cruised to a 7-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. During the second period of the Game 2 rout, the Golden Knights extended their lead to 4-0 after Brett Howden crashed the net and came away with a sick goal.

The goal likely wouldn’t have happened, however, if it weren’t for the Golden Knights equipment manager. Golden Knights forward Mark Stone broke his stick in the defensive zone and skated towards the bench to pick up the replacement. Assistant equipment manager J.W. Aiken then grabbed a new stick and rushed over to meet Stone for the handoff.

And from there, Stone then put the puck on the tape of Howden’s stick after a nifty pass to hit the forward in stride. This cool camera angle showed how it all went down.

Golden Knights equipment manager replaced the broken stick MID-PLAY then Vegas IMMEDIATELY scored

CLUTCH.

(via @NHL) pic.twitter.com/NFOT3BRJCo

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 6, 2023

What a play!