from Aimee Crawford of ESPN,

For 28 years, Phil Pritchard, Keeper of The Stanley Cup, has squired the coolest trophy in sports around the world, from war zones to the bottom of Mario Lemieux's pool. Oh, the stories this duo could tell. Since the Cup can't talk, we asked Pritchard to spill some of Stanley's secrets.

Sometime between now and June 15, Phil Pritchard will walk the Stanley Cup out on the postgame red carpet and present it, with his gleaming white gloves, to either the Pittsburgh Penguins or San Jose Sharks. "I never get tired of seeing the reaction the Cup gets," says Pritchard, the Cup's official keeper since 1988. "There's pure exhaustion, joy ... every emotion possible. And they get to see it on the ice in front of 20,000 people." After the official presentation, the real fun begins, as each member of the winning team gets quality time with the Cup -- and Pritchard will be along for the ride to serve as chaperone, sounding board and, sometimes, taste tester. Here, in his own words, are some of his favorite memories of being the Cup's companion.

The Cup's curfew is ...

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