Cup Days

How the Pittsburgh Penguins spent their day with the Stanley Cup.

2017 Cup Team

The summer of Stanley - 2017 Edition

• The Penguins official Stanley Cup tracker, updating with each new person who gets the Cup.

Chad Ruhwedel - Friday 30 June

Ruhwedel brought the Cup to his native San Diego. More than 1000 fans showed up to see the Cup at San Diego Ice Arena where Ruhwedel played youth hockey.

Chris Kunitz - Monday 10 July

Chris Kunitz spent his Cup day with his family in their Pittsburgh home. It was a quiet celebration; the kids all ate cereal out of the cup, and later the three Kunitz kids posed with a mini-Cup each along with their dad to commemorate his four championships. The Kunitz' also hosted a pool-side party for their friends and close ones.

Jake Guentzel - Thursday 13 July

Jake Guentzel brought the Cup to HealthEast Sports Center in his hometown of Woodbury, Minnesota where he grew up playing youth hockey. The Cup was delayed getting into town and didn't arrive until noon; Guentzel was scheduled to take the trophy to the rink for a public appearance from 1-3 p.m. Hundreds of people were in attendance and took photos with Guentzel and the Cup. Guentzel also took the Cup to Ray J's American Grill to meet with the Hendrickson Foundation, "which seeks to grow the game of hockey by including individuals with mental and physical disabilities."

After, he spent some quality time with family and friends. Guentzel took the Cup to StoneRidge Golf Course, where he, his dad Mike, mom Sally and brothers Ryan and Gabe are all members. They hung out at the club until the Cup moved on at midnight. There were a couple hundred people in attendance, including 12 out of 14 teammates Guentzel played with his junior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and all of the coaches he ever had growing up in Woodbury.

Justin Shultz - Saturday 15 July

Justin Schultz brought the Cup to his hometown of Kelowna, British Columbia. He started his day at Starbucks, and tried to get a discount since he brought his own Cup. From there he took the Cup to a local children's hospital, and then hosted a private reception at CedarCreek winery.

Carter Rowney - Sunday 16 July

Carter Rowney brought the Cup to his hometown of Sexsmith, Alberta, where he hosted a parade. Rowney and his family rode in a opened wooden trailer at the tail of the parade so locals had a good view of the trophy. The parade included Sexsmith Minor Hockey club, some Grande Prairie Junior Storm alumni (the team Rowney played youth hockey for), mayor Claude Lagace, and the local fire department.

Trevor Daley - Wednesday 19 July

Trevor Daley brought the Cup to his hometown of Toronto. He took the trophy to the Stouffville Sports Complex, site of the Toronto Professional Hockey School, which is a hockey camp for players aged 6-16 that he attended as a minor hockey player. In addition to visiting the school, Daley was greeted by firemen from Stouffville, which is about 45 minutes outside of Toronto. 

Scott Wilson - Thursday 20 July

Scott Wilson brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown of Oakville, Ontario, showing it off to about 350 fans at the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. He also took the Cup to Halton Healthcare, to share with staff and patients, and to Lake Ontario where he posed with the Cup alongside his girlfriend.

Marc-André Fleury - Saturday 22 July

Marc-André Fleury brought the Cup to his hometown of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. He took the Cup to Colisee Cardin, which is the biggest rink in his hometown, and met with hundreds of local minor hockey players. His daughter Scarlett celebrated her second birthday and ate some cake out of the Cup. They also sang her 'Happy Birthday' while she sat in it. Fleury also visited the Ronald McDonald House in Montreal, which is a charity he and his wife, Veronique, supported in Pittsburgh. He also put on a photo session that lasted an hour with kids in his hometown, including a blind man who shook Fleury's hand before Fleury guided him to the Cup so he could touch it. Finally, Fleury strapped the Cup into his Jeep and drove to a restaurant where he was hosting a party for friends and family.

Kris Letang - Sunday 23 July

Kris Letang brought the Cup to Montreal. He started the day with eating cereal from the Cup with his son, Alex. After eating, Letang and his wife, Catherine Laflamme, went to St. Justine Children's Hospital. He also partook in a charity game that raised $50,000 for the hospital.

Evgeni Malkin - Thursday 27 July

Evgeni Malkin brought the Cup to Moscow, Russia. Malkin, along with Sergei Gonchar, brought the Cup to the Ice Hockey Museum at the Legends Park, where it was placed next to the Gagarin Cup for the first time ever. Later, Malkin hosted a party for family and friends at Modus Cafe in Moscow, where the Cup was transformed into a bowl used for holding crawfish. A lot of the decorations were Penguins themed, including a large photo of Malkin holding the Cup with Sidney Crosby.

