The greatest job in sports for anyone who can’t run fast or jump high isn’t working as caddie for Scottie Scheffler, hanging wooden numbers on Fenway Park’s scoreboard or even traveling the world to write about some game like me.
The greatest job is taking the Stanley Cup trophy to Sam Bennett’s boyhood bedroom outside Toronto.
It’s setting the Cup on Sam Reinhart’s workout sled in Vancouver.
It’s sitting in a sauna party with the Cup and the five Finnish Panthers after a day’s celebration in Tampere, Finland — all the while monitoring the temperature.
“We can’t have it stay in the sauna very long, because silver is a soft metal,’’ Phil Pritchard said. “We can have it stay in a while, then have to take it out and then can bring it back for a little bit.”
Pritchard is the Keeper of The Cup. That’s his job title, social-media handle and general work description since 1988 as a Hockey Hall of Fame employee.
He’s traveled with the 37-pound, 36-inch trophy to seven countries this summer so Panthers players, coaches, executives and designated employees get a day celebrating their championship.
“It’s always a good day,’’ he said. “Everyone’s always happy.”
How many of us can say that about our work? Pritchard starts a party everywhere he goes.
Seth Jones took it to the rink he grew up on Irving, Texas, and signed autographs for two hours.
Aaron Ekblad took it to the junior team he played on and various charities in Barrie, Ontario.
Matthew Tkachuk took the Cup to the children’s hospital in St. Louis, and Niko Mikkola took it to the children’s hospital in Oulu, Finland.
“Everyone wants to share it with people to thank them or help them,’’ Pritchard said. “And there are certain things you expect depending on the area you’re in. When you go to Finland, you go in a sauna.
“When you go to northern Ontario, you’re going to a lake. When you go to Fort Lauderdale or South Florida, you probably end up on a beach restaurant or by the water.”
When you go to Latvia for just the second time with the Cup, you go with defenseman Uvis Balinski to Tukums Ice Hall to celebrate with hundreds of youth.
“The international influence, I think, is great for the game,’’ he said.
Who wouldn’t want to spend a day in Hedemora, Sweden to watch Jesper Boqvist take the Cup to the rink he played on as a kid? Or to a public celebration in Pernstynske Square in Pardubice, Czech Republic with Tomas Nosek?
Call it 100 Days of Fun. That’s how long the winning team has to celebrate with the Cup. For the second straight summer, the Panthers can squeeze as many players, coaches, executives and organizational employees into that time frame as travel allows.
“Last week was a tough one for us,’’ Pritchard said. “Air Canada went on strike. That caused some problems.”
The only other problem is when Pritchard opens up the case the Cup goes in and the airport security agent doesn’t recognize it. That requires an explanation.
Almost anything goes with the Cup. Evan Rodrigues drank chocolate milk out of it with kids at Disney World. Bennett, after having it in his boyhood room, sat it on the back of a boat as he skied.
General manager Bill Zito took it to the Florida Keys, where dolphins jumped over it at a show.
Mackie Samoskevich posed with the Cup next to a grade-school project that read, “When I grow up I want to be a hockey player.”
Each of them get to see their name etched on the Cup, too. That’s part of what makes it the best trophy in sports. This celebration is the other part.
Almost anything goes with it. Almost. The Panthers were politely asked not to take the Cup in the ocean this time, because some bolts holding the trophy together might rust.
Pritchard returns with the Cup to South Florida this week to visit Sergei Bobrovsky, Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe. They get another day with the trophy. Then it’s back to Canada for coach Paul Maurice’s day.
“The great thing is you don’t see Sam Bennett, the NHL player,” Prichard said. “You see Sam Bennett, the kid who loves hockey.”
The greatest thing is there’s a sports job for someone without elite physical skills that involves making people happy and getting paid to travel the world.
Pritchard has it for 100 days every year.
