Put The Vegas Golden Knights Equipment Manager In The Conn Smythe Conversation After This Broken Stick Assist
J.W. Aiken. What a stallion. What a beauty. This weapon earned every bit of that Stanley Cup ring the Golden Knights are just 2 more wins away from getting sized up for.
We see videos like this pop up every so often. More times than not, it's typically Toronto Maple Leafs equipment manager Bobby Hastings keeping his eye out for any minor scratch or crack on the fellas' sticks throughout the night.
Unfortunately for Bobby Hastings, however, he'll never get a chance to make a play like this in the Stanley Cup Final. At least not as long as he's the head equipment manager in Toronto.
But J.W. Aiken? This man was built for the moment. He knows how important each and every shift in the Stanley Cup Final is. It's not like Vegas necessarily needed that 4th goal to take care of Florida in game 2. That was a complete and total shit pumping from start to finish. But that goal just goes to show that everybody on this roster is on the same page right now. From the coach to the players to the equipment managers to the concession stand workers. Everybody is operating at a high level. And an assist like that deserves all the recognition in the world. I'm not saying J.W. Aiken should win the Conn Smythe this year, but he sure as shit belongs in the conversation. At the very least, he should have made it to the scoresheet with the secondary assist.
Sidenote #1: Love to see some of the coaches and Mark Stone immediately give some taps to Aiken for making that play. Always great when everybody notices the little things.
Sidenote #2: What a shift from Mark Stone. That's an alpha.