Philip Pritchard checked his luggage at the airport Monday. But it wasn’t just any old suitcase.
Pritchard, better known as the “Keeper of the Cup,” is charged with caring for the Stanley Cup and making sure it’s present when an NHL team wins the iconic trophy. The Chicago Blackhawks have the chance to do that Monday night in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, meaning Pritchard had to lug the hardware onto a plane bound for Chicago.
But not before stopping through security first.
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[tweet https://twitter.com/keeperofthecup/status/610418117282562048 align=’center’]
It doesn’t get any cooler than that.
Pritchard also brought along the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It wasn’t spared the X-ray machine, either.
[tweet https://twitter.com/keeperofthecup/status/610417767905390592 align=’center’]
The presentation of the Stanley Cup is one of the best moments in sports, and the Blackhawks have the chance to receive the trophy in front of their home crowd for the first time since 1938. As for the Lightning? They’re hoping the Cup has to pass through security one more time.
