Hurricanes give equipment manager experience of a lifetime

What better way to end 2016?

With just 7.6 seconds remaining in Saturday's game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, Hurricanes bench boss Bill Peters tapped Jorge Alves to cover the game's final seconds.

It was a different kind of night for Alves, the Hurricanes equipment manager who was called on to handle the backup duties with Eddie Lack out sick. Cam Ward played the first 59 minutes but happily watched on as Alves took the ice.

With the faceoff in the Lightning's zone and Carolina down 3-1, a beaming Alves took the Hurricanes crease, and watched something that seemed impossible only hours earlier.

Alves will have at least one memento to mark the occasion, as Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner presented Alves with the game puck.