Stanley Cup Playoffs: What will winning the cup look like?
By Ant Barberio
Since this isn’t a normal Stanley Cup Playoffs, how will a team celebrate winning the Stanley Cup?
So, a few weeks ago, I was out with a friend who’s a New York Rangers fan. This was as the NHL was starting the Stanley Cup Playoffs and he said, “if the Rangers win the cup, I can’t wait to go the Stanley Cup parade!”
Parade? Indoor dining isn’t even allowed in New York, yet a parade of thousands of hockey fan crowding the streets of Manhattan would be allowed? “If the Rangers win the cup, there will definitely be a parade”, he said without a doubt.
Of course, there will be no championship parade featuring the blue shirts down Broadway to the Canyon Of Heroes. The Rangers lost in three games in the Stanley Cup qualifier against the Carolina Hurricanes. Even though it won’t be the Rangers, there will be a Stanley Cup champion for this year? How will they and their fans celebrate?
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The traditional parade seems completely out of the question. When the novel coronavirus first started in the United States, there even was an interesting theory that the San Francisco 49ers losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs was a good thing because it saved the populous San Francisco from a parade of thousands that could have put fans at risk. Any indoor celebration that traditionally follows a cup parade most likely will be off the table too.
Like most sporting events over the past few months, any cup celebration will most likely be virtual and without fans. Through Zoom, Facebook live, YouTube and other options, there will still be opportunities for fans to participate and be in attendance.
With the parade part unnecessary the celebration will most likely cut to the speeches and presentations that follow at the end of the parade route.
Any celebration would most likely take place after players leave the bubble, which opens the possibility to other personnel attending. Like in the past, the team’s front office, owners and town’s mayor and other politicians will most likely join. Of course expect to see team highlight reels are part of any zoom broadcast. Whatever team that wins the cup will have plenty of footage.
Understandably fans might be upset. The greatest attraction to a Stanley Cup parade is seeing the greatest trophy in sports in person. Not only that but it gives fans a chance to interact with players. Remember when Jordan Binnington stole a mini bike during the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup parade last year? Yeah, no one will be seeing antics like that in 2020. Having it virtual leaves open the possibility of fans watching only part of what would normally be a full day event.
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No sports trophy has been given out yet in this “new normal”. The NHL might even be the first to do it. It will certainly be a unique experience for fans, but they should be just as excited their team will lift the Stanley Cup.