The Keeper of the Stanley Cup enjoys his work and visiting different communities

ESTEVAN - Phil Pritchard has a very important role in the hockey community. He's the curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame, so he's responsible for the artifacts, including the trophies, on display at the building in Toronto. 

But to hockey fans, he's best known as the Keeper of the Cup, the man who has escorted the Stanley Cup to locations around the world every year. And he was in Estevan on Sunday as Brayden Pachal, a defenceman with the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, brought the cherished trophy to the Energy City.

Pritchard took a sports administration course out of college, which led to an internship with the Ontario Hockey League. Then he started working for the Canadian Hockey League and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He's been the Keeper of the Cup since 1988, but he's not sure how he garnered that monicker.

Pritchard has had another enjoyable summer. Each of the 52 members of the Golden Knights to have their name engraved on the cup will get to spend a day with the trophy in the community of their choice. 

"We're at the end of July now and all is well. We still have a couple more months to go for travelling. We're in Saskatchewan now, and everybody knows you don't win the Stanley Cup without having Saskatchewan-born players."

He was also impressed with the event in Estevan to celebrate Pachal's championship victory.

"The community that's come out today to support Brayden and everything that's going on is fabulous. That's what you want in a community," said Pritchard.

He knew there would be a great turnout to greet Pachal, because that's what happens in smaller Prairie communities.

"Everyone is thrilled that they have a hometown guy winning the Stanley Cup. You can see it in their smiles and their faces. They're happy to be part of the whole event. I don't think Brayden would have it any other way. He wants to share it with the people he grew up with," said Pritchard. 

This wasn't his first time in Estevan. He travelled to the Energy City when the Stanley Cup toured SJHL communities in 2001.

And he was in Carlyle when Jim McKenzie brought the Stanley Cup to the town back in 2003.

The day before coming to Estevan, Pritchard and the Stanley Cup were in Rock Creek, Mont., as Golden Knights owner Bill Foley had it for a couple of days. After leaving Estevan, Lord Stanley's trophy was taken to an area just outside of Saskatoon for Knights forward Chandler Stephenson's day with the Cup.

Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon and defenceman Brayden McNabb also have days planned in Saskatchewan.

Later this summer, Pritchard will accompany the trophy as it heads to stops in Sweden and Latvia. The Latvian trip for Golden Knights' forward Teddy Blueger will be the first time Pritchard has accompanied a player to the Latvian nation.

"It should be a pretty exciting day for him and the people of Riga," said Pritchard.