The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio) - Hometown Celebrations with the Stanley Cup

Episode Date: June 18, 2024

For NHL players, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. After facing the challenge of winning hockey's biggest trophy, tradition states that each winning player and coach gets to spend a day with the cup. On the Stanley Cup's official summer tour, the winners welcome family, friends, and their hometown community to join in their celebration. Canadian journalist and sportscaster Jim Lang shares these stories in his new book, "My Day with the Cup."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For National Hockey League players, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. And besides securing immortality, tradition states that each winning player and coach gets to spend a day with the Cup, pretty much anywhere in the world. On the Cup's official summer tour, the winners welcome family, friends, and their hometown community to join in their celebration. Broadcaster Jim Lang shares these stories in his new book. It's called My Day with the Cup, and he joins us now with more. It's great to see you again, Jim.

It's great to be here, Steve. It's a pleasure. You know, it occurred to me, I have something in my office that I keep on my desk that it seems appropriate for this interview. Do tell. Uh-oh, uh-oh. Now, you're allowed to touch that one, but we can't touch the real one. You know, that's the rules. I understand what the rules are and we will get to that.

Jim, one thing that I read in your book that I really did not know is that there's not really a Stanley Cup. There are actually three Stanley Cups. Yes. Explain. So the Hall of Fame is very protective of the original Stanley Cup. And so it's in a glass case in the Hall of Fame. And all the names of the players and coaches go on there, Steve. But then they have the second cup, and that's the one that Phil Pritchard with the white gloves, the head curator of the hall, will bring out to the ice. So the captain gets it and all the celebrations.

So that's a presentation cup. And that's the one that goes around and tours Northern Ontario and the Maritimes in Europe. and then they have a third cup because the cup is in demand so much and is in so many places sometimes it's they need an extra cup but the one never ever leaves the hall so the third cup is what it's like the backup cup it's the when did they make that i guess i'm not sure i don't know the exact date but it's been a while for at least the last 20 years or so like is that does that come as news to people that there are actually three cups i think so it was news to me and um the presentation cup there's a reason for it some no matter how protective the keepers of the cup are when they're with the respective coaches and players you know sometimes it drops

sometimes it falls and they have to you know take the take the base off and they bang the dents out and clean it up and fix it. But the real one, the original one, the main one, they never want to have to worry about that. But unfortunately, sometimes it gets dropped in a pool. It gets dropped in the ground. It gets knocked over as much as they try for it not to happen. So that's why it's the presentation cup. And that's the one they let out of the hall to go around on the tour. Let me circle back to the first thing you said, which is, is it actually just a superstition or is it an actual prohibition that if you're a player and

you haven't won the cup, you don't touch it? It is a deep seated belief and a cardinal rule among everyone in the National Hockey League, Steve, if you play it or coach or on a team and your name is not on the Stanley Cup, you don't drink out of it, you don't touch it. Absolutely not. It is, and it goes back generations to older players from the 70s who might have been in the Hall of Fame who never won a cup. They will not do it. And it's amazing, and the keepers of the Cup have witnessed events where they've been there with a champion and they had a friend in the league from the same hometown that invited them up.

They absolutely will not come up near the Cup. We got a bunch of pictures we're going to show throughout the course of our conversation. Sheldon, you want to bring the first one up here? Here are Phil Pritchard and Mike Bolt. That's Phil on the left, Mike on the right. And they are known as the Keepers of the Cup. Jim, what do they do?

It is an amazing undertaking, Steve. First of all, after the Stanley Cup is awarded and they have the parades and the celebrations, an email will go out and they have to start deciding who gets the cup when and where. They have limited time for all the people, and approximately 50 people on the team will get a day with the Cup. Personnel, front office people, the scouts but the coaches and the players and priorities given to the coach the gm the captain and the star players and then if if i'm like a seventh defenseman or a fourth liner i might get it a wednesday night and you're the captain you'll get it a saturday night it's that kind of thing so they have to organize that and they have to do it geographically and then they found

out early on in 95 was the first year of the official cup tour the devils and they had one person and by the end of the summer they were the catatonic they like that one person can't do it so they had they trade off so you might have the ontario quebec swing then you get a few days off and then i would take over the manitoba prairie swing, get some time off. And then maybe you would go back on the third leg, which is Finland, Sweden, and Slovakia. And that's literally how they do it, like a rock band. And they split it up geographically and building in the travel that it takes to get from all these different places. So let's be clear. I mean, if you are from Russia, if you're a Russian player on the Stanley Cup

