Perhaps the most iconic trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup, was in Langley on Wednesday.
The three-foot high cup was at the home of Washington Capitals scout Terry Richardson, after the team sealed the championship last June.
Richardson said he knows how special it is for fans to be around the famous trophy.
“I’ve been in hockey since I was about four years old so this is a dream come true,” he said.
“Any little guy who grew up in Canada dreams about playing for the Stanley Cup in road hockey. I know. I didn’t play for the Stanley Cup but I hope I helped in some ways to bring a cup to Washington and it couldn’t be any more exciting.
“Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, all these great players have touched that cup and to be able to bring it here it’s so special.”
The cup is insured for $1.5-million and is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a pro sports team.
Among the crowd who gathered to get a first-hand look at the iconic trophy were teens Sam Brown and Kyle Wardel.
“Wayne Gretzky has touched it, Crosby, and now Ovechkin has touched it. There’s so much history on this cup,” said Brown.
“It’s pretty cool, you know they’ve kissed it, they’ve held it, they’ve lifted it up,” added Wardel.
Howie Borrow is one of six ‘keepers of the cup’ and was responsible for getting the trophy to Langley.
He crossed the border from Washington state with Richardson and the cup on Wednesday morning — much to the border guard’s surprise.
“He asked me what I’m declaring, and I said, ‘Nothing,’ and then he said, ‘What did you go down for? … What’s in the box?’ And I said, ‘You’re not going to believe it, when I tell you but it’s the Stanley Cup.’ He hesitated a little bit, and away we went,” Richardson said.
That kind of interaction is nothing new for Borrow, who’s tasked with accompanying the trophy as it makes its way around the globe in the off season.
“I’ve got ten flights in seven days, and just to try to remember where I’ve been or where I’m going sometimes can be a challenge,” he said.
“I enjoy travelling and going to all the different places in North America and into Europe, travelling with all the guys that are celebrating with the cup and meeting new people all the time — it’s a lot of fun, you’re meeting people who are happy to see you all the time.”
The Stanley Cup is unique as a championship trophy that is given the green light to travel in such a manner. And while roving the way it does allows fans to get up close an personal with the hardware, Borrow said there are still rules.
“The rules are for them that if their name is on the cup then they’re allowed to hoist it over their head, they can drink from it,” he said.
“But for the regular public we’ll allow them to get photos, they can touch it, hug it, kiss it, but just don’t pick it up.”
For lucky fans in Langley on Wednesday that got that rare chance to canoodle with the cup, it’s an experience few are likely to forget.
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