Squads’ Stanley Cup fantasies come true at NHL All-Star event

  BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Senior
Brian Forde fights for balance as the Bruins fall
to the Trojans in a 7-2 exhibition-game loss at the NHL All-Star
FANtasy. USC 7 UCLA 2

By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For hockey afficionados, there is no object more sacred than
Lord Stanley’s Cup ““ the sport’s version of the
Holy Grail.

And on Thursday, after an exhibition game which was part of the
NHL All-Star festivities, the UCLA and USC ice hockey teams got
their once in a lifetime chance to have their picture taken with it
on the ice.

“First thing, I don’t think that was the real
Stanley Cup, they have a couple of dummies. But if that was, a lot
of NHL guys would just have to hang their head and shake,”
UCLA goaltender Matt Hsu said. “They work their whole life
for it, and we played in front of a couple of people and we get to
sit next to it, pose next to it and pretend we won it.

“It’s kind of sacrilegious, but it was still pretty
cool.”

The game itself turned out to be rather anti-climactic. Played
in a miniature rink with 4-on-4 action during three 12-minute
periods, the game was over in less than an hour. The Trojans came
out on top 7-2, but the game was quickly forgotten.

The real star was brought out after the red carpet was laid out
on the ice.

“That’s what the guys came here for ““ to see
the Stanley Cup,” UCLA assistant coach Mike Siegel said.
“None of these guys have ever seen it before, and just to be
basically sitting right in front of it was pretty exciting for
them.

“The game itself, it was all right. It kind of sucked. The
rink was tiny. No one was really trying. But overall it was a good
experience.”

The game was one of Thursday’s main attractions at the NHL
All-Star FANtasy interactive festival held in the Los Angeles
Convention Center. Fans had the opportunity to, among other things,
test the power of their slap shot, the accuracy of their wrist shot
and their courage as goaltenders in front of a “rapid
fire” exhibit.

On top of the ice rink, there were also an in-line and a street
hockey rink. Photo opportunities with the Stanley Cup and a Zamboni
machine were also available for the public. There was even an arena
stage where the band Unwritten Law played after the UCLA-USC
game.

But some more powerful elements in display were the historical
artifacts. From the covers of past All-Star game programs dating
back to the 1940s and ’50s hanging from the ceiling, to
trophies like the Calder, Norris and Vezina.

“There’s one thing that comes with this place: a
healthy respect for history,” USC head coach Mark Wilbur
said. “Hockey is one of those sports that refuses to let go
of its history. It utterly refuses.”

And that’s why Thursday night was all about the Stanley
Cup.

“The game was a chance to showcase the team and college
hockey in Southern California,” winger Justin Williams said.
“Once it ended, it was fun playing, but you were just waiting
for the Stanley Cup to jump on to the ice. It’s your probably
one chance in your life to sit next to it and touch it on the
ice.”

And did Williams get to touch it?

“I did. Front and center. It was nice,” he said.