‘Keeper of the Cup’ nearing end of another long haul during Final

Phil Pritchard and Craig Campbell, their white gloves, crested blazers, the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe Trophy had been aboard an NHL constitution Saturday in Edmonton, wheels up about 9 a.m. native time certain for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

At landing scheduled for the late afternoon, certain for Sport 7 of the Stanley Cup Closing on Monday between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Financial institution Area (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC), hockey’s most coveted trophy would have flown about 12,000 miles in the course of the Closing — almost 20,000 kilometers for these on the metric system.

It is the primary time the trophy has crossed the border between Canada and the US 5 instances in a collection since 2011, when the champion Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks went the seven-game restrict.

“It’s been one heck of a collection,” Pritchard mentioned with fun lower than hour earlier than the constitution left Edmonton, having simply seen the trophies by way of safety and U.S. Customs and Border Safety.

Pritchard is curator of the Hockey Corridor of Fame. He’s additionally vice chairman of the shrine’s Useful resource Middle and Archives, however to hockey followers, he’s the “Keeper of the Cup,” the Stanley Cup’s most distinguished historian, journey agent, tour information, silver polisher and bodyguard.