winning team, you get to take the cup to Russia for a day. What's the furthest it's been? The furthest it's been is with Vladimir Tarasenko, who when he was with the St. Louis Blues, he was from a town four and a half hours east of Moscow. So that's Mike Bolt mentioned that that's the furthest east they have been. So they've been. I read the book, so I know the place. Novozebirsk. Thank you. That's the furthest east they have been. So they've been... I read the book so I know the place. Yeah. Novozebirsk. Thank you. That's where it is. Yeah, so in the middle of nowhere

and it's been to San Diego, it's been to... It really has been to everywhere. And the amount of mileage it's logged into Afghanistan for Goodwill tours, for troops and everything and you can... Wherever the player's from, wherever they call

home, that's where they'll take the cup. You know where else it's been? Sheldon, next picture, please. Photo number one. It's been to the White House. There's Mike Bolt, full disclosure, went to summer camp with Mike. I can't, there's Mike Bolt at the White House going up to the presidential podium. You talked to him about that White House experience. What was that like? I guess for him, it was a little surreal, because it is the White House, the Oval Office, and everything that goes with it. And no matter who's the president, and they've been there for different presidents, it's still something special. And the players feel it, and the staff feel it. And he had been there in 02 when the Red Wings won and he went back the next year when the Devils won. Pat Burns was the coach in 03. And he got there early and

the cup is in a room off the Oval Office with the NHL and the Hall of Fame logo and it's gleaming. You could shave out of it. It's so perfect. And he's outside and George Bush's dog runs up with a tennis ball and drops it at his feet. So he picked it up and started throwing the ball back and forth. And the dog's having a good time because he's got time to kill till the players arrive. And this secret service ran over with the earpieces talking in the wrist and said, you got to move, you got to move. And he's having a panic attack and he apologized to them later. He said, they said, look, you did nothing wrong. Dick Cheney got really upset because George Bush bush wouldn't do any work he kept looking out the oval office window referencing the dog running against the tennis ball so yeah stuff like that

happens do we know i know 1994-95 was the first year it started my day with the cup do we know how it started as a tradition it started because there had been some informal times where the cup had gone out to a nightclub or a bar or a party and it was getting banged up a bit. And Gary Betman, to his credit, he takes a lot of heat. He decided, let's work with the Hall of Fame and the NHL and do something proper and supervised. Have it show up in the road case, come out in the white gloves. Let's go to Clinton, Massachusetts. Let's go out in the white gloves. Let's go to Clinton, Massachusetts. Let's go to Burlington, Ontario. Let's go to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Let's let them spend a day with the Stanley Cup. And that was the start of it. And that was for just

to make it a proper tour. It's good for selling the game of the NHL, selling the game of hockey and quality control. They knew that there was someone watching over it to make sure nothing bad was going to happen. Sheldon, photo number three, please. You may know this guy. I believe his name is Sid the Kid. Well, I think that's his nickname. Sidney's got his name, Sid Crosby's got his name on the cup three times. Three times. Three times, which is not bad. And there he is in Coal Harbour, Nova Scotia, small town. What is it like for a Stanley Cup hero to bring the cup to a small town? It's the biggest thing to happen to the town. First of all, let me tell you something about Sidney Crosby that maybe people don't realize. When he's not playing, he's working out and

training to be better the next year. That's the kind of individual he is. That's why he's had the career he's had. So it took well over a year before I was able to contact him and agree for him to talk to me. And at the start of the conversation, Steve has said, look, Sid, I know you're busy. I just need 10 minutes, please. And 30 minutes later, he's still going. And he could not be more proud of being from Nova Scotia, his family from Coal Harbour. He had an uncle who was, or a grandparent who was in the veteran senior's home in Halifax, who was a veteran. All this, everything that is Nova Scotia, he is so proud to be from Nova Scotia.

And he cherishes the seconds of every day that he had with the cup. And he said to me, he said, every day in this off season, if I'm tired or sore and I'm going to the gym or skating, all I'm thinking is, I want another day with the cup. And it means so much to him. And Mike Bolt tells a great story. And then Sid confirmed it, that at the end of his third day, Sid looked at Mike Bolt and said, do you have to go, really?

And unfortunately, they're on such a tight schedule. He said, no, Sid, I have to take it. We got to go. We got to go. And so he's as nice as you think he is. He's even nicer. And when it comes to talking about his time with the Stanley Cup, he just was so generous with his time.

And it means so much to him. He's not playing for money. He's not playing for fame. He's not playing for endorsements. He's playing so he can have another chance to spend a day with his family and friends in the Stanley Cup. He's 37 years old now, right? Yeah.

So time's running out. Oh, and I'm sure he's aware of it. I mean, he just had a phenomenal year statistically. His team didn't, but he did. No, no, he carried the team. But that's the kind of thing that a lot of the players all said that drives them is to have another day. More than a decade ago, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Photo number four, please, Sheldon. Rich Peverly won the Stanley Cup with the Bruins, and here he is with his daughter. Now, I guess we should say for the record here, players are allowed to eat and drink out of the cup,

but it is the responsibility of the keepers of the cup to make sure that players don't, I guess, disrespect the cup, which can happen, right? It can, and that's all they ask. They basically have a loose framework of what you can do with the Stanley Cup. And, you know, Rich obviously wanted to have cereal with his daughter. And he's a wonderful guy from Guelph, Ontario. And, you know, he was so humble and so privileged and so over the moon that he had his name on the same name of the trophy as Wayne Gretzky and you know Brian Troche and players like that and they'll they'll say hey I'm gonna have this I know for Darcy Kemper his grandmother made from Saskatoon and made traditional pierogies with sour cream

and bacon but he served it in a bowl and the keeper was happy because you know the sour cream would be messy to clean up so he had it in the bowl, inside the bowl of the cup. But yeah, they're like, let's not take it to a strip club. We're not going to take it to a casino. You're going to have a fun day, one of the best days of your life, but let's respect the history of the trophy and what the cup is. And the players have no problem with that. Here's an excerpt from your book. Sheldon, top of page three. Let's bring this quote up. This is Mike Bolt quoted in my day with the cup. When I open up the case and I take out the Stanley Cup, I often see the father of the player or his grandfather get very emotional. I have gone into events with the Stanley Cup and I could see people in the crowd tearing up. The

Stanley Cup is a rock star and it has a certain aura about it. There is nothing else like it in the world that has that kind of attraction and magnetism and emotion attached to it. You've got some lovely stories in the book about what some players do with the cup when they get their day with the cup. And I think one of the loveliest stories, maybe you'll tell it here, Guy Carboneau, Dallas Stars, 1999. What happened? Guy, for my money, the best defensive forward to ever play in the NHL, and was towards the end of a fabulous career. And his father sadly passed away during the cup run. And he had vowed that he would take the Stanley Cup to his father's resting place in Quebec.

And that happened later with Brendan Shanahan, where it was sort of an impromptu thing. But yeah, Guy, that was his day with the Cup, is to have some fun, but then have a solemn moment with his mom and his family at the resting place with his father in Quebec. And the family, the bond of the family and the players, that's what I don't think is translated when you watch hockey on television, Steve. And it is so important to them, and they're so respectful.

And Mike Bolden mentioned that there are times where they're taking the Stanley Cup into the hospital room of a dying relative or the grave site of a loved one. And that's the keepers hover over like a hawk watching the cup. But when it comes to that, they all stand back. They don't need to be there watching the cup in those moments. I can't remember who said it in your book. But somebody said, you know, winning the Stanley Cup is something that the player does, but the player's never alone because the whole family has supported them

through that journey. Yeah. And one player said, I saw my last name on the cup and it reminded me, that's my name, that's my dad's last name, it's my grandpa's last name, it's my kid's last name, right? Everybody's in on it. Yeah, that was Matthew Dandenau.

Okay. And, you know, he he got he was a wonderful storyteller and uh but yeah it hit him like that's not just my name and that's the genius of the stanley cup steve is the last name of the families on there and the last person we spoke i spoke to was nicholas haig big nick haig six five defensemen of the vegas gold knights in the beginning last year they started a new tradition where they inscribed the names before the start of the cup tour. So that's a new tradition now. And his grandmother's 99, and she's in a wheelchair,

but still pretty sharp, and her fingers don't quite stretch out, and she's running her finger, which is all crooked, along the cup, and says, Nick, why is my name on the cup? And says, Grandma, it's our name. It's always going to be on there. Oh, my God. And I looked over, and his dad is kind of helping the grandmother, and he's got tears in his eyes.

Jim, you're going to make me cry right now. And it's amazing. Larry Robinson, for my money, on the Mount Rushmore, one of the great players in the 70s and 80s, he didn't really, the first time, he won all those cups with the Canadians. Ten cups. Ten cups.

So he won all those cups as a player with the Canadians, but it wasn't until he was an assistant coach of the Devils he actually got it cups with the canadians 10 cups 10 cups so he won all those cups as a player with the canadians but it wasn't until he was an assistant coach the devils he actually got it to take it to his hometown marvaville ontario a little farming community in east ontario and he saw these elderly gentlemen from this little farming community weeping because the cup was in front of them he says wow and as he said holy mackerel it's the stanley cup and and all these players from all these different communities, from the U.S., from Canada, from Sweden, had the same thing that every,

people that they really weren't even related to them, but they were with them and had the presence of the Stanley Cup and it really hit them. Mike Medano, I guess he was captain of the Dallas Stars? Absolutely he was, yeah. Thrilled to win the Cup, thrilled to see his name engraved on him. And he said, because it's going to be there forever.

