Wednesday was ”a dream come true” for Stanley Cup champion Jamie Kompon.
Kompon, who was born in Nipigon, Ont., is an assistant coach with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, and he brought hockey’s most prestigious trophy to Thunder Bay.
“It means a lot,” Kompon said on CBC’s Superior Morning. “It’s not necessarily about me — it’s about community, it’s about my family, it’s about friends that have helped me along the way, and just to share this moment with everyone.
“This is my third time [winning the Cup] and and I’ve never brought it back to Thunder Bay,” he said. “That was always a dream, to bring it back to Thunder Bay, and things just never worked out.
After you’ve had a taste of it, of winning, you never wanna lose that taste.– Jamie Kompon, Florida Panthers assistant coach
“Soon as they asked where you want to bring it, there was no hesitation between my wife and I — We were bringing it home.”
Kompon was an assistant coach when he also won the Stanley Cup in 2012 with the Los Angeles Kings and in 2013 with Chicago.
“This is a dream come true for everybody,” Kompon said. “I didn’t think I would get this excited again, but any time you win like that on a big stage and with a great group of people, it’s phenomenal.”
Hockey fans had the chance to see the Cup in person at a special photo event on Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. ET at Port Arthur Stadium.
Nipigon-born Jamie Kompon is the assistant coach with the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. He stopped in to chat with the CBC’s Olivia Levesque about what it’s like to bring the cup back to northwestern Ontario.
Among those taking in the hardware was Alejandro, a Grade 6 Thunder Bay student.
Alejandro said getting to see and touch the Cup was an incredible experience.
“It’s crazy because it’s such a special thing because of how much history it has and everything,” he said.
However, he’s holding out hope that the Toronto Maple Leafs will take the trophy home this coming season.
Hopes for a repeat championship season
As for the next NHL season, Kompon said he’s got high hopes for the Panthers.
“I can’t foresee the future,” he said. “But after you’ve had a taste of it, of winning, you never wanna lose that taste. So I know our guys will come back hungry because right after we won, they were saying that no one’s really experienced it until you experience it. You don’t really understand until you go through it and realize how hard it is and what our players put on the line every day.
“To go through what our players went through over the last two years and to come out on on top, I think we’ll be determined this year to try and repeat.”