Hundreds line up to spend one minute with Stanley Cup

Members of DASH hockey development program post with the Colorado Avalanche's and Cale Makar and the Stanley Cup at Calgary's Crowchild Twin Arenas on Thursday. (Rebecca Kelly/CBC - image credit)
Members of DASH hockey development program post with the Colorado Avalanche's and Cale Makar and the Stanley Cup at Calgary's Crowchild Twin Arenas on Thursday. (Rebecca Kelly/CBC - image credit)

The lineup stretched for hundreds of meters to get a glimpse of the Stanley Cup and this year's most valuable player in this year's championship.

Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche brought the storied trophy home today, much to the delight of hundreds who lined up outside Crowchild Twin Arenas.

"It was awesome, like the best defenseman right in front of your eyes. It was crazy," says Khalen Menger.

The 13-year-old was among the crowd who lined up for hours to spend just a minute with Makar and the Stanley Cup.

Rebecca Kelly/CBC
Rebecca Kelly/CBC

This is Makar's day to bring the big trophy home, and he chose the arena, where he learned to play.

"It means so much," Makar says. "This is where you start your whole journey and stuff like that, so for me you've got to give back to the community and give back to the kids."

The moment for Makar is an opportunity hockey fans and see them enjoy the presence of the such a mythical Canadian artifact.

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"Hopefully it can come back here again some day, but you gotta take advantage of the time you have with it," he added.

This is the second event for the cup in Calgary this week. Makar and Calgarian teammate Logan O'Connor took the cup for a Calgary summer past time — a float down the Bow River — which Menger caught as well.

Rebecca Kelly/CBC
Rebecca Kelly/CBC

The Menger family call Calgary home now, but the diehard Avalanche fans moved here from Colorado. Dad Dustin Menger says this is the next best thing to the party in the streets of Denver back in June.

"We caught them on the Bow just briefly when they were floating up the Bow and now today to actually be close to Cale Makar and to meet him... fantastic opportunity."