Now here's where we have to rain on people's parade a little bit, right? Yeah. It's actually not going to be there forever, is it? Well, 60 years. I mean, I guess, I mean, when you're a player, by the time the ring comes off, you may not be on this earth anymore. So, yeah. But you better explain that.

The rings come off. Yeah, so they have to put new bands on it because there's so many names on the cup. So every 60 years, a band will come off and they have to put a clean band on so they can have room to inscribe other team names on it. And unfortunately for Leafs Nation. Don't say it. Don't say it. We're a few years away from that band coming off. Six years, right?

No, less than that. Less than that? Yeah, because 60 years. So the last cup winner for the Leafs, which is 1967, that band is coming off in a few years. Yes, it is. There will be no evidence. No. Well, they put the ring in the hall of fame. The ring's in the hall, but one of the biggest things when the cup arrives and all the players talk about it and the players become kids again they're they're an eight-year-old kid again when the cup's in the room and sydney carver's like my name's on

the cup with bobby orr and you know andre waugh was like mario lemieux's on the stanley cup and that's you know they were giddy talking about it and they'd be able to go along and see the name of those idols those players really hit them andre. Andre Roy won a Stanley Cup with Tampa. Yeah. Who gave him a helicopter ride on his day with the Cup? Well, to me, it's the greatest story of a proposal ever. One of his best friends worked as a producer at RDS, the Francophone Sports Network, and said they were going from one town to another. And he goes, Andre, let's not drive. Let's get a helicopter ride.

It'll be like 20 minutes it'll save a lot of time more day with the cop more time to have fun oh great great the helicopter lands in the soccer field outside of his his town and out comes gila fleur in a pilot's uniform and he's staring at him like uh and gila fleur is a was a licensed experienced helicopter pilot and so so he gila fleur says, oh, congratulations. Welcome again. And like, Andre Wall's like, is this really happening? They get on the helicopter.

And his friend had told him beforehand, why don't you propose to your girlfriend while we're in the helicopter? He goes, well, OK. He put the ring in the Stanley Cup and convinced his girlfriend to look in the cup. And she looked and goes goes would you like to get married and so think about that you propose in a helicopter with the ring in the stanley cup being flown by gila fleur no one can top that it's a perfect day it's a perfect day okay there was let's do another special moment here here's the tradition the captain takes the trophy from the

commissioner after winning the stanley cup the captain takes the trophy from the commissioner after winning the Stanley Cup. The captain is the first person to have the honor of hoisting the cup over his head. There is then a tradition that there is somebody special that you pass the cup to for the first post-captain hold of the cup. Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sackick hands the cup to teammate Raymond Bork. Roll tape. It was an incredible experience when it was all over with and just an incredible relief. Joe Sackick immediately turns and hands it to Ray Bork. The significance of that was what? I mean, Ray Bork had one of the great careers of any player of our generation, any generation. And after over 22 years, he finally

wins. And Dan Hynode, who I spoke to, a wonderful individual from Minnesota who's an assistant coach with the Predators, said he started crying on the ice. It overwhelmed him. You see, he looked around half the team, just the sight of Sakic passing the cup to Bork and what Bork meant to the players. And he's such a wonderful human being and such a nice person and was such a mentor to the young players. And played so long without getting a sniff of the cup. So long, so long.

And it overwhelmed a lot of the players. And Dan said, I didn't expect to have that kind of reaction. But to this day, he sees that video. And Dan said, didn't expect to have that kind of reaction but to this day he sees that video and Dan said I it just he gets choked up a bit because then he realizes I was on the same ice as Ray Borg when we won the cup and you know that's that's that kind of thing those kind of memories that transcends the money they make and the fame it's they become it's such a human emotion Steve that's what i loved about it i love this story you tell about the tampa bay lightning coach john cooper who's won

two stanley cups yes he had two stanley cups as coach of the lightning and his observation about spending a day with the cup and wayne gretzky is there as well what was noteworthy about that experience they had a hockey camp there a gretzky hockey camp. And he said, anytime, and he's become kind of good friends with Wayne. He said, anytime with Wayne, Wayne is the trophy in the room. And they had the room set up with the cup and all the camp kids. And Wayne was not the trophy. Wayne was like the kids. And Wayne was running his finger along, looking for his idols and all the players he played against. And the kids weren't even paying attention to Wayne. They were paying attention to the cup.

