ST. LOUIS – As the JT Compher star rises in the Avalanche organization, he takes his biggest fans with him.

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs pitted his team against the St. Louis Blues, just a four hour drive from his hometown of Northbrook, IL, outside of Chicago. JT invited his parents Valerie and Bob, his younger sister Jesse, as well as his aunt and cousin. They secured first row seats to achieve his goal in Game 3 and his two wins to seal the series.

“I would say we made eye contact a couple of times,” Jesse said. “Our seats were pretty close to the glass, which we’re not really used to.”

JT said he never gets old seeing his family before the game and during his short bursts on the ice.

“I feel young again to have them at the game,” he said. “You don’t feel like you’re on a professional rink with 18,000 people, it’s good to have a little familiarity with the crowd.”

These familiar faces also shared quite important traditions. Jesse said she asks her older brother for a puck every time she watches him warm up – otherwise it might not be right for her.

“They only told me after the game that they were superstitious, I try to stay away from superstition,” JT said.

Luckily for him, he returned the pucks for Jesse and his aunt before the face-off in Game 4. They also got memorabilia from Valerie Nichushkin and Joonas Donskoi.

Whether they catch pucks in the stands or play them back at home, JT never hesitates to spend some quality time with Jesse, a player for the United States Women’s National Team and a senior forward in college. from Boston.

“My sister will be hard on me and I will be hard on her,” he said. “We want the other to do well and we want the other to be successful and be the best player we both can be.”

“It was fun growing up with JT as a model, watching him play from a young age,” Jesse added. “I’m trying to model my game on him.”

JT hasn’t been able to see any of Jesse’s games this season due to strict COVID-19 protocols, but on a road trip to Boston during the 2019-20 season, he joined his parents and sister Morgan in the stands. from the Agganis Arena, with his teammates Sam Girard and Tyson Jost.

“During the season we try to check in with each other and talk about the way we play and we look at each other. She asks for advice, whenever I’m able to catch a game,” he said. -he declares. “She loves it and it’s a great way for us to spend more time on the phone and with the family.”

Thanks to his sister, JT is a real fighter – for women’s hockey.

“I have my sweatshirt today for the Professional Women’s Hockey Player‘s Association (PWHPA). I see how hard they work, the time and passion they have for the game, and how much the little girls admire them in the Chicago area, where I live, ”he said. . “It is important for them to play at a high level, to be seen and to be paid for their work.”

Jesse is hopeful that the U.S. national team’s exposure will help the game grow in the near future.

“These players work like men day in and day out, and I hope they get what they deserve,” said Jesse.

Hockey is more than a sport or a career for the Compher family; it represents quality time, support and pride.

“It got the five of us closer to all the road trips and everything,” Jesse said. “The support system that I have and that JT has from my parents and our sister is just amazing.”

Their mother Valérie, wearing a number 37 jersey, beamed with pride for her three children.

“We would be proud if they did what they did. We have another daughter, Morgan, who doesn’t play hockey and we are also proud of her success in the business world,” said Valerie. “We are just happy to be able to share these moments with our family.”

Their dad, Bob, said they all try to cherish every little time together on the road, watching games and even catching pucks because they never know when the last one will be hovering over the boards.

“We enjoyed every moment, from every road trip to wherever we went with our kids, it was a blast,” said Bob.

JT said he knows how proud his parents are of him, a professional hockey player on the NHL’s top team, but he’s also proud of the work they put into his career and that of his sisters. .

“My parents have sacrificed themselves for me ever since I was a kid, whether it’s time on the road to watch us play, or my mom managing almost every hockey team I’ve played with to help reduce the costs. when they are at the games to get them tickets and to see them having fun, ”he said. “They gave me and my sisters a chance to pursue our dreams and we are all trying to enjoy it.”

RELATED: Avalanche Begins Playoff Series Against Golden Knights

RELATED: Ball Arena Boosts Capacity For Avalanche And Nuggets Playoff Games