Kompon uses day with Stanley Cup to say thanks

Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Jamie Kompon used his day with the Stanley Cup to say "Thank you."

Kompon spent part of his day with the trophy in and around Niagara Falls at the Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario, where his father is recovering from two strokes suffered during the winter.

"Everybody here had a hand in getting my dad back to where he is," Kompon said to about 100 staff members, according to Niagarathisweek.com. "To see him like this, it means the world to me. … I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart."

Kompon also took the Cup to a Welland, Ontario fire station to thank firefighters who responded to his dad Mel's stroke. The trophy made stops at Benedict's Diner and his brother's house in Welland, and at the Americana Resort in Niagara Falls.

"It's important you recognize the people that have taken care of you," Kompon said. "You've got to give back and let people know how much you care about what they do."

Kompon, from Thunder Bay, Ontario, won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012. Reports claim he is the first NHL coach in 78 years to win the Stanley Cup back-to-back with different teams.

"This is just a piece of metal," Kompon said of the Cup. "At the end of the day the most important thing is family. … I must say it's a nice piece of metal. And I love it."