Stanley Cup Winners

Shorthanded Sabres Must Protect Home Ice

2006-05-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Debate the officiating in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals all you want. But consider this: The Sabres played their worst game in weeks. Remember, too, this game wasn't as close as the 4-3 final suggests.
Yeah, the officials in this game weren't up to standard. SN community member este1518 nailed it in his comments on the game recap.
Quote: "Sabres played one of the worst games I've seen in awhile. Carolina on the other hand played great. The officiating was horrible, but that's no excuse for how poorly the Sabres played."
Thank you, estes, and well said.
Were it not for another great performance by Ryan Miller, Game 2 would have been a blowout. The Hurricanes were that much better.
But here's the big picture: The Sabres stole home-ice advantage in Game 1. It's now their duty, their obligation, their burden to win the next two games on home ice. That's the test for playoff success: win on the road and dominate at home.
Let's cut the Sabres some slack here, because they played without two key defensemen -- Dmitri Kalinin, who likely is finished for the playoffs, and Teppo Numminen, who is day-to-day. They made do without Kalinin, because seventh defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick was serviceable. They suffered without Numminen because minor-leaguer Doug Janik didn't play much, forcing the Sabres to go with five defensemen.
The Sabres didn't quit, but they had five worn-out defensemen at the final horn. They can't continue at that pace, even given their excellent team-defense concepts.
Without Numminen, the Sabres are in deep trouble.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: 'Canes Level Eastern Finals with 4-3 Win

2006-05-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Ray Whitney had both of his goals in the second period and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 to even the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.
Frank Kaberle and Justin Williams also scored for Carolina.
Rookie goalie Cam Ward needed only 16 saves to pick up his ninth win of the playoffs.
Carolina's power play woke up after being shut out in the opener. The 'Canes scored power-play goals on their first two
opportunities.
Game Three is Wednesday night in Buffalo.

One awesome job!

2006-03-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

Mike Bolt may look like just about anyone you might bump into on the street.

But he's not.

Bolt is the "Keeper of the Cup." That means he is one of only three men charged with the security and safekeeping of the Stanley Cup, professional sports' oldest and most cherished trophy.

If Bolt didn't think he had a great job, he was reminded of it recently when he took the Stanley Cup on a visit to the NHL's headquarters in New York City.

While in midtown Manhattan, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said to him, "You've got an awesome job."

"I'm thinking, 'Gary Bettman's got an awesome job, and he does an awesome job,' when I realized he's right. I do have an awesome job," Bolt said.

Bolt is one of three Hockey Hall of Fame employees who transport and protect the Stanley Cup as it travels for more than 300 days a year to be displayed at hospitals, charity fundraisers, NHL arenas and local hockey rinks, players' hometowns and other venues.

The traveling security unit was created in 1995 to efficiently display and safeguard the Cup.

The days of players kicking the Stanley Cup into Ottawa's Rideau Canal after a night of carousing or waking to find the Cup at the bottom of a pool are over. In 1995, a new tradition was started: Making sure every Stanley Cup-winning player has a chance to have the Cup for a day.

Bolt, Phil Pritchard and Paul Oak ensure that principle is upheld.

"It's not a job that you can call in sick. Too many people are depending on you," Bolt said. "The players put a lot of effort into putting their 'day' together. You have to make sure you get there on time. You want them to enjoy their time with the Cup because this is something they've dreamed about all their lives."

Bolt said that on a typical player's day, he arrives between 6 and 7 a.m. and is met by about 30 to 40 friends and family of the Cup-winning player. Typically, the first stop is at a local hospital, often the children's ward. Then, there is a parade and a display in a downtown park where the player signs autographs.

"The players are really patient," Bolt said. "They love showing their hometown fans and friends what they've accomplished and they'll sign autographs for hours."

Many players try to schedule a charity event, like a golf tournament, in the afternoon, Bolt said. At night, they'll schedule a party for up to 300 of their closest friends.

The players are usually pretty good about letting Bolt and his partners leave with the Cup so they can get to the hometown of the next player on time.

