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Friday, August 31, 2007

It's Stanley Cup Friday!

So today's post will be basically all Stanley Cup related except for one small article about the Ducks Golf Classic. We've got the Niedermayers, O'Donnell, Farrish and Burke. So here are today's Anaheim Ducks news articles.

 

I will start off with Friday's Stanley Cup Journal update with Randy Carlyle and Dave Farrish

Randy Carlyle

As promised, the Stanley Cup-winning coach returned to Azilda on Friday, August 17 with the Stanley Cup in tow. Stepping onto the cement surface of the Dr. Edgar LeClair Community Centre's rink where ice will soon be made, Randy was greeted at 11AM by the exuberant cheers of 2,500 local residents as he raised the Stanley Cup over his head and smiled a face-smothering grin. Carlyle then set the Stanley Cup on a table beside the Norris Trophy at one end of the rink and proceeded to greet everyone who took the time to come by. Winding down the length of the rink and snaking into the stands, for four hours, fans filed by the historic trophies to congratulate Randy, get a photo of the coach with the Stanley Cup and collect an autograph. Among those who arrived to congratulate Randy were former teammates Mike Foligno and Rod Schutt, who played with Randy and Dave Farrish on the successful 1975-76 Sudbury Wolves' squad.

Many in the small community knew the Carlyle family well through the years. "There were a lot of people asking, 'Do you remember me?'" laughed Randy. Never losing his proud grin, Carlyle laughed and kibitzed with every fan, keeping the long line moving as efficiently as possible through the afternoon. "It's about having as many people as possible have their picture taken with it," reminded Randy. "We want people to be able to enjoy it!"

Dave Farrish

Dave Farrish asked for the Stanley Cup at his cottage at 6AM on Sunday, August 19 so he could get photographs of the sunrise with hockey's most historic trophy. Dave's wife, Roxanne, was there to witness the incredible view with her husband. It was a belated birthday gift for the likeable assistant coach of the Ducks, who celebrated his 51st birthday on August 1.

Inside the cottage, Farrish has a wall lined with license plates from each of the places in which he's lived — Austria, Canadian provinces New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec plus U.S. states Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and, of course, California.

Later that morning, Dave flew with the Stanley Cup from his Rockville cottage to Lucknow, Ontario. As the small plane prepared to land, Farrish looked out the window and saw about a hundred people waiting for him, as well as 'Welcome Dave' written in a field near the landing strip.

Dave was driven to the Lucknow Sports Complex, where local minor hockey players were given the opportunity to get their photos taken with him and the Stanley Cup. At 1:30, Farrish rode in a convertible with the Cup through Lucknow's downtown core, accompanied by Lucknow Minor Hockey players and coaches and led by the Lucknow Pipe Band. The parade of champions returned to the arena greeted by thunderous applause, as Lucknow welcomed back one of its proud sons.

Dave Farrish sits atop a Ford Mustang with the Stanley Cup en route to the Lucknow Sports Complex.
(Walt Neubrand/HHOF)

The ceremony included greetings from Ian Montgomery, an executive with the minor hockey program, Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek and Lillian Abbott, the chairperson of the Recreation Board. Dave, in turn, thanked his wife, his mother Peggy and his late father for their support, and then told the assembled multitude how much he appreciated them. "I got a lot of e-mails (during the playoffs) from people from in Lucknow, hundreds every day, wishing me the best of luck. That's why I decided to bring the Cup home to Lucknow," explained Farrish. With that, Dave smiled, posed and signed autographs from 2:00 until 5:00PM.

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The Keeper of the Cup Photoblog has been updated.

See the rest here - Link

An Update on the Sean O'Donnell article from earlier yesterday, here is a new picture they posted.

Stanley scores points with gran

The best Niedermayer Stanley Cup day cover via espn.com

CRANBROOK, British Columbia -- On days like these, the Stanley Cup is less a trophy than a gift; a rare, shiny, sparkling gift to family, to friends, a community.

It is the kind of gift so few get the chance to bestow, its value is almost impossible to determine.

It is about 10 minutes before the Stanley Cup is due to arrive at the RecPlex arena and recreation complex in downtown Cranbrook, where thousands will fete brothers Scott and Rob Niedermayer. But with the clock ticking down, the brothers detour away from the rink to a quiet downtown side street. The brothers and their entourage -- keepers of the Cup, Mike Bolt and Walt Neubrand from The Hockey Hall of Fame, media from ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times and the Anaheim Ducks organization -- pile out of cars and file into a nondescript house with a small sign out front that reads "Stefan's Hair Studio."

There is a yelp of surprise and within seconds, owner Stefan Zhukrovsky and son Conner, 12, are holding the Stanley Cup in front of the shop. Long before the Niedermayer brothers were even draft prospects, long before the arrival of the Stanley Cup in Cranbrook, the pair were regular customers at Stefan's.

Customers, including a woman with her hair covered in some sort of plastic styling apparatus, appear on the front porch to marvel at the scene.

A few days earlier, the brothers' mother, Carol, a loyal customer, asked Zhukrovsky if he was going to be able to attend the rally at the local rink. He said he didn't think his schedule would allow him to take part. So Carol asked her boys if they wouldn't mind stopping by with the world's most famous sports trophy.

"Our mom gave us strict orders," Scott tells the hair stylist with a smile.

Hours later, Zhukrovsky is still shaking his head at the visit.

"I just can't believe it. Just to take the time, that they would do that for their mom," said Zhukrovsky, who has operated his salon in this mountain community since 1976. "I bet you they had five bloody minutes. That's bloody incredible. You look at the demands on them. What a gesture to do that."

If the Stanley Cup is symbolic of hockey's greatest team achievement, then the ritual of allowing every member of the winning team to have the Stanley Cup for a day (or in the case of the Niedermayers, three days) is symbolic of this kind of gesture.

Over the course of three days, the brothers will make countless gestures of a similar nature. Some will involve hundreds of strangers; some will involve close friends and family. Each moment will mean something special, something different to every single person.

Rob Niedermayer and Scott Niedermayer

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The Stanley Cup pays a visit to Chino High, thanks to ViciousGrendel.

The Ducks are hosting their annual Golf Classic.

All Ducks Players, Coaches, Broadcasters and Management to Join Sponsors
and Participants in Tournament Benefiting Ducks Care

The Ducks will host their 13th Annual Golf Classic presented by Honda on Friday, Sept. 7 at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine, Calif. The tournament will benefit Ducks Care, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation. The sold-out tournament will feature all Ducks players, coaches, broadcasters and management playing alongside sponsors and fans as the “fifth” player in the Golf Classic foursomes. 

Registration for the event will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.  The Golf Classic will feature numerous competitions such as putting and accurate drive contests, closest to the pin and longest drive.  The day-long event will culminate with an awards dinner featuring a live and silent auction and ceremony where winners of the shamble format tournament and contests will be recognized. 

Read the rest here - Link