The Stanley Cup finally made an appearance in St. Albert, and it did not disappoint.
Former St. Albertan Josh Mahura brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown for his day with the cup on Monday July 22.
Mahura was a member of the Florida Panthers team that bested the Edmonton Oilers in seven games this past June in the Stanley Cup Finals. One of the traditions that comes with winning the Stanley Cup is each player gets a day with the cup. Mahura, who played minor hockey in St. Albert, chose to share his day with the Cup with the community he grew up in.
"It's incredible. You see the turnout here with all the kids eager to come up here and see this. That's what it's about, bringing it back to the community," Mahura said.
"(I'm) just really excited to share this with everyone."
The fans shared his excitement as a huge line formed in the parking lot of the Jarome Iginla Arena. Some fans even arrived as early as 8:30 a.m. so they could meet Mahura and the Cup. Fans were able to take photos and get autographs from Mahura.
"It's amazing. It's great for the community and it's so cool that you get to see people who grew up here want to give back to the community," one fan said.
Mahura, who only played in 30 games this past season due to injuries, was originally not eligible to have his name be put on the cup. The rules state that each player must play in at least one Stanley Cup Final game or in 41 regular season games to have their name engraved. However, the Florida Panthers did petition to have Mahura's name engraved due to an injury exemption, which the NHL granted.
The Panthers names have already been engraved on the Cup. It's only the second time the names had been engraved before the Stanley Cup tour.
Mahura, who spent the last two seasons with the Panthers, signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Kraken earlier this month.
