Brett Connolly of Prince George and Taylor Gauthier, who plays for Prince George, have celebrated championships that will always highlight their 2018 year.
Connolly, as part of the Washington Capitals, won hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley Cup, which he will share with his hometown.
Gauthier played a key role in helping Canada’s U-18 team capture the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
It’s been two-and-a-half months since Connolly assisted on the Capitals game winning goal by Lars Eller in a 4-3 (game five) clinching victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 26-year-old Connolly arrived in his hometown Thursday in anticipation of enjoying the Stanley Cup with P.G. fans Monday at noon at the CN Centre.
“I’m just excited to share this with a lot of people. I am going there with an open mind. Whatever I expect it’s going to be, it’s going to be 10 times better than that,” said Connolly.
“I want to see a lot of kids out there who play hockey. It’s a big moment. It’s a really cool thing.”
The former Cariboo and PG Cougar will have a total of 15 hours with the Cup, concluding at midnight Monday.
See you in one week Prince George. Hope to see you all at the CN Center at 12:00! @StanleyCup @PGCougars @CityofPG
— Brett Connolly (@bconnolly8) August 13, 2018
“They hand it over to me at 9AM and it’s mine for the day and I can literally do whatever I want with it.”
Playoff MVP Alex Ovechkin took the Cup to his home country of Russia while Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom had his chance with Lord Stanley’s Mug in Sweden.
After Backstrom’s children, Haley and Vince enjoyed a breakfast ice cream sundae in the Cup, they gave it a thorough cleaning at their home in Valbo.
Following the breakfast and Cup bath, Backstrom took it to the community where he grew up for a public viewing before concluding his day with the Cup and a family boat trip on the Baltic Sea.
Connolly has already enjoyed Stanley Cup parties on back-to-back days with a couple of his teammates.
“I’ve been to two. I went to Tom Wilson’s and Devante Smith-Pelly’s in Toronto. Those were amazing and different kind of parties. Wilson had it at his Grandpa’s property in Oakville. It was catered and a good party outside. The next night, Smith-Pelly had it at a bar. My wife helped out with the party so I had front row access to it. Kind of the same thing, but little different vibe. His was more like at a nightclub kind of dinner bar.”
Gauthier may not have experienced the high of winning a Stanley Cup, but the Cougars goalie from Calgary added to his resume’ by capturing gold at the Gretzky-Hlinka Cup with a resounding 6-2 triumph over Sweden in the final.
“I was really happy that I got the opportunity to represent my country, especially with the tournament being in Edmonton. Overall it was a great experience.”
Gauthier played in one of the three round-robin games for Canada (all wins) while Nolan Maier of the Saskatoon Blades played the other two.
“Every night I was hoping to get the start but when I didn’t I put it in the past and try to be the best teammate I can be.”
The coaching staff went with Maier in net in the semi-final, a controversial 6-5 overtime victory over the Americans.
That was the game Canada appeared the score the tying goal after time expired in the third period.
Maier started the final against the Swedes but after allowing two goals on three shots Gauthier got the call at 11:33 of the first period.
“I’ve always kind of prided myself on performing well in big-time games. Being down 2-0, I took it upon myself to stop the bleeding a little bit but without putting too much pressure on myself,” stated Gauthier.
“Going into the game, I was preparing like I was going to play. When I got in there, my instincts took over. My game plan was to give us a chance. Obviously, the rest of the rest of the game speaks for itself.”
After blocking all 17 shots he faced against Sweden, Gauthier finished the tournament with a 1.11 goals-against-average and .943 save percentage in two games.
“I’ve always been a pretty confident guy but I think coming into the tournament, fresh off a gold medal that kind of boosted it a little bit but still have to work hard coming into training camp.”
Although its summer, the Stanley Cup in P.G. and Hlinka Gretzky Cup this month are a reminder that hockey is a year-round sport.
2018 #HLINKAGRETZKYCUP CHAMPIONS! ??? pic.twitter.com/aPdN9vALd8
— Team Canada Men (@HC_Men) August 12, 2018
When one can celebration championships, does it really matter what time of the year it is?
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BRETT CONNOLLY STANLEY CUP CELEBRATION (MONDAY, AUGUST 20th)
- 9:00 AM: Silent Auction tables open to the public (located at the main entrance of the CN Centre)
- Silent auction items include numerous autographed Prince George Cougars and Washington Capitals signed memorabilia
- All money from the silent auction donated to the Brock Hirsche Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of Lethbridge
- 10:00 AM: Doors open to the CN Centre
- 12:00 PM: Stanley Cup Celebration Rally
- Brief speeches from Andy Beesley (VP, PG Cougars), Mayor Lynn Hall, MLA Shirley Bond and Brett Connolly
- 12:30 – 2:30 PM: Photo opportunities for the general public with Brett Connolly and the Stanley Cup
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
Bud Light will be giving out free beer at 10 Cleveland-area bars when the Browns win their first regular-season game. Prompting the obvious question – so how long can beer age?
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
The Cleveland Browns made wide receiver Antonio Callaway play most of the opening preseason game as punishment for his recent pot bust. Apparently, the team misunderstood when he was described as being a very high draft choice.
*Comedy writer Jim Barach http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.ca/
Winnipeg pivot Matt Nichols said five-foot-seven slotback Weston Dressler is easy to spot because he’s great at deking defenders. In fact, maybe his name should be Undressler.
*Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
The PGA of America’s computer servers were compromised before the PGA Championship, keeping officials from accessing files. One of the first orders of business when they do get back in: Expand the definition for “hacker” in the golf lexicon.
*Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times http://www.seattletimes.com/author/dwight-perry/
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
An umpire working a New York Yankees-Chicago White Sox game briefly stopped the contest in the 9th inning to have a live bug pulled from his ear. Afterwards, the ump signalled the infield fly rule.
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Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT.
He also is the 94.3 radio colour commentator for P.G. Cougars home games.
His column appears Fridays on myprincegeorgenow.com.
Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @Hartley_Miller