Stanley Cup tour has plenty of Manitoba stops

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This article was published 03/08/2023 (592 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

by CASSIDY DANKOCHIK

Hockey’s biggest prize spent the week criss-crossing across Manitoba, as members of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrated their Stanley Cup victory.

Included in that tour was a stop in Eastman, as former Selects player Brett Howden celebrated with friends, family and the entire community in Oakbank. Touring alongside the Cup is a group from the Hockey Hall of Fame, who ensure the trophy’s safety and see that it gets to where it needs to be.

Steve Poirier is the co-ordinator for the hall’s images and archival services, and was in Oakbank helping Howden’s day, which included a private showing, golf game, parade through the town and community photo session. Different Hall of Fame employees tag in and out from the role of cup watcher throughout the tour.

“This year (the tour) started a week later than normal,” Poirier said.

“(The cup) will be with the team up until their home opener. It’s 100 days of a lot of travel, and a lot of fun for the players.”

The Stanley Cup has a hallowed place across all of sports, and the annual tour which sees the trophy travel to the hometowns of the winning team’s players is a big reason why. Howden was able to pose for picutres with the community in the very arena he played his first ever organized hockey games.

“It’s a thank you to the community for making him what he is today,” Poirier said.

“The day goes by pretty quick for them, so they try and fit in what they can. It’s not every day your town or community gets the Cup, so everyone wants to get a glimpse of it.”

Poirier said it was pretty easy to say yes to any request to travel with the Stanley Cup or other trophies the hall sends out to events.

“It’s long days, but you make so many people happy,” he said.

Oakbank residents came out in droves, and with rain earlier in the day moving out of the region by the time the parade started, well over 1000 people were in attendance to see Howden.

“This is the typical response you’ll get from small towns,” Poirier said.

“Basically the town shuts down and comes here. They’ve been lining up for hours here.”

The week-later start to the tour allowed the Hockey Hall of Fame to engrave the current champion’s names on the cup before the tour even begins. Each band of the Stanley cup has space for 13 teams, meaning Howden’s name will be adorned on the cup for at least 60 years.

“They get to see their name on the trophy right away as they bring it to their home town, as opposed to waiting for the home opener,” Porier said.

The Vegas Golden Knights have become a hotbed of Manitoba talent in the NHL. The team not only boasts Howden, but Winnipeggers Mark Stone and Nolan Patrick, Winkler’s Byron Foese and Zach Whitecloud of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

There is no shortage of Manitobans in the front office as well, as general manager Kelly McCrimmon is also from the Keystone province.