And John thought that was pretty amazing. He had such a circuitous route to the NHL, such an improbable climb to be an assembly cup champion. At one time, a lawyer playing beer league for a team called the Legal Eagles. And then 20 years later, he's a cup champion. And it was a very special moment for John because the year before during covid they couldn't have a cup tour so they win the stanley cup that's all he's thought about for years and they can't go on a tour

and so when he had it um he had a summer place in cordaline idaho in the mountains and when wayne was there and they become very good friends but he said it was so fascinating that no one, it was like Wayne was just another guy. It was the Stanley Cup they all wanted to talk about. You and I both been to the Hockey Hall of Fame numerous times. We have seen the Stanley Cup numerous times. The last time I was in the hall, which wasn't that long ago, I asked the, it wasn't the keeper of the cup, but it was somebody who was watching the cup. I said, am I allowed to touch the Stanley Cup? And they said, yeah, you can touch it. And then I said, am I allowed to hoist it? And they said, no, no, you cannot hoist it. You need to earn the right to do that. And I so respected that. But Jim, okay, Sheldon, put the picture up if you would. I couldn't help myself. I couldn't

help myself. I had to hug it. I mean, come on. Since we were babies, we have wanted to hold that trophy. I agree, Steve. But writing this book and hearing the stories and how profound it is to the players to be a cup champion, how much it means to them. When I was with Nick Hague in his backyard in Kitchener and he had the Stanley Cup, I would not touch it. I stood by it for a photo. I don't feel I have the right to touch it. And just the men and women who have their names on there can lift it and touch it.

You're right, and I respect your point of view, but I could not resist. No, I get it. And I asked permission. Yeah. So now, one of the rules are, when they have their day with the Cup, it's funny you bring that up. Everyone talks about everyone drinking out of the cup.

They want the players to hold the cup. Yes. Which sounds great. So even an elite athlete in the NHL. So you have one of these, usually the party ends with two or three hours of shenanigans and pouring champagne and beer in the cup. Well, the player is spending all night.

It's both 14 kilos 34 pounds filled it's hard to hold it's hard to hold and then you know um one of the individuals i talked to at a security said nathan mckinnon who's one of the biggest strongest athletes in the hl he goes my arms are i can't do it anymore his arms are locked up and and if someone wants a photo with the cup over their head the rule is the player has to be on one end so if like i'm the player and you're we'll be holding it together so they just it's quality control but the drinking out of the cup you don't just grab it and hoist it no the player holds it and pours it into your mouth just finally you and i both know i mean we follow sports we know all the possible trophies that are out there

to win yeah you know the commissioner's trophy and the lombardi trophy and that ugly major league baseball yeah yeah commissioner's trophy they win. Whatever you get for, what's that tiny little thing you win for winning the World Cup, the soccer thing? Oh, yeah. I don't even know what it's called yet. There is no more beautiful trophy in the world, I don't care what sport, than this. Correct? You will never get an argument from me. And Mike Ricci talked about it where they started the day at his mom's house in Scarborough. And the keeper, it wasn't Mike Bulb. I can't remember who the keeper was that day.

But he said, just give me a couple minutes. And his mom and his brothers and his uncles and his family are on the yard in front yard waiting and waiting. And the keeper brought it out. And it was gleaming. And it was like everyone stopped. And people started crying. And there was something almost magical about it. And Frederick Modine said stopped and people started crying and there was something

almost magical about it. And Frederick Modine said that in Sonsval, Sweden. And Jordan Nolan talked about it, taking it to Garden River, the reserve near Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Ontario. And whatever community it's been to, whatever family it's been with, they've all had the same reaction that there's a certain power to the trophy when it's gleaming and it's shiny and the names are on it and they're looking at it and and so many of the players said the only time they've ever seen their dad cry is when that cup was in the living room or in the kitchen and they saw gordie how or bobby or gila fleur jean bellevaux's name on there and they're like my son's name that's on the same name is. And it can be overwhelming. And it's got a certain appeal.

And, you know, when they, Commissioner Gary Bettman, that's the one thing I love about the NHL. There's no, no. When they win, it goes to the captain of the players. And then Gary gets off the ice. It's their time. And it's the hardest trophy to win. Four, seven game series.

And at the end, they were so beat mentally, physically, and emotionally, it almost doesn't sink in. The day it sinks in is the day they bring the cup to their house the other day, and they realize, I'm a Stanley Cup champion. Jim, you have written a lovely book chronicling all of this. My Day with the Cup. Jim Lang has been our guest. Thanks a lot. It's a pleasure, my friend. It's a pleasure, my friend.