"It's a busy Cup. We try to make sure that everyone involved with the team, the players, coaches, and management, get their time with the Stanley Cup," he said. "Last summer, Larry Robinson told me that was the most time he ever spent with the Cup and he won six of them as a player. So, this is a good thing."

North American fans love to see the Stanley Cup. They were going bonkers on Manhattan's West Side recently as ABC Sports did outdoor promotional videos for its upcoming Stanley Cup telecast, Bolt said.

"People were pouring out of office buildings to see it and cars were honking their horns as they passed by," he said.

As revered as the Stanley Cup is in North America, Bolt wasn't prepared for the reaction in the Czech Republic last spring when he brought it to the hometowns of Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias.

"They have a huge reaction to the Stanley Cup in Europe. When we got off the plane in the Czech Republic there were so many people there it looked like they were greeting the Stanley Cup winning team," Bolt said. "They had us off the plane before any one else and we went into a press conference that reminded me of the Stanley Cup Finals, there was so much media there.

"Every town we went into -- we went to seven towns with Petr Sykora -- there were a 1,000 people there to see the Cup. It was like we were traveling with an international superstar. I guess that's what the Stanley Cup is."
Bolt said Scott Niedermayer found the most unusual place to display the Stanley Cup: the highest peak in British Columbia.

"Scott enjoys mountain climbing and he had scaled that peak before," Bolt said. "He had to do a lot of convincing before Paul Oak would agree to it. Scott rented two helicopters. One took Scott, Paul and a photographer and the other took his family and friends. They unloaded Scott and the Stanley Cup at the peak, then the helicopter lifted off and circled the peak so the photographer could get his shots. They're the best pictures of the Stanley Cup that I've seen."

There have been heartbreaking and heartwarming moments as well. The Devils arranged a hospital visit last summer for a longtime fan who was dying of cancer.

"He had so much fun. For a while there, it seemed he forgot he was sick," Bolt said. Two weeks after the visit, Bolt learned the man had died.

"We had a stop scheduled last year in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and I learned that Bill Ranford, the goalie with Edmonton in 1990, never got a day with the Stanley Cup," Bolt said. "His mother had never seen him with the trophy that he won. We brought it over to a friend's house and everyone had a great time."

Bolt thinks few people had a better time with the Stanley Cup than Martin Brodeur.

"He wanted to share the Cup with his children so he asked them what they wanted to do. They said they wanted to go to the movies and see "The Kid." We waited until the previews ended and slipped into the theatre. The kids filled the bowl with popcorn and ate from the Stanley Cup. It was a nice family day."

Bolt is a good choice for the job. He likes to help people and their pleasure is his reward. He also has a great reverence for the Stanley Cup and for hockey. A high-school varsity player in his native Toronto, Bolt played on in the rugged Metro Toronto Hockey League and still plays in men's league games when his schedule permits.

"It's the greatest game. It's got every aspect you could want in a sport: Speed, agility, talent and toughness," Bolt said. "The Stanley Cup has the greatest tradition in all of sports. You may remember who won the 1976 World Series, but do you remember everyone who was on the winning team? Probably not, but in hockey the names of the winners are right here on the Stanley Cup."

Bolt has embarked on an 18-city tour to support the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer charity. On April 16, the Cup was on display at the Boston Marathon. Dallas Stars General Manager Bob Gainey, whose wife, Cathy, died of brain cancer in 1995, ran in the marathon.

Stanley Cup lends a hand

2006-03-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

In 1892 the Stanley Cup was crafted in England and purchased by Lord Stanley of Preston to be given as the prize for the hockey championship of Canada, then an English dominion. In the 110-years since the trophy's birth, the Cup has taken on almost life-like qualities as an ambassador and agent of goodwill. The Cup not only brings joy to the faces of the players and fans who win it, but also those who are in need.

