Makar, O'Connor take the Stanley Cup for a float on the Bow
It's been to Niagara Falls, the Kentucky Derby, tossed off a balcony and guest starred on Howard Stern.
It's even been to Innisfail.
But Tuesday around 6 p.m., the Cup had a truly Calgarian experience when it floated down the Bow River.
And it wasn't even drunk!
The Bow visit was a last-minute event hastily orchestrated by a combination of the Calgary Fire Department's Water Rescue Unit and Calgary's contribution to the Colorado Avalanche, namely Logan O'Connor and the team's superstar defenceman Cale Makar.
Those two haven't even had their Cup day yet – O'Connor gets it Wednesday, and Makar Thursday – but as word spread from a post on Makar's Instagram page, fans began to gather at the banks of the river.
Around 125 people gathered around the area where the cup, Makar, O'Connor and a Calgary Fire Department employee boarded a water rescue boat to patrol the Bow, and hundreds more lined the river as the sight of a Stanley Cup floating down a river through the city began to sink in.
Before they floated the Bow with Lord Stanley, CTV News spoke to both O'Connor and Makar.
"It's gonna be pretty crazy," O'Connor said. "This plan came together sort of last minute but it'll be nice to share in the city a little bit. Hopefully we'll get some good people out there to watch it."
Makar, who won the Conn Smythe award as the most valuable player of the playoffs, appeared to be pumped up to be taking the Stanley Cup out for a float on the Bow.
Cale Makar in Calgary prior to taking Stanley Cup on Bow River, Tuesday Aug.9, 2022
"It's amazing," he said. "We're very fortunate to be able to be here with the fire station today and have their help on the river and know that we'll definitely be making a great charitable donation, probably the burn unit for them and it should be a fun one."
With files from Bill Macfarlane
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.