Equipment Staff Tags In

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan couldn't stop smiling when talking about the incredible heads-up play that associate head equipment manager Jon Taglianetti made to earn an honorary assist on Sidney Crosby's goal in their 2-1 shootout loss to the Flyers.
"It was so great," Sullivan said. "I think if we would have won, Tags might have got the (player of the game) helmet at the end."

It all started when Brian Dumoulin lost his stick in the defensive zone while battling along the boards. When that happened, Taglianetti had a replacement ready to go for the defenseman.
But then, Crosby handed his stick over to Dumoulin. So Taglianetti ran back over to the stick rack, grabbed one of his, and quickly returned to the bench.
He watched alertly as Dumoulin gained possession and passed it off to his defense partner Kris Letang, who exited the zone and headed up the ice while Crosby beelined to the bench. As Crosby got closer, Taglianetti stepped up and was hanging over the boards and over the players, holding his stick out so that the captain could easily grab it in stride.
He then followed Letang to the blue paint without missing a beat, picked up a rebound with his new stick - and deposited it into the back of the net. A beaming Crosby immediately pointed over at Taglianetti, who was surrounded by the players on the bench that had swarmed him after the goal was scored.
"That was probably the coolest thing ever, because everyone mobbed me on the bench," Taglianetti said. "That was pretty cool, because they're all so appreciative of everything we do. And I think for that to happen the way it did, how the guys didn't really care about the guys on the ice and just turned and started mobbing me, it's a pretty cool moment. I'll definitely remember that one."

And while it was certainly a big moment for him, Sullivan said it was a big moment for the team, too.
"He was able to get Sid's stick to him at a key time, so when Sid ended up scoring the goal, the players went crazy on the bench," Sullivan said. "They all rallied around Tags, and that's how teams become closer. I just think the raw emotion that you witnessed is an indication of how our guys feel about Tags. He's a terrific guy. I was happy for him."
The (unofficial) stat line was read by Penguins PA announcer Ryan Mill a few moments later:
"Crosby, his 17th - from Letang, Dumoulin, and Taglianetti at 5:04!"
With Jon's father Peter having won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and '92, this means that Taglianettis have now assisted on goals by some all-time greats.
Mario Lemieux. Jaromir Jagr. Ron Francis. And now, Crosby.
"Heck of a play by Tags there," Jeff Carter said.

Taglianetti joked that his first reaction when a player does lose a stick is to panic, but in reality, he's completely dialed in and constantly aware of what is unfolding on the ice.
For example, whenever a player is taking a faceoff, Taglianetti is always ready to grab a replacement in case it breaks off the draw. If the Penguins are on a penalty kill, he keeps an eye on the forward closest to the bench and has a hand on their stick so that if something happens, he can react quickly. Same for when a player is going to block a shot.
"Random things like that, sometimes they matter," Taglianetti said. "A lot of times they don't matter, but a lot of times you just try to be ready for it."
And none of that attention to detail goes unnoticed by the Penguins players and coaches, who appreciate everything that Taglianetti and the rest of the staff do on a daily basis. Particularly during this trying and challenging season, as they have gone above and beyond to deal with all of the COVID-19 protocols to make sure the players only have to worry about performing on the ice.
"The equipment guys, they work extremely hard for this team," Sullivan said. "They work long hours and they're as committed as our players are to trying to help us win games. Our players understand what our equipment guys and our medical staff what those guys behind the scenes do to help us be successful. So it was great."