After 15 National Hockey League seasons with four different teams, Brent Sopel finally hoisted the Stanley Cup on Wednesday.
But it wasn’t the first time he’d won it.
Growing up in Saskatoon, Sopel and buddy Shawn Camp engaged in regular showdowns for hockey’s Holy Grail. they even fashioned a replica out of tinfoil.
The old friends reminisced about that childhood rivalry Thursday, less than 24 hours after Sopel and the Chicago Blackhawks triumphed in Philadelphia.
“I had a lengthy conversation with Camp,” said Sopel, who was operating on limited sleep after the celebration. “We grew up together and we were on the rinks playing for that exact thing. We talked about how many games we played for the Stanley Cup when we were kids, and how many times we ran around, saying we’d won the Stanley Cup.
“Those are great memories.”
Sopel’s fantasy became reality Wednesday night.
Patrick Kane scored the Cup-clinching goal 4:10 into overtime at Wachovia Center, and the Blackhawks erased a 49-year championship drought. Sopel was the fourth Chicago player to get his hands on the Cup, accepting a pass from Patrick Sharp after captain Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa had their turns.
More than half a continent away, Camp watched the celebration on TV and flashed back to those childhood battles with Sopel.
“It’s almost like foreshadowing,” said Camp, who runs a renovation company in Vancouver.
“To see him [Wednesday] night with 45 pounds of Stanley Cup over his head was pretty insane.”
Earlier this season, some hockey pundits speculated the Hawks might put Sopel on waivers to clear salary-cap room. Ultimately, though, Sopel proved his worth and played top-four minutes for the Hawks’ defence. He was a shot-blocker extraordinaire in the playoffs.
“After the game, I had 75 text messages from people around North America — friends in Canada and across the United States,” said Sopel. “Everybody was watching; that’s for sure.”
An estimated 300,000 people are expected to jam the streets of Chicago today for a victory parade. A record of the Hawks’ accomplishments will endure long after the celebration subsides.
“Like I said to [Sopel],” related Camp, “when we’re 70, 80, 90 years old, we can make a trip to [the Hockey Hall of Fame in] Toronto and his name will be on that Stanley Cup for as long as the game of hockey exists.”
Backyard fantasy turns into on-ice reality for Sopel
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