Talk about a fulfilling bucket list: Travel the world – check. Touch Olympic medals – check. Meet famous athletes – check. Go onstage at concerts – check. Bring millions of smiles to people – check.
The Stanley Cup has done it all this summer, much like every year.
Of course the hard part is repeating as champs. The Blackhawks’ preseason is underway, and they begin their title defense in earnest Oct. 7 at the United Center.
During the summer, the Hawks brought the Cup to a White Sox game, a Cubs game, a Jimmy Buffett concert and dozens of bars and clubs before it took off on its annual tour with members of the winning organization.
Throughout each day, hundreds of photos are taken alongside the Cup, kisses are planted on it, meals are served in it, babies placed in it. This summer, the Hawks took the Cup from Chicago to New York to Canada to Sweden to Finland and in between.
In case you’re wondering, the everyday maintenance of the Cup amid all this activity is pretty simple. To keep it as clean and shiny as possible, it’s washed with a soft detergent each day, in a shower at the hotel it’s at or using someone’s backyard hose. The Cup also is cleaned professionally with a high-end silver polish twice a year when it gets taken apart.
Lord Stanley even has an official bodyguard, known as “Keeper of the Cup”; Philip Pritchard has served in that capacity for 27 years.
“I’ve seen, by my rough estimates, more than 15,000 cans of beer poured into it,” Pritchard wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
Here are some of the Cup’s more noteworthy adventures from this summer.
TOP 5 MOST CREATIVE USES OF THE CUP
1. Niklas Hjalmarsson turned the Stanley Cup into a watering can as he tended to a newly planted tree in his home village of Russnas, Sweden.
2. Marian Hossa ate pierogi out of the Cup in Slovakia.
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3. Jonathan Toews used the Cup to drop the puck for faceoffs during a street hockey game in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
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Posted by Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, July 10, 2015
4. Brad Richards placed lobsters in the Cup in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island.
Lobster anyone? (Murray Harbour, PEI) #BecauseItsTheCup #StanleyCup @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame (HHOF Archives) pic.twitter.com/ueIYvJ3G7J
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 29, 2015
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5. Andrew Desjardins filled the Cup with Lucky Charms, his favorite cereal, to start his day with the Cup.
LORD STANLEY IN ILLINOIS
>> Scott Darling brought the Cup to his hometown of Lemont. The goaltender was the first of all the Hawks to spend a day with the Cup and the first Chicago-area player to win a title with the Blackhawks organization.
>> John McDonough, Hawks president, took the Cup to Edison Park and Elk Grove Village. They even stopped at the local Dairy Queen with the Cup for some ice cream.
>> Daniel Carcillo, who recently retired from the NHL, hosted a fundraiser for his Chapter 5 Foundation at Vertigo Sky Lounge at the Dana Hotel in Chicago. Carcillo was inspired by his late friend and ex-Hawks teammate Steve Montador, who died Feb. 15, to start the organization and host the event on his day with the Cup.
>> Mike Gapski, the Hawks’ head athletic trainer, brought the Cup to Marist High School on the South Side. He also took the Cup to a Windy City Thunderbolts baseball game in Crestwood.
>> Pawel Prylinksi, the Hawks’ massage therapist, took the Cup to the Polish Consulate in Chicago.
>> Troy Parchman, Hawks equipment manager, cruised the Chicago River on his day with the Cup.
>> Coach Joel Quenneville spent his Cup day with the Chicago Fire Department and visiting Advocate Children’s Hospital.
>> Jay Blunk, the team’s executive vice president, brought the Cup home to Danvers, Ill., where he visited the Danvers Police Department.
>> Owner Rocky Wirtz spent two days with the Cup. On the first day, he attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The second day was spent in Winnetka.
AROUND THE WORLD WITH LORD STANLEY
Russnas, Sweden: Niklas Hjalmarsson spent time relaxing with the Cup at a spa with family and friends. He then took it to his home village, with a population of about 80, and wheeled the Cup on a wagon as local children followed along.
Trencín, Slovakia: A welcome fit for a king, the Trencin Castle in Slovakia was decorated with Hawks banners and Marian Hossa’s number in the windows. Hossa later celebrated with traditional Slovakian folk dancing during his night with the Cup. Hossa also shared the Cup with fellow Slovakians and NHL stars Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Marian Gaborik of the Los Angeles Kings.
Tsawwassen, British Columbia: Brent Seabrook and his family rode a Zamboni through his hometown. Seabrook’s day with the Cup landed on another special day for his family, his son’s second birthday. After the parade, they strapped the Cup into a helicopter and toured Vancouver and landed atop a mountain near Kelowna, British Columbia, to take pictures. Seabrook adorned the Cup with another historic moment of his career: his 2010 Olympic gold medal.
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Posted by Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, August 20, 2015
Fort Frances, Ontario: Cruising through town in a 1962 Corvette while holding the Cup, Duncan Keith surprised beach-goers with the trophy. Later in the day, Keith and the Cup posed next to a stuffed moose for a picture.