As we look back on the events of September 11, 2001, the images that flow through our minds are of tragedy, destruction, sadness and loss. In the days following the terrorist attacks, the burden of rescue and recovery fell on the backs of countless firemen, police officers, emergency medical technicians, construction workers and volunteers. As the rest of the nation slowly got back into normal daily routines, these men and women continued to stare that pain and anguish in the face, day in and day out, with heavy hearts and tired bodies.

The courageous souls at Ground Zero hailed from all over North America and worked countless hours at the site of the worst terrorist attack in United States history. It was fitting that the Stanley Cup would eventually arrive on the scene to help turn the grim work of recovery into a brief moment of reflection that said there's still something to smile about in the world.

Professional athletes from New York City, led by New York Rangers captain Mark Messier, rolled up their sleeves to lend a hand in order to bolster the morale of the heroes in Lower Manhattan. Of course, the Stanley Cup was there with its handler and constant travel companion Mike Bolt.

On Oct. 20, 2001 the NHL and the New York Police Department arranged a meeting between the Stanley Cup and NYPD's Emergency Service Division (ESD) workers who were hard at work at Ground Zero.

Bolt and the Stanley Cup set up shop at the NYPD's temporary headquarters with the ESD. As workers came in and out of shifts, they got to spend time the with Stanley Cup, taking pictures, reading all the information the Cup has to offer and talking hockey. It was a much needed distraction for many of them.

"These men were putting in 12-hour shifts, showering, going to funerals, grabbing just a few hours of sleep and then doing it all again." Bolt said. "All we were hoping for was to give these guys just a few minutes of happiness. We wanted to cheer them all up and let them forget things for just a moment. It seemed to have really worked."

Bolt was humbled to be thanked time and again by the rescue workers. As he pointed out, the roles should have been reversed.

For some of these workers, the opportunity to touch the Stanley Cup was the first time they were able to smile in over a month. What was a small endeavor for Bolt, turned out to be an invaluable couple of hours to those on the job.

Following the visit, a police officer took Bolt on a quick ride around the site, giving the man who spends so much of his time at joyous celebrations with the Cup, a first hand look at the damage that was done.

"It was something that I will never ever forget," he said.
"I was so happy to be able to brighten up the lives of these great people, even if only for a short while," Bolt said. "It's hard for most to get a true understanding of the work that was and still is put in down at Ground Zero. These individuals are true heroes as far as I'm concerned. I just hope that what they've done will never be forgotten."

On the road with Stanley

2006-03-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Caring for the Stanley Cup when it goes on tour is a 24/7 job with intense pressures. But, the job -- as one can well imagine -- also has unbelievable perks.

The Stanley Cup escorts, provided by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, accompany the Stanley Cup wherever it goes, both during its charity jaunts and during its summer tour with the players from the team that wins the Stanley Cup each June.

The travel is grueling, especially during the victory tour, where the Cup visits more than 30 locations spread over many nations and three continents. The hours are insane, as each eligible player/front-office member gets 24 hours with the Stanley Cup to do whatever that person pleases. The escort also must be ever vigilant to the well-being off hockey's ultimate symbol, as well as helpful to the millions that flock each year to pay their respects to the trophy on its various road trips.

Despite those drawbacks, the job is remarkably rewarding. Escorts get to see on an almost daily basis the unbridled joy the Stanley Cup brings to players, fans and even non-hockey people.

That is one of the reasons why Walt Neubrand juggles his permanent job as an elementary school teacher in the Toronto area with Stanley Cup guard duties.

Neubrand has been a Cup guard since 1997 and presently serves in that capacity on a part-time basis when school is not in session.

In six years with the Stanley Cup, Neubrand has enough priceless memories to star in his own MasterCard commercial.

For him, many of the unforgettable moments with the Cup involve simple places with even simpler people. A life-long love of the environment has shaped his list of the 10 favorite places he has traveled with the Stanley Cup.

Native Hockey Tournament, Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, February 2000:

Nunavut is located above the tree line in Arctic Canada. The trek to get there, where the temperature was hovering at minus-65 F, was long and arduous, but well worth it, according to Neubrand.

