Former BC defenseman Brian Dumoulin fulfilled a promise to bring the Stanley Cup to his alma mater.
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Little more than two months ago, Brian Dumoulin was lifting the Stanley Cup over his head for the second straight year following the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2-0 game six win over the Nashville Predators in Bridgestone Arena.
On Friday, he was lifting the Stanley Cup all over Conte Forum as he began his customary day with Lord Stanley, a day that was also scheduled to include a stop at Spaulding Rehabilitation Center and a boat outing with his former Boston College teammates.
After bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Biddeford, Maine, last year following the Penguins' 2016 title, he was looking to spread the excitement a bit further after winning it a second time.
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"Last year we had a great time in Maine and a special time in my hometown," Dumoulin said. "Then this year – obviously winning it so close to each other – we thought we'd do something different and bring it down to Boston. I went to BC for three years. This is what helped develop me as a person, as a player, to eventually win the Stanley Cup."
Of course, a promise he made to a former coach had a lot to do with it, too.
"Last year I promised Coach York that if I won it again, I'd bring it to BC," he said. "Of course, he held me on that promise, so here we are. But it's special to be able to bring it back here."
Pretty good day for BC Hockey and their families, eh? Thanks for droppin by, Stan. Here's a full photo gallery link: https://t.co/kb9hAQlh4x pic.twitter.com/WRaCAWZtOG
— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) August 18, 2017
Dumoulin played three seasons at Boston College, winning the NCAA title both as a freshman in 2010 and as a junior in 2012 before turning pro and signing with Pittsburgh.
His success at The Heights parlayed to sustained success in the pros once he finally cracked the Pittsburgh roster full-time in 2015-16 – the year he won his first Stanley Cup.
So it was natural that BC was on his mind when he was trying to plan his day with the Cup in 2017.
"It was actually one of the first things I thought of was bringing it back to BC," Dumoulin said. "Especially because I did tell (York) that. It's something I wanted to do, too."
He continued, "I won two national championships here and I was on a great team and the coaching staff was tremendous: just being able to learn how to win here, and also for that to eventually help me win the Stanley Cup. It's pretty special and it's cool to be back in this building."
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York was pleased to see one of his former players come back to campus with the Stanley Cup, which has now made two trips to The Heights, noting it demonstrates how special Boston College is to his players.
"It's a terrific feeling," York said. "Brooks Orpik a number of years ago was here with the Pittsburgh Penguins' Cup, also. I thought that was a proud moment. And now Brian is back with it. It just shows the respect the players have for the University and the time they spent here. They only have the Stanley Cup for so long, so it's a pretty exciting day for all of us."
Brian Dumoulin visits Bunker Hill as part if his #stanleycup day with the @penguins @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/1mJg3IKaJV
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) August 18, 2017
"This place is very special to me," Dumoulin said. "I still come here and work out and skate, so it's a big part of my life. And I still have one more class left to graduate, so hopefully I'll be done with that pretty soon."
Dumoulin noted that he plans on taking that final class this year during the season – an independent study – and he should be ready to graduate come spring time.
But just because he'll be done with classes and finally earn the right to call himself a BC alumnus, Dumoulin isn't planning on leaving the Boston area anytime soon.
"Boston is very special," he said. "I've lived here every summer. I still go back to Maine a lot, but me and my fiancé and our little puppy, we live here now in Boston in the offseason. It's very special. We have a great group of guys from BC I played with and other guys I met throughout school, and just the hockey world that live here in Boston. It's a great place to train and a great place to work out, and very special and I'm thankful for that."
