NORTHBROOK, Ill. — J.T. Compher carried the Stanley Cup through the stands, then carried it onto the ice at the Northbrook (Illinois) Sport Center, where he had played so much hockey as a kid.
“It’s super special,” the Colorado Avalanche forward said as he celebrated his day with the Cup on Friday in Northbrook, about 25 miles northwest of Chicago.
“A lot of my best friends in the world I made in this rink right here, so many memories, great memories, coaches and players. The most fun part is getting to share with all the people in the community, the people who helped get me to this point. Without Northbrook and my family and my friends, I wouldn’t’ be the player I am today or the person I am today.”
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Compher won the Cup for the first time in his NHL career when the Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final in June.
A second-round pick (No. 35) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Draft, Compher was traded to the Avalanche along with forward Mikhail Grigorenko and defenseman Nikita Zadorov at the 2015 draft. He has 142 points (71 goals 71 assists) in 341 regular-season games and 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 63 Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Avalanche.
His Cup day began at the family home, where he, parents Bob and Valerie, sisters Jesse and Morgan and his girlfriend Sydney, got the Cup around 8:30 a.m. Just in time to serve breakfast in it.
“My mom’s been making chocolate chip pancakes since I was a kid,” J.T. said. “That was the first thing, add a little syrup in there.”
Valerie, who set up J.T.’s itinerary for the day, said her son took a few great photos at home, including one with his Joe Sakic bobblehead doll. Sakic was promoted to the Avalanche’s president of hockey operations on Monday after being their general manager since September 2014. Sakic won the Cup with Colorado as a player in 1996 and 2001.
“He’s just enjoying the day,” Valerie said of J.T. “I mean, I have a great family and I love spending time with them, so I think this is a mom’s secret dream: your adult kids come home, and you get to spend all this extra time with them.”
The Comphers have had a few reasons to celebrate hockey this year. In February, Jesse Compher, J.T.’s sister, won silver with the United States women’s team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
“He’s got bragging rights now, and I’ll give it to him for a while,” said Jesse, who had her silver medal with her. “I was a bit more…
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