After sharing the Stanley Cup with 500 excited fans at Harry Howell Arena in Waterdown, Ontario on Monday, Florida Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe would not comment on his plans for the rest of the day.

He said he wanted to spend more time with close friends and family than he was able to while winning the title with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021.

His wife, Casey Engleson, was more direct: “We’re going to go to his favorite place where he’s been eating lunch since he was a kid – Turtle Jack’s in Waterdown,” she told CBC Hamilton. “He’s going to try to eat some chicken wings out of the cup.”

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 in June.

According to the staff who carry the trophy, eating and drinking from the giant silver goblet is a popular pastime on the days when the National Hockey League championship is presented with the trophy.

This tradition has been around since 1995, with players typically displaying the Stanley Cup in their hometown or at parties with family and friends.

“It’s a whole different experience to see it in person,” said Austin Forbes, a 10-year-old Waterdown resident who, along with his great aunt Lynn Sartori, was first in a 500-strong line that snaked through the arena lobby, out the front door and up the side of the building. “All the NHL players were holding it.”

The couple took their seats around 9 a.m., well before Verhaeghe’s arrival at noon. That was the start of what would become something of a children’s party over the course of the morning. Roaming groups of children in hockey gear – separated from their adults, who kept their places in line – played games, ran around and watched every arriving vehicle to see if it contained the NHL star and the coveted trophy.

“Maybe I’ll make it to the NHL”

Mats Uznanski, 11, had a prime spot near the arena doors to watch Verhaeghe arrive. As a Waterdown native himself, he said it meant a lot to meet a local who had made it to the top – twice.

“I’m much more confident that I could maybe make it to the NHL,” he said.

Further back in the line, Kingsley Baker and Zarah Alesi, both 11-year-old goalie partners for the Brampton Canadettes, wore matching jerseys from a recent hockey tournament in Rochester and talked about what it would be like when they finally met Verhaeghe.

“Maybe we’ll ask him some questions,” said Alesi, a Waterdown resident. “Things like, ‘What does a day in the life of an NHL player look like?'”

Also in line were father Jamie Mitchell from Flamborough and his two children Ayden (9) and Jacob (7).

“We always talk about the Stanley Cup,” Jamie said of his younger son. He said they expected a lot of people, but when they rounded the corner and saw the line stretching to the back of the arena, he crossed his fingers they would make it in.

Family members beam with pride

When Verhaeghe stepped out of an SUV with the huge trophy in his hand, the crowd was ready.

The hockey player was surrounded by a sea of ​​children before he walked inside – past a photo of him holding the 2021 trophy – and prepared for photos in a nondescript common room on the arena’s ground floor. He kept his grin on for more than an hour as family after family filed through the room, most with children too shy to say a word.

“How many sticks did you break?” asked a brave child.

“Too many,” answered Verhaeghe, 29, before offering some advice to the children who want to follow in his footsteps. “The most important thing for me was to never give up. It’s all about sticking with it, and that’s what got me here.”

“Of course, a lot of people from this city support me,” he added after a reporter noted that Ontario doesn’t usually see as many Florida Panthers jerseys as it did on Monday.

“It’s great to share with everyone who helped me grow up here.”

Members of his family arrived and transformed the dreary room into a pre-party for the barbecue that was to take place that same evening at Verhaeghe’s parents’ house.

An aunt cried as she watched her nephew meet his fans; people admired Engleson’s engagement ring and Verhaeghe’s 92-year-old grandmother Rose roamed the hall, chatting to everyone and pushing her way to the front to hug her grandson and kiss the trophy.

Verhaeghe’s mother Karen beamed as she watched her son interact with his admirers.

“It’s really important for him to come here and do this for the local kids because if he had this opportunity as a kid, he would have loved it,” she said. “Looking back, he was really good at hockey when he was about five years old, but we just thought that was normal.”

Aunt and uncle Michelle and Johan Verhaeghe described Verhaeghe as a respectful and hardworking child and said he had not changed much as an adult. Michelle joked that since his rise to fame, people no longer seem confused by the Flemish surname.

“The question went from ‘How do you spell that?’ to ‘Are you related?'” she said, laughing.