The Calder Cup is coming to town.
Awarded annually to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) championship team, the venerable mug named for National Hockey League founding president Frank Calder is being delivered to Cochrane by Justin Dowling. The Cochrane Minor Hockey product got his name on the trophy this spring playing for the Texas Stars, who defeated the St. John’s IceCaps for the league championship in June.
The Cup will be in Cochrane on Aug. 16 at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC), where hockey fans will get a chance to have their photo taken with the trophy outside the centre’s multi-purpose room. It’s all part of a public event Dowling has planned for the Cup at SLSFSC.
“There’s a public skate that’s free for people bringing a non-perishable food item,” the 23-year-old Stars forward said of the events planned around the 78-year-old Cup’s visit to Cochrane. The food items are going to the Cochrane Food Bank. The free public skate goes from 4:15-6:45 p.m. at the centre.
“From 5-6 p.m. you can come upstairs and get a picture with the Cup and an autograph if you want,” Dowling said of the event. “It’ll be outside on a table with some Cochrane Minor Hockey jerseys hanging behind it. It’ll be just outside the multi-purpose room.”
