Stanley Cup winner Kris Versteeg brought his Stanley Cup to Lethbridge to share with the people of his town.
Sunday, he put on the gloves and a pair of rollerblades and played for the Cup again.
With the hardware in view, Kris Verteeg and his friends played one last game in the old neighborhood. Growing up, they'd always competed for the cup in their minds.
Versteeg says "This is definitely a dream come true you know, to play for the Stanley Cup, here, with all the friends and family and supporters and people from around here, its pretty phenomenal just to see the support."
The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind for Versteeg. The Cup arrived Saturday afternoon, and has toured the city ever since.
Versteeg has fond memories of the games they played on the street, but in those days, there were no fans, no NHL jerseys and no cups, real or fake.
Wearing a Blackhawks jersey for the final time, he scored one last goal, and let out one last trademark celebration.
His defence of the Cup fell short…he lost the game, but after the handshakes and one quick photo, they've all won, because the childhood dream is realized.
The cup's next stop is Bowmanville, Ontario, home of Hawks winger Bryan Bickel.
Versteeg says this whole experience has only fueled his passion for the game of hockey, which should come as good news to Maple Leaf fans who haven't even seen the post season in five straight years and a Stanley Cup since 1967.
Brother Mitch Versteeg was the only person who opted not to touch the Stanley Cup. He's currently trying to make the NHL himself.
The former Lethbridge Hurricane is a defenceman for the Kalamazoo Wings of the East Coast Hockey League.
