Stevens, Golden Knights assistant, ready to relax with Stanley Cup

John Stevens plans on enjoying some quiet time with the Stanley Cup at his home in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, on Sunday and Monday.

When it's your third time with the Cup, you can take a break from the big parties.

Stevens, a Vegas Golden Knights assistant coach, won it as an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012 and 2014 before helping the Golden Knights win it in his first season on Bruce Cassidy's staff.

"The first time we took it to Canada where I grew up," Stevens said. "The second time we brought it to Sea Isle, where the kids grew up. This time it's coming back to Sea Isle. It's been almost a decade, nine years, since we won it last. We're trying to tone it down a little bit. Just kind of casually hanging out, relax with friends and family and now the kids' friends."

Stevens and his wife have had a home in the beachfront town about 30 miles south of Atlantic City since 2009.

"This is where I come to recharge my batteries," he said. "We've always had this as our anchor to come back to. It's kind of our home base, our roots now. ... This time we just we wanted to get the Cup here and spend some time at the house and not leave the island. It's just a wonderful place to spend time with family and friends. The kids have lots of good friends around here too, and they're all excited about it. So it's just more about sharing it with your family and close friends."

Among the local friends and family members on hand to enjoy the day will be sons John, a 29-year-old defenseman who signed a two-year contract with Abbotsford, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, on July 1, and Nolan, a 26-year-old forward who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 3.

Stevens said he will take the Cup around town for a bit Monday. There will be a visit with Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio and some city employees, including first responders.

"We just really want to say thank you to the support workers in our town, I think they do a terrific job," he said. "'So we're going to take it by [City Hall] and hopefully see the police, fire and ambulance crews, and the Welcome Center. All the people that have given so much time to make Sea Isle such a wonderful place."