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Jeff Halpern advances to Stanley Cup Final for first time with Tampa Bay Lightning

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When the Tampa Bay Lightning punched their ticket to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, one local athlete finally realized a childhood dream – albeit in a different form than he imagined as a kid.

Potomac, MD native Jeff Halpern will be competing for his first Stanley Cup. Halpern is as an assistant coach for Bolts forwards on Jon Cooper’s staff.

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Tampa clinched its spot in the championship series after Anthony Cirelli scored at 13:18 of overtime of Game Six. It’s the third time in franchise history (2004, 2015, 2020) they’ve advanced. They previously won the Cup in 2004.

Sportsnet zeroed in on Tampa’s bench as Cirelli’s shot banked off Semyon Varlamov and slowly went over the goal line. Halpern (right) can be seen jumping high into the air before hugging Cooper and fellow assistant Todd Richards.

The Lightning

Halpern, of course, is a former Capital and member of its Little Capitals youth hockey system. He is the first youth hockey player from the Washington DC area to ever make the team.

Halpern played 976 games over 14 seasons in the NHL. Halpy had two separate stints as a player for the Capitals, appearing in 507 games and notching 220 points (91 goals, 129 assists). During the 2005-06 season, Alex Ovechkin’s first in the NHL, Halpern was named captain of the team. He also did Very Important TV ads.

The 44-year-old also serves as a co-owner of Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken.

Halpern first joined the Bolts as a player development coach in 2015 and was later hired as an assistant for their AHL squad, the Syracuse Crunch, in 2016. Halpern helped lead the Crunch to an 84-46 record over two seasons, guiding them to the Calder Cup Finals in 2017. Halpern was promoted to the NHL club in June 2018 where he’s been ever since.

“I think the things I haven’t expected are the things that people clearly say is what’s going to be different, whether it’s the hours or even the feel of playing versus coaching,” Halpern said to NHL.com after being hired. “There are those differences. I think at this time, it’s been about four years of not playing, that chapter in my life is over… I think my playing experience helped me identify a little bit with the players at times, but I tried to limit that experience as much as I could and still kind of keep a coaching relationship at the same time.”

Before the important games started this playoff year, Halpern also served as a referee…

And a fortune-teller.

Good luck in the Finals, Halpy!

Screenshot: Sportsnet/Little Caps

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