Miragh Bitove vividly remembers her first time seeing the Stanley Cup.

She was a teenager. A cousin was visiting from out of town. Her dad suggested they head to the Hockey Hall of Fame in downtown Toronto and take a look.

When the pair hit the top step of the staircase leading to the sport鈥檚 silver chalice, Bitove was in awe.

鈥淣othing like it,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a glow.鈥�

An art history and museum management major, Bitove went on to work as a Hall of Fame post-secondary intern in 2003 before parlaying that into a job as an archivist at the venue.

Years later, she鈥檚 taken another massive leap 鈥� as the first woman in the 鈥淐up Keeper鈥� role on the annual celebration tour.

Bitove, her white gloves on whenever there鈥檚 a chance she might touch the trophy, hit the road with colleagues last summer, crisscrossing North America as the Vegas Golden Knights basked in the glory of their victory.

鈥淲e see a bit of everything,鈥� Bitove said. 鈥淔rom wedding-sized parties right down to potlucks in grandma鈥檚 garage. It鈥檚 great watching people鈥檚 natural reactions.

鈥淚ncredibly special.鈥�

What鈥檚 also special is Bitove blazing a trail handling the Cup.

The mother of three 鈥� two boys and a girl 鈥� doesn鈥檛 want special treatment. She also understands the attention in a sport that, while beginning to change, has been dominated by men for the better part of a century.

鈥淎 bit surreal,鈥� Bitove said of being the first woman in the job. 鈥淭hat part doesn鈥檛 really enter into my train of thought.

鈥淲hen you go out on these trips, you get some sad faces in the house. I鈥檝e always said, 鈥業 want to go out there and travel so that other girls can see me working in hockey.鈥欌��

Bitove has also turned some heads on those gruelling journeys that can last 10 or 11 days, often from before dawn until well past midnight.

鈥淚f I鈥檓 in my (Hall of Fame) blazer it鈥檚, 鈥極h, I didn鈥檛 know they made that blazer for women,鈥欌�� said the Toronto native. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 great 鈥� I鈥檓 glad to be out there and have people see it.鈥�

Phil Pritchard 鈥� the Hall of Fame鈥檚 vice-president and the 鈥淜eeper of the Cup鈥� 鈥� remembers when Bitove first arrived in the building.

鈥淪he had all the interest, all the background, everything that we鈥檙e looking for,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you get someone like that, you don鈥檛 want to lose them.鈥�

Qualifications and passion aside, Bitove also has the game in her blood. While never a hockey player herself, the family tree includes great uncle Ted Kennedy, who won the Cup five times with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1945 and 1951.

鈥淗ockey was sort of in my periphery,鈥� she said looking back. 鈥淚n my grandmother鈥檚 house was a giant portrait of my uncle Ted in game action 鈥� black and white, beautiful photo.

鈥淚 walked (into the Hall of Fame) actually looking for information on my uncle Ted. It organically sprouted from there.鈥�

Bitove, who along with her husband can be found in community rinks most nights, and her colleagues are tasked with taking care of the Cup every moment it鈥檚 on the road. The team atmosphere and camaraderie is crucial, especially on those long stretches away from home.

鈥淭hat hockey family environment, she brings it to work every day,鈥� Pritchard said. 鈥淪he fits the perfect mould for the Hockey Hall of Fame.鈥�

It鈥檚 where Bitove belongs.

鈥淨ualified to do exactly what she鈥檚 doing,鈥� Pritchard added. 鈥淚f that falls under the arc of being the first woman on the road with the Cup, so be it.鈥�

And when she isn鈥檛 getting hundreds of pictures taken at barbecues or community centres alongside the Cup in small towns and big cities, Bitove works with other artifacts to tell the game鈥檚 story.

鈥淓very new item that comes into the museum comes through my desk, so I鈥檓 writing the history of hockey,鈥� she explained. 鈥淔ifty years from now people can go back and see what the Hockey Hall of Fame had to say.鈥�

Bitove has spoken to her seven-year-old daughter 鈥� the only girl on the little one鈥檚 co-ed hockey team 鈥� about what mom is up to.

鈥淚 always tell her, 鈥榊ou鈥檝e got to double down, work hard and prove that you belong,鈥欌�� said Bitove, who鈥檚 equally proud to have her boys, ages nine and 11, witness a woman in this role. 鈥淲hen I go on the road 鈥� I鈥檓 doing it so other people can see me working in hockey.鈥�

That journey started more than two decades ago.

The Hockey Hall of Fame used to parade the Cup a short distance back to the museum from Toronto鈥檚 Union Station at the conclusion of every summer tour.

Back in 2003, that event happened to fall on Bitove鈥檚 first day as an intern.

鈥淧hil Pritchard goes, 鈥極h, just hold on. I鈥檒l be right back. I have to do this parade,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚 looked out the window of our offices and I saw him parading down with the Stanley Cup.

鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃here am I? This is crazy.鈥欌��

Now she鈥檚 one of the select few sporting the white gloves 鈥� Cup in hand.