Tom Kuhnhackl - Friday 28 July

Tom Kuhnhackl brought the Cup back to his hometown of Landshut, Germany, where he hosted a two-hour party that included family and friends. Arizona Coyotes forward Tobias Rieder, a Landshut native, was one of Kuhnhackl's friends attending the celebration. There were also youth players from the town, and Mayor Erwin Schneck. Kuhnhackl also posed for pictures and signed autographs.

Olli Maatta - Saturday 29 July

Olli Maatta brought the Cup to Jyväskylä, Finland.

Patric Hornqvist - Monday 31 July

Patric Hornqvist brought the Cup back to Vilunda Ice Arena in Vasby, Sweden, where his hocket career first began and where a crowd of about 1,000 met and celebrated with him. Hornqvist started playing there when he was 12 years old, and was honoured by his former team when they retired his number (#18). He hosted a party for friends and family later, including Carl Hagelin.

Carl Hagelin - Tuesday 1 August

Carl Hagelin started the day at the AXA Sports Center in his hometown of Sodertalje, Sweden. He took the Cup out in his old rink Scaniarinken and did a couple of laps with it. He also hosted a crayfish party with his family and friends.

Mark Streit - Wednesday 2 August

Mark Streit picked up the Cup at Zurich Airport, before making the 90 mile drive to his hometown of Bern, Switzerland for a day-long celebration. It marked just the third time in NHL history that a Swiss-born player won the Cup and brought it home. Streit brought the Cup to the Rose Garden, a renowned local park, for some quality time with family and unique photo opportunities. Then, it was off for a visit with Bern Mayor Alec von Graffenried, follwed by a press conference and a meet-and-greet with fans.

Streit also brought the Cup to the Swiss parliament where he was met by the Head of the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, Guy Parmelin, before the day wrapped up with another celebratory gathering at Restaurant Schwellenmätteli alongside the Aare River. About 100 guests joined the party at the restaurant. At 11:45 pm, Streit was informed by the Keepers of the Cup that they would have to move on with the Cup at midnight, so Streit went off by himself and the Cup for a moment of quiet reflection.

Sidney Crosby - Saturday 5 August - Monday 7 August

Sidney Crosby received the Cup late on Saturday evening on 5 August. Crosby spent Sunday morning and afternoon making unannounced hospital visits to share the Stanley Cup with sick children and war veterans in Halifax. He visited to the Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building and IWK Children's Hospital before attending a private party in his honour. The visits were private and not attended by any media. He also made a few more unannounced stops at some local businesses and took pictures with several families.

On Monday, he spent part of his 30th birthday as the grand marshal of the 122nd Halifax-Dartmouth Natal Day Parade. He had the Cup with him, and was followed by a float that had the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Rocket Richard Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy, and the World Cup of Hockey 2016 championship trophy, all of which he won last season. Before the parade, he surprised several children participating in a hockey camp at Halifax Forum.

At the end of the parade, he had to make his way to the airport and jump on a private plane to Rimouski, Quebec, where he was honoured by another parade.

Matt Murray - Saturday 12 August

Matt Murray brought the Cup back to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where he hosted a ceremony at Fort William Gardens, which is a hockey rink in Thunder Bay. He was met by a sizeable crowd of fans. He also let his dog Beckham (named after David Beckham), a Newfoundland, eat from the Stanley Cup when he celebrated with friends and family later in the day.

Bryan Rust - Sunday 13 August

Bryan Rust spent his Cup day in Michigan by renting a yacht in Lake St. Clair, and hosting a party at the Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield for friends and family.

Phil Kessel - Monday 14 August

Phil Kessel brought the Cup to Madison, Wisconsin. He played golf and ate hot dogs out of the Cup at the course (and as such trolled Steve Simmons, a Toronto-based columnist, who wrote a truly daft goodbye piece about Kessel when he was traded to Pittsburgh).

Ian Cole - Tuesday 15 August

Ian Cole brought the Cup back to Ann Arbor, Michigan. He visited the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. Kids there got to see the Cup and have their pictures taken with it, including one baby who was placed in the bowl of the Cup. Then Cole and the Cup were off to Zingerman's Delicatessen, a popular Ann Arbor restaurant. He also took the time to clean the Cup before continuing on his tour.

Mike Sullivan (Coach) - Thursday 17 August

Mike Sullivan brought the Cup to Kingston, Massachusetts where he hosted a public ceremony at The Bog Ice Arena where his children grew up playing hockey. He invited a couple to place their baby in the Cup. Sullivan's day started with a breakfast of donuts and cereal at his home with his daughters, Kaitlin and Kiley, and his son, Matthew, which they ate out of the Cup.

