Players, coaches and members of the staff from the NHL champions have a day throughout the offseason to have possession of the Stanley Cup trophy. For Mike Joyce, he decided to take it to Marywood University.
“Marywood is how I got my start,” said Joyce. “Right away, [I] realized that this was the best place for me to go and be educated. They helped set up an internship at the Wilkes-Barre Penguins. Shelby [Yeager] was such an unbelievable resource during my time here, so it was the best place to come back to.”
Joyce worked with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for nearly five years before joining the Florida Panthers staff in 2022, helping Florida secure back-to-back Stanley Cup titles.
“I’m very grateful and very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in,” Joyce said. “Our team is a wonderful group of guys and a group of staff, so I’m very fortunate.”
Joyce graduated from Marywood University in 2017 with a degree in exercise science. He gave the place that started him on this track a chance to be around the ultimate prize in the sport of hockey. Tons of Marywood students and faculty, as well as local hockey fans lined up to take pictures with the Stanley Cup trophy and talk to Joyce.
Per the media release, Lisa Lori said, “The Stanley Cup is one of the most recognized symbols of achievement in the world, and to have it here at Marywood is truly historic. We are proud
of Mike’s accomplishments and grateful that he chose to share this incredible moment with his
Marywood family. His success reflects the dedication, excellence and spirit of service that define our graduates.”
This isn’t the first big sports connection to the NEPA area this year, as Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was mentioned as a native of Dunmore during the Super Bowl LIX broadcast. Two months later, former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski was named as the commencement speaker for the class of 2025.
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