Stanley cup reportedly snoozing at the United Center
Hockey's most sought-after honor will be on public display for a victory parade Thursday, but where it goes next is anyone's guess.
Adding to its mystique, the Stanley Cup arrived slightly late to the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday night, but no one complained. The delay was related to the downpour in the area, announcers said.
As of Tuesday morning, the trophy reportedly was napping at the United Center after a raucous night.
After the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2013, the coveted prize hit the road with the champs.
Among its adventures: taking in a horse race at Arlington Park with Coach Joel Quenneville, boating with defenseman Nick Leddy in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, and serving up pierogies in star Marian Hossa's hometown of Trencin, Slovakia.
Such escapades seem tame compared to the Stanley Cup's younger days. It served as a flowerpot at the home of a team photographer in 1907, was left in a snowbank in 1924, and was briefly pilfered by a Montreal Canadiens fan from Chicago Stadium in 1962.
Who baby-sits the 122-year-old trophy on its adventures now? The Hockey Hall of Fame supplies four cup keepers who escort the prize on the rounds to the hometowns of players, trainers and team executives.
It gets a daily cleaning to remove traces of finger and lip prints.
Judging from the Cup's playbook from previous Hawks' wins in 2010 and 2013, it won't be a stranger around here.
Chicago-area sighting locations have included: Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field, Oak Brook, Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital, Rosemont, Elk Grove Village, Hinsdale, Lombard, Navy Pier, Rolling Meadows and the headquarters of the Daily Herald.
Stay tuned for Cup sightings 2015.