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
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.