The Stanley Cup made its main appearance before a playoff game in the tournament, but also did a tour of the town, even stopping for a while inside an igloo. According to Neubrand, some people drove 250 miles on snowmobiles across unforgiving terrain just to get a glimpse at the trophy.

"I've always wanted to go that far north and to bring the Cup on a special occasion was just incredible," says Neubrand, who spent just 15 hours on the Rankin Inlet. "They really appreciated it and were very friendly people."

Sweden, players on the Detroit Red Wings, Summers 1998 and 2002:

Neubrand got to see most of Sweden in two whirlwind tours of the European country that had always been on his wish list of places to visit. He found the country to remind him a great deal of his native Canada, populated with polite and appreciative people that often spoke excellent English to make the journey even more fun.

For the most part, the Cup was taken on a tour of the players' family and friends. Tomas Holmstrom had the Cup in the northern part of the country, Fredrik Olausson, now with Anaheim, had it in the south. Nicklas Lidstrom took over in the central part of Sweden, where he took it to the tallest building in the city of Vasteras. The Stanley Cup was also a guest of honor at an exquisite feast of native caribou at Anders Ericksson's place in Bollnas.

White House, Washington DC, Detroit Red Wings, 1998, and Dallas Stars, 1999:

Despite being Canadian, Neubrand found his two trips to the White House as a guest of then-President Bill Clinton to be thrilling affairs.

He compared the ride from the airport to the White House on the team bus to the movie Speed.

"We had a police escort of six motorcyclists and they cleared the way to the White House with the bus going 50 MPH," recalls Neubrand. "The guys on the team had a ball inside, everyone sitting looking down the aisle out the front window. A couple times I thought we were going to wipe out."

They arrived safely both times and Neubrand was chagrinned to watch the players' reactions to being in the company of the President at the White House.

"The players were very excited going there and it's fun watching them get flustered meeting someone," he said. "It's always them people are excited about."

Los Angeles, California, Luc Robitaille, Detroit Red Wings, August 2002:

For Neubrand, Robitaille was one of the nicest guys he has met in his duties of accompanying the Cup.
Above, the Stanley Cup visits a group of elementary school students.

"Most of the players we deal with are really nice, but a few stand out and he's one of them," says Neubrand. "He stands out not only because he was very courteous and always happy, but what he did with the Cup."

Robitaille took the trophy on a tourist's tour of Los Angeles. The Stanley Cup was placed on a rented bus, surrounded by Robitaille's family and friends -- all dressed in T-shirts specially made for the occasion.

"We took the Cup to the Mann's Chinese Theatre, Universal Studios, the Kodak Theatre, a Dodgers game, and my favorite, the Hollywood sign," he recalled. "That was definitely cool!

"He made a lot of people happy that day, but it makes sense because he and his wife Stacia are very good people."

Muskoka, Ontario, Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings, September 2002:

Muskoka is part of "cottage country" north of Toronto. It is a favorite camping destination for Ontario residents, including Neubrand.

"I love camping, and this area isn't far from where we go," explained Neubrand, who had a poster of Yzerman in his boyhood bedroom. "So, to bring the Cup up there in the late summer on a warm night by a lake was awesome. Also, it was kind of neat with Steve Yzerman there! He is a very down-to-earth man who enjoys his privacy, and it was special being able to share that with him and his family."

Neubrand spent close to 36 hours with Yzerman at his cottage and never did much of anything that was out-of-the-ordinary for that bucolic area. Yzerman and Steve Duchesne took Neubrand and the Cup on a tour of other cottages in the area owned by NHL players. The rest of the time was spent swimming in the lake or just sitting on the dock enjoying the surrounding tranquility.

Malibu, California, Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings, August 2002:

On the ice, Chelios never seemed to get tired, playing endless minutes as the Red Wings won the Cup in 2002. During his day with the Stanley Cup, it was much the same story with Chelios, says Neubrand.

Chelios received the Stanley Cup after Robitaille's visit and the Cup's stop at Disneyland for an ABC promotion. To make sure he could have the Cup for as long as possible, Chelios rented a helicopter to fly Neubrand and the trophy to his place in Malibu, turning a two-hour drive into a 30-minute flight over some of the most scenic coastline the United States has to offer.

