When Tristan Jarry stepped onto the ice for his first morning skate with the Edmonton Oilers, he was already wearing a full set of navy-and-orange pads — an almost unbelievable turnaround given how quickly the trade came together.

The only thing that hadn't changed was his helmet, and while playing with a Penguins-theme lid seemed a bit odd, the fact that everything else was made, customized, and specified to his size felt suspicious, given how quickly he was thrown into the Oilers' lineup. 

Related Story: Why Oilers Fans Can Appreciate Tristan Jarry

So how is it that the gear was ready so quickly if no one knew for sure a trade was happening?

As detailed by The Athletic, the speed wasn’t the result of insider knowledge or advance notice. Instead, it came down to preparation, intuition, and a little luck by goalie equipment manufacturer Vaughn.

Luck and a Little Foresight

Vaughn’s ability to pull it off started nearly a week before the trade even happened. On Dec. 7, Vaughn's pro service representative Scott Hughes mentioned trade rumors involving Jarry to company founder Mike Vaughn. While Hughes had no confirmation — only what he’d seen circulating online — the company decided to act anyway.

With Vaughn’s Canadian factory set to shut down for the holidays later in the month, the concern was that a last-minute trade would leave them unable to respond. The solution was to quietly begin preparing a potential Oilers-colored set of Jarry’s Velocity VX1 Pro Carbon gear. If the trade never happened, the pads could simply be used as a demo set.

The gamble paid off.

By the time the Penguins finalized the deal sending Jarry to Edmonton, Vaughn had already completed most of the equipment. When Oilers equipment manager Jeff Lang called asking how quickly new gear could be ready, Hughes was able to respond with a surprising answer: it was already done.

The Mad Rush To Get Jarry His New Gear

From there, the timeline was still tight. Vaughn representative Connor Ryckman personally drove the gear from London, Ontario, to Toronto, where Edmonton was scheduled to play. Whitmore inspected and approved the equipment at Scotiabank Arena the morning of the game, allowing Jarry to wear it that night.

As mentioned above, the only piece missing was a new mask, which was delayed by customs issues. 

Despite the whirlwind, Jarry looked comfortable in his new setup and earned a win in his first game with Edmonton — a moment made possible because some equipment guys heard a rumor, then bet on a hunch that the rumor was true. 

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