The PHT Stanley Cup tracker will keep tabs on how the Washington Capitals spend their summer celebrating
Last week, the Stanley Cup returned stateside after a jaunt off in Europe.
Back in America’s heartland, the cup visited Matt Niskanen in his hometown of Virginia, Minn., and made its first-ever trip to T.J. Oshie’s hometown of Warroad, Minn., where it took a ride in the same car that chauffered around a certain Franklin D. Roosevelt long ago.
So far this summer, the Stanley Cup has been to the World Cup, had caviar eaten out of it and got trotted around in a former presidential car.
Not too shabby.
Just dropping by to say thank you! Coach Todd Reirden brings the #StanleyCup to local police and fire departments in Indiana. @Capitals @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/IVqm3ghGy1
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 27, 2018
Washington’s new head coach Todd Reirden, who won the Cup as the team’s assistant to Barry Trotz (who has since moved on to the New York Islanders) got his day with Lord Stanley this past Thursday.
Reirden, a native of Deerfield, Ill., brought the Cup to the Indiana towns of Crown Point and Valparaiso. the latter where he had lived for 12 years. There, he spent time with local police officers and firefighters.
“The real thing I wanted to bring to this area and share is that the people around here were always phenomenal to me,” Reirden told ValpoLife.com. “I wanted this to be a way to give back and also build the game of hockey.”
And give back he did.
The event also had a hockey equipment drive and Bauer stepped with a nice donation.
Staff from the town figured upward of 1,000 people showed up for their chance to see hockey’s most prized possession.
From there, the Cup headed north to Winnipeg on Saturday.
Winnipeg has seen its fair share of the Stanley Cup over the past decade, with Jonathan Toews bringing it back to his hometown no less than three times with the Chicago Blackhawks.
But it was a different Winnipegger who enjoyed his day with the Cup over the weekend in The Peg, with Capitals defenseman Madison Bowey spreading the joy this time around.
@m_bows4 @Capitals a huge thank you for visiting the kids at the hospital today! You made everyone’s day! pic.twitter.com/hf4KmU1e2i
— Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba (@CHFManitoba) July 28, 2018
Bowey took the Cup to the Children’s Hospital where sick kids were able to spend some time with it.
Bowey’s next stop was the rink where he played hockey as a youth.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Blyf0fkFZz2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“I had to come back here and just show that support, show that love and just how appreciative I am to this community, and just help all those young guys who are striving to be where I am now and I think if I can just come back and give back to my community it goes a long way,” Bowey told the Winnipeg Sun.
He got a chance to throw out the first pitch at a local baseball game.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bly7vxMA-H0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
And then got a chance to eat something homemade of the Cup -- his grandmother’s borscht.
For Washington Capitals defenseman Madison Bowey, Grandma’s borscht tastes much better out of the #StanleyCup (Winnipeg, MB) @Capitals @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/aeqRGzuvMj
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 28, 2018
On Tuesday, the Cup will travel to Lashburn, Sask., where Braden Holtby will be there to parade it around town. The Cup will then travel to Ontario next weekend where Tom Wilson and his shiny new contract await. Devante Smith-Pelly will also get his day before Lord Stanley makes another trip across the pond, this time to Scandinavia.
A full list of dates and where the Cup will be on them can be found here.
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck