HOW TO DATE THE STANLEY CUP IN PORTLAND

Spending Time With The Most Elusive Trophy In The World.

Stanley Cup with curator Phil Pritchard

Back when I wrote a post on Portland hockey, history boss Kerry Tymchuk said the Oregon Historical Society was bringing the Stanley Cup to town.

It was a little hush-hush. Things could go wrong in that deal and everyone hoping to see it would be very disappointed.

Well, nothing went wrong and the National Hockey League’s trophy of trophies got here.

All I wanted to do was spend some quality time snuggling up with this most iconic of sports artifact.

Thursday afternoon a couple of local radio guys, Isaac and Big Suke from 1080 The Fan’s Prime Time, did their show from the Lloyd district’s Buffalo Wild Wings. They said Lord Stanley’s Cup would make an appearance on their broadcast the next day.

I made my plans accordingly. Would I feel the buzz of greatness being in the same room?

Would the Cup speak to me? Would I talk back if it did?

Instead of viewing the Cup in a formal setting, I wanted to be with it at a bar, a public place with it’s legions of admirers.

I would have made it, too.

At 3:45 pm Friday I was stuck in I-5 traffic on the Terwilliger Curves cussing. If I’d taken light rail I’d be on time.

The radio guys sounded excited. The trophy was in the bar.

Where is it?

Once I got a clear lane I drove the 405 instead of the Marquam Bridge, hit the Everett Street exit on 14th, took a right on Lovejoy, and headed over the Broadway Bridge.

In the middle of the bridge came news that the Stanley Cup had left Wild Wings, next stop the Rose Garden/Moda Center at the Rose Quarter.

Say, you look familiar

What to do? Give up and go home? Go to the museum the next day? Buy a Winter Hawks playoff ticket? Or go to the bar and listen to the rest of Prime Time with Isaac and Big Suke?

One of the guys said the Cup was headed for Dr. Jack’s restaurant/bar in the Rose Quarter before calling it a night.

I was already past the Moda Center.

U-turn.

Can I buy you a beer?

I parked half a mile away and hopped across about ten lanes of traffic to find Dr. Jack’s only to learn that the Cup would show up after the game.

The man at the door had the inside scoop. Fun guy. We talked Portland history. He knows his stuff.

I spend the next three hours with the J&J crew harping on them to join me on a double date with the Stanley Cup. I missed it at the museum, then Wild Wings and the game, but we settled in for a hug at Dr. Jack’s.

You’re cold? Get in here.

The Stanley Cup was a great date.