Brian Dumoulin - Friday 18 August

Brian Dumoulin brought the Cup to the Kelley Rink at the Conte Forum at Boston College. When he arrived around 10:30 a.m., he brought the Cup into an upstairs room and placed it on a table between the two NCAA championship trophies he won in 2010 and '12 with the Eagles. Dumoulin then spent the next hour posing for photos with family and friends, before taking the Cup back down for a public appearance.

After spending the morning on campus, Dumoulin took the Cup to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in nearby Charlestown, and spent the evening hosting friends and family at Legal Harborside for dinner before taking them out on a boat in the Boston Harbor.

Nick Bonino - Sunday 20 August

Nick Bonino brought the Cup to Connecticut and held a public ceremony at his former school, Avon Old Farms, on Sunday to raise money for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. After the ceremony, Bonino headed home to enjoy some of his mother's home cooking - which included eating spaghetti out of the bowl of the Cup.

Ron Hainsey - Monday 21 August

Ron Hainsey brought the Cup to his hometown of Bolton, Connecticut, where he hosted a public ceremony at Bolton Ice Palace, and let a couple put their baby in the Cup.

Jacques Martin (Assistant Coach) - Tuesday 22 August

Jacques Martin brought the Cup to Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa .He then took a special trip to Roger Neilson House, a palliative care center for children and their families named for the longtime NHL coach who died of cancer in 2003. After, Martin brought the Cup to his friend's car dealership in Hawkesbury before he capped his day with a Cup party in Alfred, Ontario, about 20 miles northeast of his hometown, Saint-Pascal-Baylon.

Rick Tocchet (Assistant Coach) - Sunday 27 August

Rick Tocchet enjoyed his "Day with the Stanley Cup" on Sunday with friends and family in Atlantic City, N.J. As part of Sunday's event, Tocchet posed for photos with fans and the Stanley Cup. He also had a Cup-shaped cake, and chilled two bottles of champagne in the bowl of the actual Cup.

Conor Sheary - Tuesday 29 August

Conor Sheary brought the Cup to Ipswich Country Club in Massachusetts, where he enjoyed golfing and driving around with the Cup in a golf cart. He also had the Cup riding shotgun while he drove around Ipswich, and later drank Mai Tais from the Cup.

Josh Archibald - Wednesday 30 August

Josh Archibald brought the Cup to Brainerd, Minnesota, where he had his 3-week-old son, Brecken, baptised in the Cup during a small ceremony.

Matt Cullen - Thursday 31 August

Matt Cullen brought the Cup to Moorhead, Minnesota, where he woke up his son, Joey Cullen, with the Cup. Cullen then brought the Cup to Sanford Children's Hospital in West Fargo, North Dakota. After his three sons ate Fruit Loops out of the Stanley Cup on Thursday morning, the Cullen family brought the Cup to Sanford Children's Hospital into Cully's Kids Cabin, a room created with a $1 million donation from the Cullen's foundation. After filling it with donuts and walking it around the room for kids, they took it to each room in the children's hospital.

The Cullens spent about two hours at the children's hospital before heading out to Newman Outdoor Field to throw out the first pitch before Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks baseball team took on Lincoln. From there, the Cullens crossed state lines with the Cup, bringing it to the downtown Moorhead Dairy Queen. Cullen stood for three hours, taking pictures, holding babies and signing autographs, as hundreds and hundreds of people got in line throughout the day. He tacked on an additional 20 minutes, as the line never seemed to stop. After eating a Snickers Blizzard (ice cream) out of the Stanley Cup, Cullen invited all the kids in the crowd to grab a spoon and have a taste. He walked the Cup through the people that couldn't get to the front of the line in time, so they had a chance to experience it.

In between a family dinner and a party with friends, the Cullens and the Cup surprised baseball practices at Miracle Field in Moorhead. Kids from Hope Inc., a non-profit organization that specializes in improving the lives of children and adults with mobility challenges, were practicing.

Jim Rutherford (General Manager) - Sunday 3 September

Jim Rutherford spent his day with the Cup with his family and friends in his home in Pittsburgh. He had a cake in the shape of the Cup, and posed in his Penguins jersey with the Cup and two replica ones to symbolise the three Cups he has won as GM.

Extracurriculars

Bryan Rust - Thursday 7 September

Bryan Rust and his girlfriend, Kelsey, spent a day helping animals in Pittsburgh. They brought the Cup to Pittsburgh’s Lucky Paws Pet Resort to do some fundraising for the local charity, Forever Home Beagle Rescue. They raised more than $8,000. Rust also let his dog, Cooper, eat dog treats out of the bowl of the Cup.

