Days with the Cup: Conclusion of Stanley’s Euro tour, Paille goes to Niagra Falls and more

James O'Brien

Jul 31, 2011, 4:33 PM EDT

Comments Off

AP

The Stanley Cup has seen some exotic (and wet) places since we last took a look at its tour among the Boston Bruins. Let’s go in chronological order, beginning with the last leg of its European tour.

Tuukka Rask‘s day (July 24):

It must be strange to be Rask. He was the expected starter going into the 2010-11 season only to see Tim Thomas return to his Vezina Trophy form from 2008-09 and steal back the job. Instead of being the Bruins’ starter, he was relegated to solid backup duty. A lot has been made of the trade value of backups like Cory Schneider and Jonathan Bernier, but Rask’s case might be the most interesting since Thomas is an aging star.

There wasn’t a whole lot of information available about Rask’s day wit the Cup in Finland, but this mini-clip shows that it wasn’t for a lack of fun.

Shawn Thornton relaxes with the Cup (July 27):

The bruising forward had his first run with the Stanley Cup thanks to the Anaheim Ducks’ dominating 2007 win, so he told NHL.com that he “took care of” the fans and other people who demanded their moment with him and the silver chalice last time around. (Note: “took care of” does not mean murder.)

That being said, Thornton wasn’t a total homebody; he took the Cup to the top of Toronto’s CN Tower and spent plenty of his time signing autographs and making sure that people had their chance to see it.

“I think when you tell the city or whatever you’re going to show up somewhere, you end up being there for a lot longer and we don’t have it for that long,” Thornton told the Bruins’ website. “I’ve seen it happen before, you schedule two hours to be at an event and you end up being there for four or five because you don’t want to say no to the kids.

“I’m fortunate enough that this is my second time and I did a lot of the ‘taking care of people’ the first time I had it, so this time is a lot more chill, a lot more relaxed.”

Danile Paille (July 28):

Unlike Thornton’s laid-back day with the Cup, Daniel Paille‘s was scripted to get the most of his measly hours. The rugged winger brought it to a place it’s apparently never been before: Niagara Falls. Here’s video footage of the Stanley Cup going along for the “Maid of the Mist” ride.

Rich Peverley (July 29):

Peverley shared the Cup with 2,300 fans from his hometown of Guelph, but for the most part, the underrated center decided to take it easy with his family and friends on his day with the Cup.

Gregory Campbell‘s heartwarming day with the Cup (July 30):

It was easy for critics to pick on the son of former discipline czar Colin Campbell during the 2010-11 season, but it’s nearly impossible to do anything but admire “Soupy’s” use of his day with the Cup. The grinding forward brought the Cup to Grand River Hospital in Kitchener to share it with kids who are “fighting a much bigger fight” than any hockey game could provide.

Tyler Seguin is today’s lucky winner for a day with the Cup. We’ll keep an eye on what he does, but if you cannot wait, here are a few photos to whet your whistle. Stay tuned for more day with the Stanley Cup updates as the Bruins’ summer-long victory lap continues.

Comments Off

Email

« Newer Predators, Shea Weber gear up for possible salary arbitration on Tuesday

Older » Days with the Cup: Conclusion of Stanley’s Euro tour, Paille goes to Niagra Falls and more

More ProHockeyTalk

Jason Demers is ‘chomping at the bit’ to return
Toews calls 2-1 deficit ‘slap in the face’
Video: No Christmas card exchanges for Red Wings, ‘Hawks

Back to Homepage

No Comments (Feed for Comments)

Leave Comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

Older » Lightning’s Facebook promotion gives fans a chance to ‘Be the Ticket’

More ProHockeyTalk

Jason Demers is ‘chomping at the bit’ to return
Toews calls 2-1 deficit ‘slap in the face’
Video: No Christmas card exchanges for Red Wings, ‘Hawks

Back to Homepage

More ProHockeyTalk

Latest Posts

Top Posts

Subscribe