Ben Lovejoy ’06 spent two years at the Thompson Arena as a standout Big Green defenseman after transferring from Boston College. When he returned to Thompson on Monday, however, he had the Stanley Cup in tow, as the first New Hampshire native to win the cup.
At a press conference on Monday at the arena, Lovejoy, a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, notethat each player on the winning team gets a turn to tour with the Cup. In June, the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in a 4-2 series to win their fourth Stanley Cup. He described planning each day with the Cup as akin to planning a wedding in the level of detail and complexity.
“I’ve been planning this day in my head for the past nine years,” Lovejoy said, referring to the nine years he’s spent playing in the National Hockey League.
The Cup, which is estimated to be worth $650,000, is accompanied by a security detail of two bodyguards from the Hockey Hall of Fame in North Dakota during its tour.
“The only rule is, if you didn’t win it, you can’t lift it over your head,” Lovejoy said.
Though many players describe the moment of winning the Stanley Cup as a blur, Lovejoy said he vividly recalls the entire experience.
“I’ve been married, I’ve had two kids, [winning] was better,” he said.
Though the Penguins won the cup on June 12, names won’t be engraved until September, giving each player time for a victory tour such as this one, as well as other public appearances.
Lovejoy said he usually skates at Dartmouth during the off-season, however, because the arena is closed this summer, he puts in practice hours in Hocksett, which he said is about an hour’s drive from his home in Enfield.
“To reach the NHL, I didn’t out-talent or out-skill anyone, I out-worked them,” he said.
Lovejoy left the Penguins at the end of the season, signing with the New Jersey Devils in July. En route to the Stanley Cup victory, Lovejoy played in all 24 post-season games for the Penguins.
Current members of the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams got to meet Lovejoy and pose for pictures with the cup.
Morgan Turner ’18 , a member of the women’s ice hockey team, said that it was “amazing how much [Lovejoy] loves this school and area.”
“He is a class act and it showed in his actions this past week,” she said.
