Brian Dumoulin warmed up his right arm, even though he was only throwing a ceremonial first pitch. He hadn’t played baseball in 10 years, when he was a sophomore first baseman for Biddeford High.

“They tried to hide me,” Dumoulin joked.

Dumoulin stopped swinging a baseball bat after that.

He held onto his hockey stick.

On Thursday, he came to Hadlock Field as a celebrity, a two-time Stanley Cup winner as a defenseman for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s cool to have this opportunity. I went to Sea Dogs games as a kid,” Dumoulin said.

Dumoulin, who turns 26 in two weeks, spends his offseason in Boston, where he played three seasons for Boston College, winning NCAA championships in 2010 and 2012. But he doesn’t stay away from home for long.

“It’s always good to have an excuse to come up to Maine,” he said. “I love it here. It seems like every week, I’m shooting up to Maine.

Dumoulin will always be associated with his hometown of Biddeford, where he led the high school team to state hockey titles in 2007 and 2008.

When the Penguins won in 2016, he brought the Stanley Cup to Biddeford Ice Arena, drawing thousands of fans.

Last Friday was Dumoulin’s second turn with the cup. He brought it to Boston College.

He wouldn’t mind a third chance to show off the cup in 2018.

“It’s the way we’re looking at it right now,” said Dumoulin, who has won six championships in 11 years, counting his high school and college days.

“It’s cool. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of good coaches and teammates around me,” he said. “That always helps in winning championships.

“After winning one, it just makes you hungrier to win another.”

Dumoulin, who was a second-round draft pick by the Carolina Hurricanes, was traded to Pittsburgh in June of 2012. He has developed into one of the team’s top defenders, playing every playoff game the past two seasons. He led the team in ice time during this year’s playoffs.

He proved his toughness in 2017, skating in the playoffs with a broken right hand, suffered when he was slashed in the first round.

“They thought about surgery (after the playoffs), but they let it rest and it’s healed,” Dumoulin said.

Dumoulin was a restricted free agent after the season, until Pittsburgh signed him to a six-year, $24.6 million deal.

“It’s nice, definitely,” he said. “Pittsburgh is the place I wanted to be and that was my goal, coming into this off-season – to sign a long-term deal with them.

“I’m more than happy and anxious to get back with my teammates.”

Before heading to Pittsburgh, Dumoulin needs to check in with a Boston College professor,for his one remaining independent course needed for his degree in marketing.

“Maybe in December I’ll have my degree,” said Dumoulin. “I’m excited to get that done.

Dumoulin has other off-ice duties, including wedding plans. He was recently engaged, and the wedding date is next August.

But in a couple weeks, Dumoulin will be in Pittsburgh, thinking hockey. Considering the Penguins won the Cup on June 11, his time in New England has been brief.

“Having a short summer is a blessing and a curse,” I said. “But I’ll take it every year.”

CORRECTION: This story was updated at 11:10 a.m. on Aug. 25 to clarify that Brian Dumoulin plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: ClearTheBases