"I flew 1,000 feet over Disneyland, downtown LA, Dodger Stadium, the Hollywood sign, the Playboy Mansion, and the coastline on my way to Chelios' place," said Neubrand. "When I landed, the party began at the beach and Chris had all these Hollywood friends with him. The weather was warm and the ocean breeze was cool. Naturally, we ended up at a Greek restaurant. The only problem with Chris is that he never gets tired."

Czech Republic, Detroit Red Wings players, August 2002:

Despite making the trip to the Czech Republic in the wake of some of the worst flooding the country had ever experienced, Neubrand found the six-day tour of the Czech Republic to uplifting.

"How often will a person get to travel to the Czech Republic?" asked Neubrand. "We were there with the Wings players and basically barnstormed the country for six days towing the Cup along to their respective hometowns. Unfortunately, floods were ravishing part of the country. However, we were able to use the Cup to raise money for some of the people that suffered property damage."

Neubrand was amazed at how well-versed the Czech populace was about the Stanley Cup and all things NHL.

Plus, this trip featured one of Neubrand's better practical jokes, at the expense of Jiri Fischer. One night when Fischer was sleeping, Neubrand and some unnamed co-conspirators absconded with the Cup. Upon awaking, Fischer was accused of losing the Stanley Cup. After some tense moments, Neubrand finally let on that it was all a joke.

Stanley Cup Parades, Detroit Red Wings, 2002, and Dallas Stars, 1999:

The parades held by Detroit and Dallas to celebrate their most-recent Stanley Cup championships will always have a place in Neubrand's memory bank, he says.

"Being part of a parade is one thing, but being part of a Stanley Cup parade accompanying the main attraction is another. Simply an awesome display, both in Dallas and Detroit. The amount of people that showed up and displayed their signs and support was unreal.

"It was especially nice since everyone was so happy. People were hanging out buildings, on cars and motor homes, construction workers stopping and waving, it was just an incredible experience. The weather was great both times, but I don't think it would have mattered."

Buffalo, New York, Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings, Summer 1997:

The trip to Bowman's house will always be special for Neubrand because it was the first time he accompanied the Stanley Cup to someone's house for his day with the trophy. It came just a few days after he became a Stanley Cup escort.

"I remember doing the two-hour drive from Toronto to Buffalo thinking, 'I'm on my way to Scotty Bowman's house with the Stanley Cup, what is going on?'"

But, everything went fine. The Cup spent the day in Bowman's backyard with family and friends. Later, Bowman invited people from the neighborhood to come by for a photo and Bowman posed in several of them himself.

Amazingly, Bowman called it a day at 6 p.m. and Neubrand was back in his car heading for the Hall of Fame. As a rookie, Neubrand thought all visits would be like that until more than a few players disabused him of that notion, using every minute of their 24-hour allotment.

Darren McCarty, Detroit Red Wings, Summer 1997, 1998 and 2002:

Despite accompanying the Stanley Cup to McCarty's day with it each time McCarty has won it, Neubrand still never knows what to expect.

The first year Neubrand made the trip, he found himself trekking through tomato fields in the dead of the night to reach a nearby barn where McCarty's friend and his band were playing.

"It was in the middle of the night and we took the Cup where he and his band were playing. I just remember stepping over all these tomatoes and barely being able to see, asking him where the hell we were going."

According to Neubrand, McCarty topped himself this summer, insisting the Stanley Cup go on a motorcycle tour of his neighborhood. After some serious reservations, Neubrand agreed to let it happen.

"Now, before you get all crazy, we had it well tied, and we had a police escort so there were no traffic hassles," cautions Neubrand. "And, I made him keep it at 30 MPH. I rode on a motorcycle beside him, as a passenger, on one of his friend's bikes. It was my first time on a motorcycle, and I was somewhat scared. 'Vulnerable' would be a better word. You never know what to expect when you're with Darren McCarty."