Thousands Come Out to See Ben Lovejoy and the Stanley Cup

HANOVER, N.H. – Ben Lovejoy '06 brought the Stanley Cup to Dartmouth's Thompson Arena Monday night and shared his personal day with the famous trophy alongside the people who watched him grow up.

In front of thousands of fans, Lovejoy — a member of the Dartmouth men's hockey team from 2004 to 2007 — thanked those who stood in the rain for over an hour to show their support for the local hero and his recent accomplishments.

A member of the 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins who won the Stanley Cup in six games over San Jose back in June, Lovejoy became the first New Hampshire-born player to ever claim the oldest trophy in North America.

Each player gets the Cup for a day and Lovejoy opted to use part of his time to come back and share it with his friends, family and fellow Granite Staters. The Canaan native and now Enfield resident met with fans on the concourse for hours, taking photos and signing autographs.

Lovejoy and his wife Avery — a member of the Class of 2007 and former captain of the women's squash team — took the Cup to several of their favorite places on campus before heading over to Thompson for the start of an unforgettable night.

It started with a photo with Governor Maggie Hassan, the trophy and daughters Lila and June. From there, Ben took the trophy to a press conference for the large group of media who came to cover the event. After that, he addressed the crowd at what is usually center ice before making his way up to Section 12 for photos and a long night of shaking hands and signing countless Penguins jerseys.

“It's such an honor to bring it back to Dartmouth," Lovejoy said. "This place was so special to me, still is so special to me. I came here as a lost hockey player. Coach Bob Gaudet gave me a second chance and really resurrected my career at a young age and to share that with the people here, with this program, with this college, I'm so proud.”

Dartmouth thanks Lovejoy for his generosity in time as well as in sharing the Stanley Cup with Big Green fans and those who traveled from all over the Northeast and as far as Pittsburgh.

Press conference in Smoyer Lounge

With Governor Maggie Hassan

Bringing the Stanley Cup onto the 'ice'

Heading off the 'ice' and off to sign autographs and take photos.

With his wife Avery '07 at the top of Baker Library

Ben and Avery in front of Dartmouth Hall

Head coach Bob Gaudet '81 addresses the crowd at Thompson

Members of the Class of 2018 helped make the event a huge success.

(All photos by Mark Washburn)

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