The Stanley Cup has been in Eric Tangradi’s house.

That he rented.

To Nick Bonino.

Long before he became Eric Tangradi, realtor, he was Eric Tangradi, landlord.

And for two consecutive years (2016 and ’17), the domicile that Tangradi rented to Bonino hosted the Stanley Cup.

When Bonino and the Pittsburgh Penguins won the championship during the middle part of the previous decade, Tangradi was a handful of years removed from his own tenure with the Penguins.

And even though he never crossed paths with Bonino as a teammate, the two were able to hook up on a rental property thanks to the efforts of longtime Penguins employee Jim Britt.

Tangradi, a power forward who played for the Penguins in the early 2010s, owned a home in Pittsburgh and paid some bills by renting it out to Bonino, a key component of the franchise’s two most recent Stanley Cup titles.

That proved to be something of a dry run for Tangradi’s second career as a realtor with Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty after he stepped away from the game in 2020.

Which, in part, helped lead Tangradi back to hockey.

On Friday, Tangradi was named coach of Shady Side Academy’s boys hockey team.

“When I retired (as a player), I needed some time to kind of decompress from hockey,” Tangradi said by phone. “But I’ve always known that I felt I had a real grasp and understanding of the game. My path is very, very unique and different being a kid from Philadelphia and navigating through adulthood on my own. When an opportunity like Shady Side presented itself, it is exactly what I envisioned myself doing when it came to giving back to the game of hockey and this situation of coaching. It seemed like a no-brainer. I understand that I’m going to be taking on a very vulnerable group of kids in the sense of their high school years are all about development when you talk about ninth through 12th grade. Boys becoming men.

“So I’m very excited for that opportunity. Not just to become a hockey coach but to kind of be a mentor and somebody that these kids can lean on.”

Tangradi’s journey as a player included a stint with Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa. Like Wyoming Seminary, Shady Side Academy is a prep school.

“It’s a huge commitment and sacrifice,” Tangradi said. “Going to prep school, your main purpose involved in going there is in the academics. For me, it was a great opportunity. But at the same time, there were challenges. Missed home at times, missed my friends at times. But me having that experience myself makes me very comfortable taking on this role.”

Throughout his playing career, Tangradi’s role was primarily as a bottom-six power forward. A second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks (No. 42 overall) in the 2007 draft, Tangradi was traded to the Penguins in 2009 and was a member of the organization for parts of five years.

After bouncing around with the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and even Barys Nur-Sultan of Russia’s KHL, Tangradi retired in 2020 due in part to the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.

“I really struggled with retirement,” Tangradi said. “I’m 33. My body and my mind still felt I could perform at a high level. But when you have children and family that have made those sacrifices, I basically had two choices. It was retire or leave my family again in this economic uncertainty of (covid-19). I retired very early, and I struggled.

“When I looked back on my career, there was one thing that always kind of coincided with hockey. And it was real estate. I’ve been a landlord. … I’ve bought and sold homes in different cities while playing. It just felt like I’ve always known real estate. And what better way to transition than to get involved in a city that I know so well.”

Tangradi met his wife, Caitlin, a Vincentian alumnus and Gibsonia native, in the area when each were in their early 20s and vowed to make Pittsburgh their “home base” regardless of where his playing career took them.

Today, with two children — and a third on the way in July — Tangradi has deep roots in his adopted hometown.

“We’ve lived here for 10 years now,” said Tangradi, who helped Robert Morris raise funds to restore its men’s and women’s programs a few months ago. “A couple of moves later, I don’t ever plan to leave Pittsburgh. It’s a small city with a big-city feel. The community has embraced me. People are fantastic. We have every amenity you can imagine compared to some of these big cities. I love it here. The school system is great. My kids love it here. I don’t anticipate us ever leaving this community.”

Tangradi, who was introduced to real estate by former Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth, is trying to make his mark on Pittsburgh’s hockey community.

“Pittsburgh is a hockey haven right now. We have so many good players from Pittsburgh. I’d love to try to keep some of them in the area and get Shady Side’s program back, super competitive, not just in the standings and in New England and with some of the top schools in the country.

“I feel like the hockey part is going to be easy. I’ve been on so many different teams, played for so many great coaches that just picking a piece from all of them, I feel very comfortable in my role as a hockey coach and as a teacher. But what excites me the most is the opportunity to change these boys in a positive way, to leave a lasting impact on these young men that they can forever. I was an outlier. I was from the city of Philadelphia. Got brought out of my shell into an uncomfortable situation. Was challenged academically. My path is different from everybody else’s. I’m just looking forward to being a resource and a mentor for these kids. Obviously, every kid wants to be in the NHL. Every kid wants to play Division I hockey (at the NCAA level). But you can be a huge success by being a fantastic student and continuing to play hockey at the next level, whatever that may be.”

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