The Stanley Cup Visit

April 29th was a special day for the people of Arctic Bay.  The Stanley Cup was coming to town.  The event was part of a larger northern tour organized by Project North, "a non-profit organization whose focus is to improve the lives of kids in the North through literacy and recreation."  The funding was provided by First Air and Scotiabank.  Between April 28 and May 1, the cup would visit seven communities in Nunavut: Igloolik, Iqaluit, Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Resolute Bay, Arctic Bay, & Pond Inlet.  A tour of this scope involving the Stanley Cup had never been done before.  Two legendary NHL players would accompany the cup: Lanny McDonald and Mark Napier.

            

Project North is no stranger to Arctic Bay.  The last time they visited the community was in May, 2014.  Michelle Valberg, who started Project North, was in attendance, and she brought with her two professional NHL players and 25 bags of new hockey equipment to be given to Inuit youth.  You can read about the previous visit here.  I don't think she attended the Stanley Cup tour this year.

            

Having the Stanley Cup arrive on a Friday was a great way to finish the work week.  The plane was scheduled to touch down at 10:30am and the cup would stay until 1pm.  Classes would be postponed during this time.  It would have been nice if the visit was longer but the tour was on a tight schedule and the cup needed to be in Resolute Bay that evening.  The meet & greet would take place out on the ice in front of the hockey arena where the two makeshift hockey rinks were made.  There would also be a BBQ.

            

Students & teachers began making their way to the festivities at around 10:45am.  Many students went home to change into their hockey jerseys and bring their hockey equipment down to the skating rinks.  I was able to take a picture of the plane coming in for landing.  There were already a lot of people at the skating rinks and many more were converging.  People were getting there on foot, skidoo, atv, car, and truck.  I had to walk because my skidoo was in the repair shop.  The assembled crowd reminded me of last year's Nunavut Quest.  Arctic Bay was the finish line for the dog sled race that year and a huge crowd had assembled on the ice in front of the Northern Store.

            

Eleven o'clock came and went; the cup was nowhere in sight.  The tour group was probably still at the airport or taking the cup down to the iceberg for pictures.  Word had spread that the school bus had been commandeered to bring the tour group into town.  Judging from the amount of people who were waiting around, I guessed there were at least 10 pairs of eyes looking towards the airport at any given time. 

            

People sat and stood around the hockey rinks, watching children & teenagers skating around.  They were passing & shooting pucks around.  The BBQs were fired up and a team of volunteers immediately went to work cooking the many hotdogs and hamburgers bought by the Hamlet office.  I stood off to the sidelines and took pictures of anything and everything.  I was able to capture great action shots, vehicles, spectators, and even a makeshift parking lot full of vehicles! 

            

BBQ Line.

I didn't participate in the (ice) skating.  I don't own (ice) skates, nor do I like skating.  Yes, I know, all Canadians are suppose to skate, but I just never grew to like it.  I took skating lessons when I was a child but I just remember hating it.  Maybe I'll try again . . . someday.

            

The School Bus approaches.

Finally, at 11:35am, everyone could see the school bus in the distance, driving towards the community.  The excitement and anticipation climbed substantially.  A wide path was plowed to let the school bus drive onto to the ice and to park next to the skating rinks.  A large crowd gathered around the school bus to greet the hockey players and to see the Stanley Cup.  Photographers and a film crew from out of town stood in strategic locations, photographing and filming the event.

            

The Stanley Cup Table.

The Stanley Cup was taken off the bus and put on an atv.  The cup was then driven to a table that was covered with a black NHL table cloth.  The table was sitting on polar bear skin that was only harvested several days ago.  Another crowd assembled around the cup when it was placed on the table.  (I was expecting everyone to follow the cup, but many wanted autographs from Lanny McDonald & Mark Napier).

           

A line was quickly organized for those people wanting to get a photo standing next to the cup.  That line quickly grew into a very long chain.  I stood off to the side and managed to get a picture of cup from different angles but didn't stand in line for a personal photo.  I decided that the local Inuit population should have priority.  Although, even when the line thinned out, I still didn't have the urge to get a personal photo with the cup.  I guess I'm just not into sports that much as everyone else.  I did stand in the BBQ line and got a free hotdog!  Lanny McDonald & Mark Napier came over and played hockey with Inuit youth and also posed with the Stanley Cup.  

            

Stanley Cup photo lineup.

Parking Lot

I headed back to school to eat my lunch; the hotdog was an appetizer.  Several of the southern teachers also came back for lunch.  Some had their pictures taken with the cup.  (I wasn't jealous, seriously).  We all agreed that the Stanley Cup on display probably wasn't the actual cup the NHL uses to present to the winning hockey team at the end of the season.  The league probably has a duplicate cup made for touring purposes.

            

It took some time for all students to return to school in the afternoon.  I'm sure many stayed until the cup was driven to the airport.  And I'm also sure everyone was glad to see the "holy grail" of hockey.  For me, the visit was pretty cool.  The whole event reminded me of when the Grey Cup came to visit Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit, four years ago.  I wonder if FIFA will be the next big sporting organization to visit Arctic Bay?  If so, I can't wait to see the World Cup!