Rust also brought the Cup to a retirement living community in Winfield.

2016 Cup Team

Beau Bennett - Friday 1 July 

Bennett took the Cup to a beach in California where he hosted a minor party, and the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo where the LA Kings practice and Bennett played minor hockey.

Jeff Zatkoff - Wednesday 13 July

Zatkoff brought the Cup to the Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina and celebrated with family and friends (including Kings player Alec Martinez) at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, N.C., where Zatkoff’s dad is a member.

Scott Wilson - Thursday 14 July

Wilson brought the Cup to Oakville, Ontario. He played golf with his dad and best friend at Wyldewood Golf and Country Club with the Cup riding in a third cart. He brought the Cup to visit his mom's work at ACI Brands Inc., where he spent his summers working in the warehouse. He hosted public gatherings at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, and then the River Oaks Recreation Centre.

Sidney Crosby - Friday-Saturday 15-16 July

Crosby brought the Cup to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. He made sure to bring it to the Sidney Crosby Hockey School on the last day of camp so the kids could see it. Visited the Children's Hospital in Halifax, and then brought it to a Tim Horton’s, and Camp Hill Veteran's Services, which is the IWK Health Centre also located in Halifax. One of the veterans was on the 7th floor, blind and bedridden. When Crosby learned he was a huge Montreal Canadiens fan, he went up to the man's room, and then took his fingers and traced them over the Cup where the Montreal Canadiens players names are etched in. Crosby also took part in a massive parade in Cole Harbour.

Phil Kessel - Sunday-Monday 17-18 July 

Kessel brought the Cup to his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, where he showed it around, and then to Toronto where he shared it with friends and family, and The Hospital for Sick Children.

Matt Murray - Tuesday 19 July 

Murray brought the Cup to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario where a small crowd greeted him at the airport. He visited the Westfor Rangers, which is a youth hockey team, and Intercity Shopping Centre. He also went to Thunder Bay landmark the Sleeping Giant rock formation, which he has featured on his goalie mask.

Eric Fehr - Wednesday 20 July 

Fehr spent his day with the Cup with his family in his hometown of Winkler, Manitoba. He visited Outpost Grill and Southland Mall. He also stopped by the Hockey Ministries International Winnipeg Camp.

Chris Kunitz - Friday 22 + Tuesday 26 July 

Kunitz brought the Cup to Chicago, where he attended a dinner party with family and friends, and then brought the Cup to a college reunion (Ferris State). A few days later, he brought the Cup to his hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, where he held a fundraiser to benefit the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency's Allan Blair Cancer Centre.

Trevor Daley - Friday-Saturday 22-23 July 

Daley brought the Cup to Salt St. Marie, Ontario, and then his hometown of Toronto the next day. He visited Regent Park, where he posed for pictures and signed autographs. He also stopped by Toronto Fire Station 325, and ended the day with a party at Spice Route Asian Bar & Bistro.

Rich Tocchet (assistant coach) - Sunday 24 July 

Tocchet brought the Cup to Scarborough, Ontario, where he visited veterans at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, and police officers. He held a public gathering in Scarborough, and ended the day with a gathering in Markham, Ontario.

Mike Bales (goalie coach) - Monday 25 July

Bales brought the Cup to Saskatchewan, where he took a picture of the Cup in a field of flowers in Saskatoon.

Derrick Pouliot - Wednesday 27 July 

Pouliot is the first NHL player to bring the Cup to Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He hosted a barbecue for his Cup day.

Justin Shultz - Thursday 28 July 

Shultz brought the Cup to his hometown of West Kelowna, British Columbia. He visited the Royal Lepage Place, which is an ice hockey rink, and also the fire department, before celebrating with friends and family.

Matt Cullen - Friday-Saturday 29-30 July 

Cullen shared the Cup with his family, and brought the Cup to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and then Moorhead, Minnesota.

Ben Lovejoy - Monday 1 August 

Lovejoy brought the Cup to his alma mater, Dartmouth College, and to the Thompson Arena. He also visited the Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, New Hampshire.

Mike Sullivan (coach) - Wednesday-Thursday 3-4 August 

Sullivan brought the Cup to Boston, Massachusetts. He visited Boston College High School, the Boston University, and Marshfield Country Club before hosting a private gathering at his home.

Kris Letang - Friday 5 August 

Letang brought the Cup to his hometown of Sainte-Julie, Quebec. His son, Alex Letang, ate cereal out of the Cup. He visited the local high school, and was welcomed at a private ceremony by the Mayor.

