Sunday with Lord Stanley

It's not over yet, put Phase I of the Stanley Cup's tour through the Sun Valley, Idaho area was a testament to organization and execution by former Sun Valley Suns Glenn Hunter and John "Cubbie" Burke. By enlisting pilot and former teammate Hawk Jeneson to fly the Cup from British Columbia, Bruins equipment manager Beets Johnson got extra Wood River hours with the most famous sports trophy in North America.

The first stage of the operation was the trickiest. Hawk Jeneson landed on the wrong side of the Canadian border for starters, and then discovered that the Stanley Cup didn't fit into his little four seater. Rather than spend several thousand dollars on a larger charter, Hawk scrambled for a screwdriver, removed the back seats and shoehorned Lord Stanley into the aircraft. After that turning point, all the pieces fell into place for an operation that was part Sun Valley Suns reunion and part campaign to stoke hockey interest in the Wood River Valley.

Lord Stanley rolled from Bellevue to Hailey to Sun Valley to Ketchum in a vintage 1966 silver Mustang convertable, stopping at establishments for nearly 8 consecutive hours before being shut down at the stroke of midnight with near surgical precision. There was a 2 hour break for a generous party. The proprietors will all hear from Burke and Hunter later in the year when its time to round up financial support necessary keep Suns hockey alive and well.

Beets Johnson, the man who was responsible for the Cup coming to Ketchum because of his contributions to the Boston Bruins Cup victory, was the perfect escort on this mission, a gentle man with a kind word and a selfless smile for each and every encounter. He had no private time with the Cup Sunday, but never appeared to mind, moving from spot to spot, selling his sport to a sporting crowd that embraced every stop.

Beets's decades-long association with the Sun Valley Suns amateur team made his Cup session a team affair, with Suns players from the 1970's to present apparating at landmarks like Whiskey Jacques and the Pioneer Saloon. Suds flowed all night, but the Stanley Cup chalice remained dry. In a town known for wild exuberance, the Cup was treated with the dignity befitting a celebrity, hockey's grandest one at that. It would not be an exaggeration that more than 10,000 photos were taken with the Cup over the 8 hours.

Here's a link to my Facebook photo Album:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1909199696515&set=a.1909199456509.2091906.1437532070&type=1&theater

SportsRap will post an ensuing collection of video vignettes from Sunday's amazing day in Wood River Valley. Some will have more relevance than others based on the viewer's familiarity with the characters. Enjoy!