November 15, 2008 is a date that will always have a unique spot on the calendar of my life. This was the date of “Our Day With The Cup” and I haven’t had this feeling since winning 2 Stanley Cups as a player. The outpouring of generosity and the spirit of sharing and cooperation surrounding OUR day with the Cup was overwhelming. I owe a sincerest debt of gratitude to so many.
Our event raised over $55,000 for charity and it would not have been possible without the thousands of fans who showed up to contribute to the cause and pose with Stanley. Flyers fans dominated the crowd but there were Devils, Rangers, Penguins, Red Wings and other fans mixed in. To all of you – my thanks for your patience and your manners. Many of you stood in line for 3 hours and not one of you complained. It was a privilege to see the joy, the amazement, the sense of reverence with which everyone approached Stanley. Thank-you for setting the tone and mood for the day with your attitudes. You and your spirits of giving were truly uplifting.
We closed the parking lot 3 hours before the event was scheduled to close because the parking lot at the school was over-parked by 400 cars and the line for pictures with the Cup stretched halfway around the school. To the people we had to turn away, I’m sorry. We simply ran out of room. I estimate that 4000 people came through on Saturday and had we let you into the parking lot, you would have stood in line and never gotten to Stanley.
To Eklund (and Burt) and Julie Robenhymer….you were awesome! Thank-you for entertaining the never-ending line of fans with conversation a games. You 3 really represented what the day was all about - sharing, giving and smiling.
To Jay Altmeyer….you rock! Jay is a true friend who within 30 minutes of learning that all of the flights Friday night from Toronto to Philadelphia had been cancelled, solved our Cup transportation dilemma by calling his buddy, PGA caddy Joe Duplantis who lives in Toronto..
Joe and his buddy, John VanSlingerland picked Mike Bolt and the Cup up at the Toronto Airport at 6:45pm Friday and drove into my driveway at 4:15am the morning of the event. Thank-you boys! You are now part of the lore of Lord Stanley’s Cup.
To Cup Keeper Mike Bolt, you are a champion who always delivers in the clutch.
To my former teammates and other former Flyers who patiently signed autographs for thousands of fans…you are the example of what professional athletes should be and can be. Thank-you to Dave Schultz, Bob Kelly, John LeClair, Joe Watson, Jimmy Watson, Gary Dornhoefer, Don Saleski, Larry Goodenough and Brian Propp.
To the Philadelphia Flyers organization and the vendors who stepped forward to help us - and there were many - thank-you! You are true givers.
To our venue, Middle Bucks Institute of Technology, you went above and beyond and we are forever indebted to you.
To my unbelievable committee and the 70 volunteers who helped on Saturday…you are amazing human beings and I am honored to call you friends.
I don't think there was one highlight from the day for me. It was the overall. It was being able to hold the Cup while so many wide-eyed friends sipped champagne in my kitchen. It was the day at the school, being able to witness all of the memories being created for so many people. Most of all, it was knowing that the day was really about doing something good - about doing the right thing.
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