A new defensive partner? (Fort Frances, ON) #StanleyCup @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame (HHOF Archives) pic.twitter.com/3eq7MM9lVF
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) August 1, 2015
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Winnipeg, Manitoba: Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews walked the streets of Winnipeg holding the Cup, flanked by kids from the Rehabilitation Center for Children. They gathered their hockey gear and played in the streets, where Toews used the Cup to drop the puck for faceoffs. Later, Toews took the Cup out on a lake, keeping it on the boat while he went wakeboarding.
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Posted by Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, July 10, 2015
Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island: Brad Richards’ family fishing boat served as the “float” throughout town.
Brad Richards on a "float" for the parade! (Murray Harbour, PEI) #StanleyCup @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/ejBocRn0nX
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 28, 2015
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Glens Falls, N.Y.: Kevin Dineen, a Hawks assistant coach, isn’t the first member of his family to celebrate the Stanley Cup. While sharing the Cup with his family, they searched the legendary trophy for his father’s name: Bill Dineen, who won the Cup with Detroit as a player in 1954 and 1955. Before joining the Hawks, Dineen coached Canada’s women’s team to the gold medal at the 2014 Olympics. Dineen shared the Cup with the gold medal-winning team on his day with Lord Stanley as well.
Kevin Dineen's dad, Bill, won the #StanleyCup with the Red Wings (Glen Falls, NY) @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/bOLzTM90NL
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) August 10, 2015
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Abbotsford, British Columbia: Hawks defenseman Kyle Cumiskey opted for a photo session with his father, a family friend and the Cup. And a horse.
Kyle Cumiskey posing with father Cliff & family friend Cayley Wilson #Stanleycup @NHLBlackhawks @NHL @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/eik6Iyw2cH
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) August 4, 2015
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Lethbridge, Alberta: When the Hawks won the Stanley Cup, Kris Versteeg’s son Jaxson was only 2 weeks old. At 9 weeks old, Jaxson celebrated with the Cup again, as he sat in it for a photo op.
Pittsburgh: To show his appreciation for the Stanley Cup, Brandon Saad played a tune and serenaded the Cup as it sat atop his piano.
Niantic, Conn.: Patrick Sharp took his daughters for ice cream as the Cup sat on the table between the two girls.
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Kuipio, Finland: Kimmo Timonen has retired from the NHL, but not before winning the Cup in his final season, as a Blackhawk, after 16 seasons in the NHL. Timonen celebrated with 10,000 fans and showed off his four Olympic medals, hanging them from the Cup.
10,000 fans come out to congratulate kimmo in his home town of Kuopio. #stanleycup @HockeyHallFame @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/oAKkMFUHcy
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 21, 2015
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Sudbury, Ontario: Andrew Desjardins started his day with the Cup by filling it with Lucky Charms for breakfast.
Starting a day with breakfast, yummy. #StanleyCup @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame
(Hhofarchives) pic.twitter.com/wtG8UBE3dd
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 7, 2015
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Belleville, Ontario: Andrew Shaw shared the Cup at his community church service. Shaw also crashed a wedding with the Cup. The bridal party posed for pictures with Lord Stanley.
Surprise! Shaw and #StanleyCup crash a wedding. @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame
(Hhofarchives) pic.twitter.com/mEFpBfPVrv
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 4, 2015
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Toronto: Bryan Bickell posed for the traditional photos with the Cup, but one photo was a bit untraditional: shirtless with a parrot on his shoulder. Bickell went the untraditional route again when feeding his daughter. Instead of feeding her food out of a regular bowl, Bickell fed his daughter from the Cup while she sat in her high chair.
Funny looking Blackhawk! #BecauseItsTheCup
#StanleyCup @NHLBlackhawks @HockeyHallFame (Toronto,ON) pic.twitter.com/MtdYvDfwDL
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) July 1, 2015
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Skelleftea, Sweden: David Rundblad didn’t want his day with the Stanley Cup to end. He helped pack it in its case and bid it goodbye.
Châteauguay, Quebec: Corey Crawford
Vlasim, Czech Republic: Michal Rozsival
Tyreso Municipality, Sweden: Joakim Nordstrom
Stockholm, Sweden: Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger
Canyon, Minn.: Norm Maciver, assistant general manager
Middletown, N.J.: Trevor van Riemsdyk
Levis, Quebec: Antoine Vermette
Rauma, Finland: Anti Raanta
Helsinki, Finland: Teuvo Teravainen
Sherbrooke, Quebec: Jimmy Waite, Goaltending coach
Hamilton, Ontario: Mark Bernard, general manager of the Rockford Icehogs
Newmarket, Ontario: Mike Kitchen, assistant coach
Buffalo, N.Y.: Scotty Bowman, senior adviser to hockey operations; and Patrick Kane
Antigonish, Nova Scotia: Al MacIsaac, VP of hockey operations
Emily Brown is a RedEye contributor. @enbrown10
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