You know who has one of the coolest jobs in the world? A guy by the name of Phil Pritchard.
Unless you’re a major hockey fan, there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of him. But you may have seen his hands.
They’re the ones usually covered in white gloves, so as to not smudge his fingerprints on the most storied trophy in professional sports: the Stanley Cup. Pritchard is responsible for accompanying the Cup everywhere it goes.
They call him the “Keeper of the Cup.”
Of course, it’s tradition that every Stanley Cup champion gets to bring it home for a day, so Pritchard’s summer is always packed with championship parties and sightseeing all across North America and Europe.
In total, the Cup has been to more than 25 countries, according to the National Hockey League — including some that don’t have strong hockey ties, like Japan, Afghanistan, the Bahamas and the United Arab Emirates.
Here are some of the trophy’s coolest adventures of 2026 so far.
Team golf trip
Before everyone parted ways for the summer, the Cup-winning Carolina Hurricanes hit the links with Stanley.
Full-on rave with Sebastian Aho
Many European hockey fans cheer for their fellow countrymen more so than any particular NHL team, given the time difference and difficulty in watching games. For that reason, it’s a big deal when a player from your country wins the Stanley Cup — regardless of what team he plays for.
Sebastian Aho brought the Cup back to his native Finland, where he’s a rock star.
Jet ski ride with Jesperi Kotkaniemi
The Cup gets its fair share of rides in supercars and firetrucks, but how often does it get to feel the wind in its hair on the back of a Sea-Doo?
One of several stops in Finnish forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s day with the Cup gave it the ride of its life.
Danish Legoland trip with Frederik Andersen
Lego was invented in Billund, Denmark. It’s a town of less than 8,000 people, but it’s home to the original Legoland theme park.
Frederik Andersen, who hails from Herning, 35 miles from Billund, took his prize to visit Legoland.
Motivating Taylor Hall to get his boating license
Shortly after completing his rookie season, 2010 first-overall pick Taylor Hall voiced his frustration at the Canadian boating license exam on Twitter.
“Failed my boaters (license) again. I’m a joke I just want my (license),” the tweet read.
Fifteen years later, with a Hart Trophy in his back pocket and a Stanley Cup ring on his finger, Hall’s dream of obtaining a boating license came true — and he celebrated by taking Stanley for a ride.
Plenty of poutine
Another Stanley Cup tradition is for winners to eat their favorite food out of the bowl. Among the foods it has served this year are:
- Strawberries and cream with Frederik Andersen
- Lohikeitto, a Finnish salmon chowder, with Sebastian Aho
- Lucky Charms with Mark Jankowski
- Ice cream with both Sean Walker and Paul Schonfelder
Perhaps the most frequently chosen food to eat from the Cup, though, is poutine — a Canadian dish that combines french fries, cheese curds and gravy. William Carrier, Jordan Staal and Seth Jarvis all selected that this year (Jarvis added ribs to his poutine, too).
Giving back to the community
As big of an accomplishment as this championship is for the 53 people whose names became permanently engraved on the Stanley Cup, it wouldn’t be special without the countless people who support the team and the individual players in every way.
For that reason, a number of Hurricanes brought the Cup to children’s hospitals and other places where they could make a difference in people’s lives.
GM Eric Tulsky, for example, brought it to a hospital in North Carolina to celebrate Father’s Day with the new dads. Captain Jordan Staal took it to the pediatric unit in his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and many guys held community meet-and-greets to let as many people see it as possible.