Sports
Keeper of the Cup: Blackhawks Celebrations 'Way Bigger' in 2013
The Stanley Cup will appear in Bolingbrook Thursday. In preparation for the visit, Patch talked to the NHL's 'Keeper of the Cup.'
The Stanley Cup will come to Bolingbrook Thursday with Chicago Blackhawks’ Team Services Director Tony Ommen, a Bolingbrook resident. But one man is actually in charge of bringing it to town: the "Keeper of the Cup."
If you aren't familiar, the Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, assigns people to travel with the Stanley Cup each summer, when every hockey player, coach and organization member gets to spend a day with it doing just about whatever they want.
READ ALSO: Lord Stanley's Cup Heading to Bolingbrook
Thursday is Ommen's day, but we caught up with the Keeper of the Cup, Mike Bolt, Tuesday in Western Springs and asked him about his travels.
Patch: How does one become a Keeper of the Cup?
Bolt: Well, like any kid growing up in Canada, I wanted to go win the Cup. But that wasn’t going to happen, so working at the Hockey Hall of Fame was the next best thing. I’ve worked there for 18 years and been handling the Cup for 14.
Patch: You must see a lot while protecting the Cup. How do the celebrations here compare to 2010?
Bolt: It’s way bigger. In 2010 I expected it to be big, because of the big market here and being an Original Six team, but at the time it was the biggest I had ever been to. But with the new fan base they got in 2010, it’s just been an absolute mob scene.
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Patch: What makes the Stanley Cup so special? Why haven’t other sports been able to replicate its mystique?
Bolt: It’s such a magnet. It’s bigger than the players, and it’s the same trophy every year. They get it for a summer, but they don’t own it. It represents all of hockey. There’s fans of other teams that want photos with it, and I don’t think you see that in other sports. Being so old, and you can see all the names, I’m sure they can see their favorite players from growing up.
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I talked to a couple of (baseball players) who said, “It’s so cool they get to drink out of it. We’re just playing for a bunch of flags.”
Patch: What is Stanley Cup etiquette? What are the rules you have to enforce?
Bolt: For the most part, they can do what they want. If he decides he wants to drink out of it, he can do that. One thing is you have to earn the right to hoist it. Really, just have fun and keep it respectful. (Blackhawks captain Jonathan) Toews just took it on a seaboat to water ski with it. In 2010, (Andrew) Ladd had it flown to the top of a mountain at 4:45 in the morning so he could get a sunrise picture with it.
Patch: What’s the most interesting place or action you’ve personally seen with the Cup?
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