Whitehorse, YT – The Stanley Cup made a ceremonial stop in the territory over the weekend.
The cup arrived by dog sled on Saturday morning as part of the 46th annual Kilrich Yukon Native Hockey Tournament.
The arrival at the Sky High Wilderness Ranch paid tribute to the 1905 journey of the Dawson City Nuggets, who travelled thousands of kilometres to Ottawa to challenge for the trophy. The Nuggets lost to Ottawa twice in the best-of-three series.
Former NHL player Andrew Ference accompanied the Cup and joined First Nations and community leaders for the welcome. Speaking after the Cup’s arrival, Ference credits hockey with teaching the value of teamwork and collaboration.
“That’s what I love about this trophy, it’s that it’s not just about winning it, it’s about what it takes to win it,” said Ference. “The values that you’re teaching at this tournament run right up to the highest level of hockey.”
The Cup was later put on display at the Canada Games Centre on Saturday afternoon as the tournament continued through the weekend.
