A crowd of close to 600 people were gathered at Western Financial Place on Tuesday, Aug 16, patiently awaiting the arrival of NHL champion Bowen Byram and the Stanley Cup.
Byram brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown to celebrate with friends and family, while also attending a photo-op with the general public.
Byram won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche on June 26, when Colorado defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Avalanche defenceman says itB次元官网网址檚 a B次元官网网址済reat feelingB次元官网网址� to bring the cup to his hometown B次元官网网址� this being the ninth occasion the cup has visited.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lot of fun [to be home],B次元官网网址� Byram said at the photo-op on Tuesday. B次元官网网址淕rowing up and playing minor hockey here B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 special to have it here and that people in the community get to see it and [I can] chat with some people. ItB次元官网网址檚 been a fun day so far.
B次元官网网址淚n small towns there are a lot of people who help out with minor hockey. I had a lot of good coaches growing up B次元官网网址� just very fortunate to grow up in Cranbrook in such a rich hockey environment.B次元官网网址�
Byram himself is CranbrookB次元官网网址檚 fifth Stanley Cup winner, joining the company of past winners Scott and Rob Niedermayer, Brad Lukowych and Jon Klemm.
B次元官网网址淭o bring the cup back home is a really special experience and IB次元官网网址檓 very grateful that I got to have it this early on in my career,B次元官网网址� Byram said. B次元官网网址淵ou never know, maybe IB次元官网网址檒l be lucky enough to do it a couple more times.B次元官网网址�
Byram says he was fortunate to get drafted by the Colorado Avalanche and that winning the Stanley Cup is a dream come true.
B次元官网网址淚 definitely knew I was fortunate to get drafted by the Avs B次元官网网址� they already had a really solid team,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey got the pick for me from Ottawa. They made the playoffs that year, and made it to the second round, so I knew I was going to have a chance. Obviously, you never really know B次元官网网址� a lot of good teams donB次元官网网址檛 ever win the Stanley Cup. Growing up you always want to be a Stanley Cup Champion and now that I am, itB次元官网网址檚 kind of hard to describe.B次元官网网址�
Byram had an adverse start to his NHL career, missing almost three months and a string of 32 games because of concussion symptoms. Despite this, he overcame the injuries and proved to be a key contributor on the Avalanche team.
B次元官网网址淚t was a frustrating couple years, I guess, not playing as many games as I would have liked due to injuries and other things. But I think it was honestly a positive for me to go through that early in my career,B次元官网网址� Byram said. B次元官网网址淵ou know, itB次元官网网址檚 never easy to come back from injuries so I was very fortunate to come back and have a spot in the lineup again. I just tried to contribute any way I could in the playoffs.B次元官网网址�
When asked how it feels to lift the Stanley Cup in the air right after the victory, Byram said itB次元官网网址檚 hard to describe.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a special feeling, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to describe to people. YouB次元官网网址檝e just gone through a really tough couple months and to finally get there itB次元官网网址檚 almost relief, in some way. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of stress and anxiety, whatever you want to call it, throughout the playoffs and throughout the year. Especially when youB次元官网网址檙e on a team that has a lot of buzz about it. We were cup favourites going into the year B次元官网网址� so itB次元官网网址檚 a relief but itB次元官网网址檚 also very exciting. ItB次元官网网址檚 hard to put into words.B次元官网网址�
He adds that overall it was a great year with many highlights throughout the playoff season.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot [of highlights]. I can think of a lot of moments through the playoffs,B次元官网网址� he said with a laugh. B次元官网网址淟ooking back now, you really wish you could have soaked it in a bit more, but thereB次元官网网址檚 so much going on that it kind of just flashes by.B次元官网网址�
Following his photo-op with the community, Byram says he will celebrate with the Stanley Cup alongside his family and friends before the cup moves on to another player.