Marc-André Fleury - Saturday 6 August

Fleury brought the Cup to his hometown of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. His kids ate cereal out of the Cup. He visited Montreal Children’s Hospital, and paraded the Cup around a downtown park on a golf cart. He had a party to end the day.

Pascal Dupuis - Sunday 7 August

Dupuis brought the Cup to Blainville, Quebec. He put the Cup in the beds of his kids and then woke them up. He ate cereal out of the Cup with his kids, and visited Parc Équestre de Blainville, and then celebrated with friends and family later.

Jacques Martin (assistant coach) - Monday 8 August

Martin brought the Cup to Rigaud, Quebec. He visited his hockey school at Bourget College, held a public function on a baseball field in Saint-Pascal-Baylon, and then ended the day at the local community centre with a private celebration for friends and family.

Brian Dumoulin - Tuesday 9 August

Dumoulin brought the Cup to his hometown of Biddeford, Maine, where he showed off the Cup while riding on a fire truck in a mini parade, which ended at Biddeford Ice Arena.

Conor Sheary - Wednesday 10 August

Sheary brought the Cup to Crushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where he played prep school hockey.

Nick Bonino - Thursday 11 August

Bonino brought the Cup to Hartford, Connecticut. He visited the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, where he donated $10.000. He played golf, and ate lunch (pasta) out of the Cup with his grandparents. He held a photo session with the public at Avon Old Farms, and hosted two private parties at night.

Ian Cole - Friday 12 August

Cole brought the Cup to his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He visited the C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House, and ate lunch with his friends at BTB Burrito. He closed the day with a public gathering at Ann Arbor Ice Cube. (Cole also had the Cup briefly on Father’s Day; his dad drank coffee out of the Cup.)

Bryan Rust - Saturday 13 August

Bryan Rust brought the Cup to Detroit, Michigan. He played a round of golf at Plum Hollow Country Club with family and friends, and had the Cup with him at all times. He set it on the seat next to him in the golf cart and put his arm around it as they drove around the course, just the two of them. He placed it on the tee box, on the green as a ball marker for a couple of holes, next to the pin on a par-3 so as to play "closest to the Cup."

At a private party on a patio afterward, he held it high over his head as people snapped pictures. He planned to take it back to the townhouse he shares with his older brother, Matt, in nearby Royal Oak, where they would put it on a coffee table and compete for it by playing "NHL 16" on Xbox One. Then they were going to take it out for a night on the town.

Kevin Porter - Sunday 14 August

Porter brought the Cup to Plymouth, Michigan. He ate cereal out of the Cup. He hosted a public gathering, and visited Yost Arena on the campus of the University of Michigan where he played college hockey.

Tom Kuhnhackl - Tuesday 16 August

Kuhnhackl brought the Cup to his native Germany, the first NHL player to do so. He took the Cup around Landshut, including visits to the town hall and a youth hockey program, as well as hosting a public ceremony.

Olli Maatta - Wednesday-Thursday 17-18 August

Maatta brought the Cup to his hometown of Jyväskylä, Finland. He hosted a ceremony where youth hockey players could have their picture taken with the Cup. He also hosted a public gathering at Aren Square. He brought the Cup to the Kilpinen School, which Maatta attended while growing up.

Carl Hagelin - Friday 19 August

Hagelin brought the Cup to his hometown of Södertälje, Sweden. He visited the Södertälje Sportklubb, a Swedish pro club in the J20 SuperElit Sodra, where he played for two seasons before moving to the US for university. Hagelin also traveled to Sundsvik, where he celebrated the Cup with his brother Bobbie, a retired pro hockey player. Hagelin finished his time with the Cup by holding a large outdoor reception in Nykvarn.

Patric Hornqvist - Saturday 20 August

Hornqvist brought the Cup to his hometown of Sollentuna, where his then 2-year-old daughter sat in the Cup. He later brought the Cup to Stockholm, Sweden for a public gathering at the Hovet Arena in the Johanneshov region of Stockholm, where Hornqvist played for Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League from 2005-08 and 2012-13, during the NHL lockout. Hornqvist made the drive from Sullentuna to Stockholm himself with the Cup riding shotgun. He went to dinner with the Cup and more than 100 family and friends.

Evgeni Malkin - Tuesday 23 August

Malkin brought the Cup to Moscow, Russia. He visited the Kremlin, met with a Penguins fan club, and then went to the Russian Hockey Hall of Fame. He also played a hockey game with Russian legends, and went to dinner - where he said he would include Russian delicacies that were to be consumed from the Cup. He also put his son in the Cup before pouring it full of champagne and drinking from it. He's said he's figured out that the Cup can contain 4.5 litres of champagne.