Capitals player suffered two strange stick mishaps in one game
Game 1 of the Washington Capitals' second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night was a fantastic back-and-forth affair full of great hits and timely scoring. But two of the most memorable highlights of the game involved Capitals forward Jay Beagle, who experienced two separate rare equipment mishaps.
With time winding down in the second period, Beagle somehow managed to get Kris Letang's stick caught in between the top of his helmet and his visor.
Like any hockey player, Beagle first attempted to yank the stick out so as not to interrupt the play on the ice, but it quickly became clear that he would need some extra help in order to free the stick.
You gotta see this - Beags ends up with a stick between his bucket & his shield. Not a high-stick tho... #RockTheRedhttps://t.co/IPqdXNIKRI
— #RockTheRed (@washcaps) April 29, 2016
Everybody -- whether it was the announcers, the equipment managers, Beagle or hockey's newest fan, Twitter user Tony X -- seemed impressed by the oddity.
The incident seemed like a "once in a blue moon" type of spectacle, but Beagle's stick issues weren't over for the night. Just over five minutes into the third period, Beagle was tripped by Pittsburgh's Phil Kessel and somehow wound up getting Kessel's stick caught in his skates.
A sticky game for Beags. #Beaglemania pic.twitter.com/oporTIPB11
— #RockTheRed (@washcaps) April 29, 2016
Naturally, hockey Twitter promptly erupted into jokes about beagles and sticks, because that's the kind of thing that happens to a player whose last name is also a type of dog breed.
#jay beagle with stick was scary for a moment, here's a better pic of it pic.twitter.com/N9Fi7Z60WF
— Brian Riley (@JBrianRiley) April 29, 2016
Nice line from Ron McLean after Jay Beagle got a stick stuck in his visor, then his skate: "He's not a Beagle, he's a Retriever!" #nhl #joke
— Norman Di Pasquale (@normsworld) April 29, 2016
Even Beagle and the Caps found humor in the moments.
Everything worked out for Beagle in the end as the Capitals won the game in overtime off a T.J. Oshie goal. Hopefully Beagle was able to avoid any further stick mishaps on his way home.
