One day as a young Texas middle schooler, Jorge Lopez was in the stands watching the Laredo Bucks of the Central Hockey League practice.

Suddenly, someone down below was trying to get his attention. It was Rusty Aldridge, the Bucks’ equipment manager.

Lopez helped Aldrige out, and his life changed forever.

“I was in the right place at the right time, I guess,” said Lopez, who is currently the head equipment manager for the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights. “I was ready to do it, [but] I was nervous. I would fill up water bottles and fold towels. I was excited to see the back of the arena and the players.”

The Laredo, Texas, native has come a long way since then. He’s been an equipment manager since the 2008-09 season with the Bucks and got his first head equipment manager position in 2010-11 with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Huntsville Havoc in Alabama.

Lopez had a stint with the Texas Stars of the AHL from 2012-15 where he was able to lift the Calder Cup in 2014. Since the Silver Knights are an affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, and he assists pre and postseason with equipment, he was able to hoist the Stanley Cup when they won it all in 2023. He even has a ring from the Golden Knights’ championship run. 

He’s worked for teams in Utah, North Carolina and Mississippi. These days, he travels with the Silver Knights to AHL locales like Milwaukee, San Diego, Toronto and Abbotsford, British Columbia. 

In other words, he’s been able to see much of the world thanks to hockey. 

All because he happened to be paying attention one day in an arena in Laredo, Texas. Funny how life works. 

To say Lopez is a busy man would be a huge understatement. In his words, he’s involved in “anything and everything.” For example, the Silver Knights practice every day from 11 a.m. to around noon. You’ll find Lopez running around like a madman making sure every player’s equipment is ready to go. 

Keep in mind most players have custom skates and gloves, and some require alterations to jerseys to ensure comfort. He checks every player’s blades to make sure they are sharp and sets out bottles, towels and pucks on the bench.

That’s just for practice. Game days are easily 18 hours, and during a game, he’s on the bench, waiting for sticks to break and blades to be swapped in.

“If a guy breaks a stick, I have to pay attention to see who broke his stick, so within two seconds I have to get it out there,” he said.

But his job is more than just equipment.

“I have to roll with the punches and talk to 25 different personalities,” Lopez said. “You have the Canadians and Americans and Europeans, and you have to know how to speak to them and connect with them. It’s very long hours. If you come off as grumpy, guys will notice.”

His career has since taken him, his wife, Rachel, their 4-year-old son, Leo, and four-month-old daughter, Emery, to just south of Las Vegas.

Lopez’s journey has helped him see the growth of Hispanic interest in hockey.

“You see it in the stands in Las Vegas and how many Hispanics there are,” he said, adding that the opportunities in hockey are many, including athletic training, broadcasting, ticketing and dozens of other pursuits.

His current head coach and players see Lopez as just one of the guys, but crucially important to the overall end of winning.

“The equipment manager and the trainers, they are the glue that hold teams in the hockey world together,” said Ryan Craig, head coach of the Silver Knights. “They put in long hours, and they seem to be the guys everyone goes to when they have a problem. They keep things running as they should.

“He’s passionate about the game of hockey (and) how he handles himself professionally, yet he’s comfortable enough in who he is to have a lighter side of it.”

Silver Knights defenseman Brandon Hickey agrees.

“What doesn’t Jorgey bring?” Hickey said. “He loves messing around and joking with the guys, but he does anything to help us win … skates, sticks. He’s just a great man, a great family man. It’s like a family atmosphere. He’s more than an equipment manager.”

Added center Kai Uchacz: “I’d say he’s always one step ahead. I tend to change my blades a lot on the bench, and he’s always popping steel in and out — towels to wipe your visor and all the little things.”

It probably won’t be long before you’ll see Lopez in the NHL full time, Craig said.

“I think he’s writing his own story,” he said.

For Lopez, there’s no doubt.

“Of course, that’s my goal for sure, hopefully in Vegas at some point,” he said.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.