Hunter Shepard rushed to T-Mobile Arena just minutes before the game, reaching the Capitals’ bench well after the puck had dropped.
Despite not playing in the Washington Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Shepard’s journey that night was the most eventful.
The starting goalie for the Hershey Bears, Shepard was called up to the Capitals at the last minute as Charlie Lindgren couldn’t play or back up Darcy Kuemper.
Initially, Lindgren was absent from the morning activities due to “body maintenance,” but later in the night, he was ruled out due to an illness.
Having been in Charlotte with the Bears, Shepard had to hastily arrange a cross-country flight to Las Vegas. He made it to T-Mobile Arena at 9:55 pm, just 15 minutes before the puck dropped.
#ALLCAPS Hunter Sheperd arrived to the arena less than 20 minutes ago lol pic.twitter.com/6KpG9ypr17
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) December 3, 2023
Commenting on the situation, Monumental Sports Network’s Joe Beninati mentioned, “Hunter Shepard just flew cross-country and arrived at the building with his gear not too long ago,” while Craig Laughlin added that Shepard had a quick warm-up and was ready to serve as a backup for Carbery’s team.
Although Shepard arrived officially with 15:38 left in the first period, the Capitals had only one goaltender available for the first four minutes and 22 seconds of the game, as Shepard did not play a single second.
#ALLCAPS Sheperd on the bench now pic.twitter.com/EuO60MK1dp
— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) December 3, 2023
Shepard’s travel challenges weren’t the only problems faced by Capitals goaltenders that night. Kuemper, who was also reportedly sick according to the Vegas Golden Knights’ telecast, persevered and played. Despite stopping 32 of 35 shots, Kuemper lost his seventh game in 12 appearances this season.
In response to inquiries about Kuemper’s health, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery stated, “He was good enough to go,” indicating that Kuemper was not at 100 percent.
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