Having taken an atypical route to the top, Gourde hopes his experience can provide inspiration to the youth of his little village. It's the reason why he was so anxious to come back here and show off the Cup.
"I'm so happy to be here to show you that dreams do come true," the forward said to the crowd of 700.
"You have to work really hard and be very determined, and one day you'll achieve it. That's the case for everything you wish to accomplish in life. I'm happy to be able to tell you that it can work. I hope that one day, one of you kids, a boy or a girl, will bring another trophy back to Saint-Narcisse so we can celebrate all over again."
The township honored its local hero by officially renaming the town rink, commonly known as the Dome, to the Yanni Gourde Sports Complex.
"We know the Gourde family well, they're all hard-working people," said Dion. "When his uncles played hockey, they were like that. Yanni's going to surprise us even more with the Seattle Kraken next season. You'll see."
Gourde's day with the Cup marked, in a sense, his last with the Lightning.
"Starting [Wednesday], I'm a member of the Seattle Kraken," he said.
"It's hard to leave Tampa because we were all so close to each other, both the players and the organization. But I'm so excited about the opportunity to join an organization that's starting from the ground up.
"I may have just won the Cup twice, but I still want more."
Gourde won't be able to take part in the Kraken's first NHL game on Oct. 12 as he continues to recover from left shoulder surgery, which he had shortly before the expansion draft. He is expected to miss the first two months of the season.
