Stanley Cup visits Gray

​January 14-18 2005
A request to host the Stanley Cup for a day of activities turned into the unbelievable opportunity to escort the Cup for four days in January. The Cup was scheduled to be in Vancouver the next week, so Gray gained a few extra days.
The kick-off event was an official banquet held at Gray Memorial Hall for a capacity crowd of 125.  The Riceton Recreation Centre was contracted to cater the event and the guests dined on prime rib, baked potatoes, salads and dessert.  The guest speaker was Sam Richardson (of curling fame) who entertained everyone with his recollections - a lot were hockey related! The next morning we hosted a sponsor breakfast prior to the general public skate and opportunity to spend some time with the Stanley Cup.
We chose to ‘spread the wealth’ and were able to provide the Cup to Milestone, Rouleau and Wilcox for some fundraising activities.  The Cup visited a number of schools; Gray, Luther High School in Regina and a school selected by Conexus (one of our sponsors) Wilfred Walker Public in Regina.
We also took it upon ourselves to have it visit former winners - those that played prior to the Cup being granted to each winning player for one day. The Stanley Cup champions in Regina were; Bill Hickie (passed away July 2005), Don Metz, and Bob Turner (passed away February 2005).  The Saskatchewan Sport Hall of Fame in Regina also hosted the Stanley Cup one afternoon.  This was the year of the NHL lockout so the Screaming O’s played Big Bob’s (one of their frequent opponents) for the Stanley Cup.  The Screaming O’s claimed victory, but only because they brought the trophy!