NORTHBROOK, Ill. — JT 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.”
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.
A second-round pick (No. 35) by the Buffalo Sabers in the 2013 NHL Draft, Compher was traded to the Avalanche along with forward Mikhail Grigorenko and defenseman Nikita Zadorov at the 2015 NHL 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 for 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 am Just in time to serve breakfast in it.
“My mom’s been making chocolate chip pancakes since I was a kid,” JT said. “That was the first thing, add a little syrup in there.”
Valerie, who set up JT’s itinerary for the day, said her son took a few great photos at home, including one with his Joe Sakic bobblehead doll. Sakic on Monday was promoted to Avalanche president of hockey operations after being their general manager since September 2014. He won the Cup with Colorado as a player in 1996 and 2001.
“He’s just enjoying the day,” Valerie said of JT “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, JT’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 nervous to watch him than I was to play in my own games. But to watch him do what he does and after all the work, to see the success come true, I can’t even describe it. It’s been a heck of a year.”
At the Sports Center, an estimated 500 people showed up for the festivities. JT gave a short speech then spent nearly two hours taking photos with fans and the Cup.
“A little stressful with the rain coming out today, but with the people coming out for the village, and went to the fire department, it’s been a great day,” Bob said. “It’s been crazy, starting with the Olympics. It hasn’t stopped and it’s still going today.”
After that, the Comphers took the Cup to Village Green Park, where JT played baseball as a kid.
The next stop was to Landmark Inn, a Northbrook tavern. A packed house of patrons celebrated the Cup appearance while “All the Small Things” by blink-182, which the Avalanche play during third periods of their games at Ball Arena, blared in the background.
JT Compher was reveling in his day as a Cup champion, even if he had to remind himself now and then that it was reality.
“It kind of comes and goes,” he said. “Sometimes I think, how crazy. Then the next moment I have to pinch myself. I just want to touch the Cup and look at it as much as possible because, for so long as a hockey player, it’s taboo. You’re not supposed to touch it or think about it and now it’s sitting in my bedroom that I grew up in this morning. Just crazy. It’s unbelievable.”
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