An assist is a hockey statistic that awards one point to a player who passes the puck to the player who scores a goal. An assist is only given to a player who touched the puck between the opposing team's final possession and the goal scored. If not, they will be credited with a secondary assist. The first two assists on this page are for goaltenders. They are credited with an assist because they were part of a successful pass in reaching the net. Even though they did not touch the puck once it left their hand, they are still credited because they contributed to the goal being scored. Assists can only be awarded to players who score goals. A defender can also receive credit for an assist if he gets the puck out of his zone safely and sets up another player for a chance at the net. If the defender scores, he receives credit as well. There was some debate as to whether or not a goaltender could receive credit for an assist, but the rule was changed in 2005 to allow them to. Before then, they could only win points through saving shots and preventing goals; now they can also earn assists thanks to the work of good defenders behind them.