Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar brought the Stanley Cup to Winnipeg for the day.
Before the booze-filled evening celebrations that saw Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar pound through expensive tequila with family and friends, the Stanley Cup made its way to Red River Community Centre - sans the Don Julio 1942.
Taking home the greatest trophy in professional sports by way of the postseason championship, Kolesar, now 26, had his day with Lord Stanley's mug on Tuesday.
Born in Brandon, Kolesar moved to the provincial capital at a young age and spent his developmental years playing hockey out of Winnipeg Minor. Prior to his playing AAA with the Winnipeg Hawks (U-15) and Thrashers (U-18), Kolesar suited up at Red River CC - almost on the daily.
With autographs and photo-ops galore, Kolesar opted to host a public viewing event at his old North Winnipeg stomping grounds with proceeds going to KidSport Winnipeg. His 'parade' was actually the fourth of five Manitoban stops for Philip Pritchard and the Stanley Cup this offseason.
With GM Kelly McCrimmon hosting an event in Brandon, Brett Howden bringing the Cup to Oakbank, and Mark Stone doing a private function in Headingley, the silver and nickel trophy will in fact make its way back to Brandon before hitting Virden and Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Wednesday, as Vegas defenceman Zach Whitecloud honours his history with a busy day of celebration.
A full gallery of photos by James Carey Lauder and Rusty Barton can be found before:
[gallery ids="2138,2139,2140,2141,2142,2143,2144,2145,2146,2147,2148"]
Next up is Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Wednesday. Another photo gallery will follow.