LEWISTON, N.Y. -- Rick Dudley has dedicated his life to hockey and, on Tuesday, he wanted to give back by sharing the Stanley Cup with the community he calls home.
Dudley, a senior adviser to Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito, brought the iconic trophy to Griffon Brewery and Gastropub, which overlooks the Niagara River. Inside, the Cup was placed on a table where fans could take photos with it and with Dudley. They started showing up about an hour and a half before festivities were to begin, a line formed inside and extended well out the door down the sidewalk.
“I’m just happy to be able to give back,” Dudley said. “I’ve lived here for the best part of my life really and, to be honest, it’s the first time I’ve had a real chance to give something back.”
Fans of all ages waited patiently for their turn, with quite a few Panthers fans among the many dressed in Buffalo Sabres attire.
“After you win it, you realize just how iconic [it is] because things happen around it,” Dudley said. “People are almost awed by it.”
The 75-year-old has been with the Panthers for four seasons, his second stint with the organization after serving as GM from 2002-2004. His lengthy NHL front office resume also includes roles with the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators.
Dudley coached the Sabres over three seasons before moving into management and went behind the bench as a midseason replacement during his first go-round in Florida.
He played 309 NHL games over six seasons with Buffalo (279) and the original Winnipeg Jets (30).
Though he’s won championships at other levels and in other sports, the Stanley Cup has long eluded him. The closest he came was as a player in 1975, when the Sabres lost in six games in the Final to the Philadelphia Flyers.
“From the time you’re five years old or old enough to think about it, if you’re involved in hockey, you think about the Stanley Cup, of course,” Dudley said. “From the time I picked up a hockey stick, I probably scored the winning goal in the Stanley Cup a million times. Now to be actually part of it, it’s pretty special. I don’t even know how to describe it.”
Dudley admitted he was nervous as Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final went on until Sam Reinhart scored the go-ahead goal with under five minutes to go in the third period. He said it was a “sense of satisfaction” when the final horn sounded.
Then came the moment when he finally got to hoist the Cup. Zito had former NHL forward Patric Hornqvist, now a consultant with the team, bring Dudley over so the GM could hand it to him.
“He knew exactly what he was doing,” Dudley said. “He knew that I’d be on national TV. It was amazing. I had a thousand texts from people who’d seen me. It was incredible. The fact that ‘Billy’ cared so much that I was front and center there, it’s pretty cool.”
