A Conversation with the Keeper of the Stanley Cup, Phil Pritchard

(Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

It is the most recognizable trophy in professional sports.

It has been presented to captains of different backgrounds and journeys, lifted countless times, carried around the ice on more occasions than one can remember and has been filled with everything from champagne and milk to cherries and cereal.

The Stanley Cup has seen it all, and, in turn, so has its keeper, Mr. Phil Pritchard.

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Pritchard quickly proved that he was no different than other Canadian children: he held a deep-seeded love for hockey. Of course, if he were told as a child that he would be the caretaker for hockey’s Holiest prize, he may have laughed at you — or, rather, with you. Nevertheless, this fantasy, for lack of a better term, became a reality for Pritchard, who could not have asked for a better career.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with Mr. Pritchard, who filled me in on how he wound up in this envious role, how unorthodox the 2020 playoffs were and even how he enjoyed his experiences in 2012 and 2014 when the Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup.

Winning the Stanley Cup… In a Manner of Speaking

I began by asking the Keeper of the Cup how long he’s been with the Stanley Cup and how he’s been enjoying it.

“Well, I’ve been doing it now since 1988,” Pritchard said. “So, it’s been 32 years and I love every minute of it. I love the opportunity to meet new people, going to places and hearing stories and that. So, from that, it’s really unique, I think. And usually when I see people there in a happy mood or always smiling, that makes it great, as well.

It is believed that timing is everything. For Phil Pritchard, that was just the case.

Working for the top major-junior league in Canada, it only took a matter of days before Pritchard first came in contact with hockey’s Holy Grail.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“Back when I started, I used to work for the Canadian Hockey League and I got the opportunity to come to the Hockey Hall of Fame the first week on the job and got to travel with the Stanley Cup,” Pritchard remembered. “So, it really wasn’t a job I applied for. It kind of just turned into that and it went from there.

“It’s 32 years and counting. I’ve been to 29 countries and have seen lots of hockey fans everywhere.”

The Kings of Hockey

Over the course of those 32 years, Pritchard and the Cup have been witness to plenty of parity surrounding hockey’s Holiest prize but also some near-dynasties. The latter was the case for the Los Angeles Kings.

In 2012, the Kings won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 45 years. Furthermore, to prove that it wasn’t a fluke, they won the Cup again in 2014 — with a more challenging, albeit rewarding, road to the championship the second time around.

The Keeper of the Cup shared some of his thoughts on the Kings’ championship success.

“Obviously, they won twice in three years and that’s what made it so special,” Pritchard noted. “The guys, obviously, grew both professionally and personally. Some of them had wives and even kids the second time around, so both times are unique. There’s the first time the guys win it and the second time, which they kind of made more personal with family.”

Of course, while some hockey purists may dismiss the Los Angeles Kings given the city’s hockey-unfriendly climate, others embrace it, arguing that Los Angeles is very hockey friendly. This includes Pritchard.

“The really great thing about Los Angeles is the beach,” beamed the 59-year-old. “They had a boardwalk Stanley Cup party [in 2012] that the players put on in the Redondo Beach area. That was the first time that was ever done and I think that was so special because they did it for the people in that area. For the players, it was that area that made them who they are and they wanted to give back, and they gave back in that way. So, to me, that was really unique. It was the first time for it but at the same time, it meant so much to the community but it meant just as much for the players, as well.”

The Socially Distanced Cup

In what is now his fifth decade as the Keeper of the Cup, it goes without saying that Phil Pritchard has seen and done more than most of us can even dream of.

The circumstances surrounding 2020 were no exception.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Hockey League was forced to adapt to the unprecedented times. They did this not only by holding the playoffs in the summer, but doing so in two “bubble” cities without any fans present in the buildings.

When the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup this past September, it was met with a mix of fascination and skepticism. Nevertheless, many applauded the NHL and company for the tireless work involved in not only putting the playoffs together but for setting the table for quality hockey that fans had been missing for months.

When it came time to present the Stanley Cup at Edmonton’s Rogers Place, Phil Pritchard was just as cognizant as everyone else involved with the stark differences in the 2020 playoffs — and he loved it.

“Any time we can present the Stanley Cup is a great thing,” Pritchard beamed. “When [fellow Cup keeper] Craig Campbell and I walked out onto the red carpet onto the ice, we knew that the Stanley Cup celebration would be more intimate than it was in the past because there was no one else in the arena.”

For Pritchard, though, the circumstances surrounding 2020 allowed him to appreciate the little things that he wouldn’t have noticed during the Cup presentations of years past.

“When Commissioner Bettman spoke, congratulated the Tampa Bay Lightning organization and called Steven Stamkos over, you could hear the sounds of the skates on the ice,” the Burlington, Ont. resident reflected. “You could hear everything. So, from a sense point of view, everything was so crystal clear. But, I think for the players, to me, to celebrate with their hockey family, if you want to call it that, I think that was really cool because even in the dressing room, there were no family members, no working media, no staff or anything like that. It was just the 52 guys that came and joined the bubble on the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was so special and so intimate.”

In hindsight, while it may have been a challenging year, the longtime Keeper of the Cup will always fondly reflect on the unusual playoffs that were.

“It’s going to be a year that nobody will ever forget,” Pritchard added. “The Lightning especially because they bonded as a team during that 65-day period and to be a part of that was pretty special. So, for me, to walk out onto the ice with no crowd, to feel the intimacy of a Stanley Cup champion, it was pretty special.”

As far as coping during said pandemic, Pritchard assured me that he and his family are doing just fine.

“Mine were all going day by day for my family and probably most families and the main thing is being safe and healthy right now,” he said. “A lot of people, unfortunately, are not in that situation and our hearts go out to them. We’re all in this together and together, we’ll get through this.”

Phil Pritchard fell in love with the game of hockey at a young age, and has never looked back, ultimately enjoying a wonderful career as Keeper of the Cup thus far. But, in spite of his wealth of experience and lifetime of memories, the Keeper of the Cup has no plans of slowing down.

From his ventures all over the globe to the millions of people he’s come across, Phil Pritchard’s life in hockey is one adored — and envied — by anyone and everyone who has even just locked eyes with the Stanley Cup, let alone holding or hoisting it.

While many of us certainly hope that he gets to present to the Los Angeles Kings again, Phil Pritchard has nonetheless accomplished what he wanted to do in the game of hockey. More so, while he certainly isn’t thinking about it, when all is said and done, you can rest assured that Mr. Pritchard, when looking back on his celebrated career and even his life, will not consider trading a single moment for anything in the world.

And who can possibly blame him?

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