Vasilevskiy's parents fly from Russia for his day with the Cup

Andrei Vasilevskiy's day with the Stanley Cup last Saturday didn't go exactly as planned, which is apropos considering everybody's day with the Cup this offseason has been adjusted somewhat to account for COVID-19 protocols.

Vasilevskiy's agent Dan Milstein drove his yacht over to Tampa from Jupiter on Florida's east coast, a journey that took two days according to the Tampa Bay Lightning netminder. The plan was to take Vasilevskiy and his party, which teammate Alexander Volkov and his parents who flew in from Russia, from a starting point at American Social on Harbour Island and cruise to Anna Maria Island. The weather that day, however, wasn't conducive for the lengthy trip, so instead the yacht made a few laps around Davis Islands and the bay for a couple of hours before returning to dock at American Social.
The excursion was delayed about an hour too as there weren't enough life vests for the group on the yacht to start and more had to be rounded up.
Once parked at American Social, the party lasted for another five or six hours. The group ate a catered dinner on the yacht. Fans saw Vasilevskiy and the Cup and wanted pictures, so the goalie did his best to accommodate everyone as best he could.
"I was lifting the Cup for them many times," he said. "People were in front of the yacht too all the time trying to take pictures. A couple people tried to sneak on the yacht. In a perfect world, I would like to let everybody on the yacht, but unfortunately during Covid we cannot do that."
Vasilevskiy received the Cup at his place around 10 a.m. After taking pictures with friends, family and the Cup, Vasilevskiy brought it to Buddy Brew in Hyde Park.
"It's my favorite coffee shop," he said.
Once onboard the yacht, Vasilevskiy's parents each spent a few quiet moments studying the names on the Cup. Vasilevskiy said he would have brought the Cup to Ufa where he played in Russia before coming to the National Hockey League, but it's unknown right now if he'll get that opportunity because of restrictions on where the Cup can travel this offseason. So, when he set up his day with the Cup in Tampa, he flew his parents in so they would be able to see the Cup in person.
"That was a special moment," Vasilevskiy said about being able to share the Cup celebration with his parents. "I'm really happy that they were able to come over, really happy that they saw me win the Stanley Cup and they finally saw it in person. That's pretty cool."

When Vasilevskiy boarded the yacht, he had a surprise waiting for him. Sitting next to the Stanley Cup was his goalie mask, except this one had been altered to include an image of the goalie lifting the Cup, a gift from mask painter Sylvie Marsolais and manufacturer Bauer.
"At first I thought it's just a regular game helmet because one side looks exactly like my game helmet, but then I saw myself with the Cup on the other side and I was like, 'Wow, that's cool,'" Vasilevskiy recalled.
Vasilevskiy said the new mask is just for show, however. He won't be wearing it in a game next season. He'll likely continue to use the one he wore during the playoffs.
"I will never put myself on the mask, especially with the Stanley Cup, and wear that in a game," he said. "So, nope, that is not my mask for this season. It's only a good gift that will go to my man cave. I was very surprised when I saw it on the boat. I asked my agent, 'What is that?' He said, 'It's a gift for you.' I was like 'Wow, that's very cool.' I believe that they will send me one more for my parents as well. So that's pretty cool. Great gifts for sure."
Vasilevskiy said seeing his named etched on the Cup during his day with it was a dream come true.
"I will be there forever as a champion," he said. "I'm really happy for my parents, for my friends, for all the fans, for my teammates.
"It's just amazing."