As a youth hockey player growing up in Marshfield, Brett Baur had a dream—like thousands of other youngsters—of hoisting the Stanley Cup after a thrilling Game Seven victory.

Although he didn't actually get a chance to strut his stuff with hockey's sacred chalice, Baur's team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, took down the San Jose Sharks in six games to win their fourth Stanley Cup last month.

Baur, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Ohio University, joined the Penguins' Sales and Marketing staff on February 1 and typically joins sponsors and potential sponsors at Pittsburgh home games.

"Not a bad place to watch the game at all," noted Baur.

The 2010 Marshfield grad's road to the NHL was an unlikely one, but with grit, determination, and maybe a little luck, Baur earned his Masters of Business Administration and Sports Administration at the end of April and took his full-time spot in the Pens' organization just as the Cup run started to look possible.

Baur's current supervisor worked with an Executive Sponsor of the OU program and requested a recommendation from the MSA program. 

A couple weeks later, Baur became a Penguin.

On Baur's first official day of work (February 1), the Pens had a record of 24-17-7, but caught fire in the last three months, blazing to a 24-9-1 mark and a solid spot in the playoff bracket.

Pittsburgh beat the Rangers (4-1), Capitals (4-2), and Lightning (4-3) before clashing with the Western Conference champs from San Jose.

They would dispose of the Sharks in six games to bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh.

"The fan support of the city was unbelievable," said Baur. "The only thing I can compare it to is the state of Wisconsin rallying behind the Packers during their 2010 Super Bowl run."

Baur won the Al Welling Memorial Scholarship at the 2010 Senior Class Tournament and six years later would be part of another special award.

After high school, Baur's hockey was played in the intramural ranks, but he never lost his love for the game even though he no longer competed at the higher levels of the sport.

"As soon as I realized I didn't have the skills to play in the NHL, I knew I wanted to work in the NHL and be around the game," noted the 24-year-old.

Baur wants players to know that playing the game is not the end-all, be-all.

"Youth and high school skaters should know that your Stanley Cup dream doesn't die if you don't get scouted or make it to D1. Following your dreams and passion for hockey can guide you to a very fulfilling career on the business side of sports, where those Stanley Cup dreams can still live."

For Brett Baur, that Stanley Cup dream did come true.