The Stanley Cup is perhaps the best known trophy in sports. It is certainly the biggest.
The Cup is awarded every year to the National Hockey League's championship team.
The 2016 champions are the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The name of every player on the winning team is inscribed on the Stanley Cup. A tradition since 1994 is that every player on the championship team has possession of the Cup for one day
and can take it anywhere in the world that he wants.
Avon Old Farms School alumnus Nick Bonino is from Farmington. He is a center on the Penguins. He took the Cup to Avon Old Farms and the Connecticut Childrens Medical Center.
On the hottest day of the summer, 5,000 hockey fans (and yours truly) stood outside in stifling heat for an hour, and then another hour inside, in order to see Nick and the Stanley Cup.
Earlier in the day, Bonino took the cup to his grandparents' house and the family ate spaghetti out of the Cup. He ended the day by taking the Cup to the home of a young man with cancer
whom he had befriended. Good athlete, perhaps a better guy.
The cup sure does get around. If Lord Stanley were still alive today he would be proud of the tradition.
ReplyDeleteI guess there are lots of hockey fans still in CT even though the Whalers moved back in the 1990s.
ReplyDeleteI have heard "Stanley Cup" mentioned, but now I know more about it.
ReplyDeleteQuite amazing what I learn by looking and reading blog posts.
Happy Sunday!
You REALLY are a fan! It is wonderful tradition and I'm happy that you got to see part of it! The lines are indeed long. The only time I would stand in a line like that would be to see Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers!! :)
ReplyDeleteThat is one huge cup! What a great tradition!
ReplyDeleteSo cool that he opted to share The Cup with the community and sick children. (I've heard some crazy stories about what players have done with the Stanley Cup.) Bravo to you for waiting and waiting...and getting some incredible photos.
ReplyDeleteThat must be a great feeling. One of my teachers from 7th grade in Jordbro won this trophy four times! One of his twin daughters will compete in the track and field event in the Rio Olympics in the coming days!
ReplyDeleteSidney Crosby took it home to his town in Nova Scotia and they had a huge parade down the main street. Phil Kessel who is American but played here for many years brought it to Toronto to the Hospital For Sick Kids. Is that ever a classy move!
ReplyDeleteHe does sound like a great guy!
ReplyDeleteThey lat the family ear spaghetti out of it? It must travel with very good cleaners.
ReplyDeleteOf course, in almost 50 years of NHL play, we've never had it here.
Sounds like he is a good guy.
ReplyDeleteReally? You did that??
ReplyDeleteI have a very, very special coffee mug. You're welcome to come see it any time you'd like. No lines.
(Okay. I'll grant that he's a very nice guy. I guess it's a pretty cool cup.)