For fans that missed out on bumping into the Stanley Cup on the subway, it will be on full display at the Hyundai NHL Fan Fair from Feb 1-4 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre -- South Building. For more information and to purchase tickets go to NHL.com/FanFair.
“It’s exciting to be standing right beside the Cup,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “The All-Star Game coming here means lots of excitement with the Fan Fest. We are a hockey city, we love hockey so it’s exciting. What a great surprise for fans. People just went, 'Woah this is the Stanley Cup in Toronto in Union Station, wow.'”
Kaberle, a fan favorite in Toronto who played 878 games for the Maple Leafs from 1998-2011, won the Cup in 2011 with the Boston Bruins.
“I know the moment (of seeing the Stanley Cup for the first time) but for the travelers, they got to take a picture with it and see the trophy itself,” Kaberle said. “I don’t think too many people get to see it in real life, so it was excitement for them taking pictures and hearing some stories as well. It’s a nice experience. You don’t get to see it too often. They were shocked. You could see the excitement in their eyes. I’m proud to be here. It’s nice to be around the Cup.”
The defenseman had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 24 regular-season games and 11 assists in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games that season, helping the Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final.
“A lot of good memories seeing the Cup again,” Kaberle said. “All the boys, all the willpower, all the work behind it, those two months and then you get to enjoy it afterwards. It was much easier to enjoy it than to play those two and a half months in the playoffs.”
Getting the chance to be around the Cup again for the first time since 2011, Kaberle said he did not have to think twice when he was asked to help out Monday.
The last time he got to spend time with it was when he had his day with the Stanley Cup in Velka Dobra, a small village of about 1,500 people where he grew up in Czechia.
“I don’t know if I remember all of the stories, I didn’t get much sleep for two or three days after,” Kaberle said. “To share the moments with my teammates was amazing and then especially with my family and the older people in Czech where I grew up was a special moment for me.”
Though Kaberle knew what to expect with the Cup, another commuter named Alana was in awe of how much bigger it was than she realized. It even gave her bragging rights with her boyfriend.
“This is pretty neat,” said Alana. “It’s just like very unexpected but definitely a lot bigger in person. I’d never seen it before. My boyfriend is at work, working away at his 9-to-5 job and here I am hanging out with the Stanley Cup.”
