Summer of Stanley: Aug. 6

Summer is usually travel time for the hockey's coveted Stanley Cup as players and coaches on the NHL championship team are all afforded one day to show off the Stanley Cup in family, community and hometown gatherings. But this summer the Cup is round-tripping between Toronto and Edmonton as 24 teams converge on those NHL hub cities hosting postseason play to determine a title winner by early October.
But, hey, that doesn't mean our new Summer of Stanley series, presented by
Alaska Airlines
, can't take you on smooth, entertaining rides as the best playoffs in sports unfold in the weeks ahead. Just the opposite. This series' itinerary includes weekly landings in Toronto and Edmonton, with the last two postseason rounds, the conference finals and the Stanley Cup Final, played exclusively in Edmonton-where the Kraken's official airline partner has been flying since 1995.
Look for stories beyond the scores about top-quality hockey (in August and September!), plus some looks back at memorable trips for the long tradition of Stanley Cup celebrations. Like a star NHL player rushing up ice to make a winning play, we are first in line to take off with this Thursday's debut of Summer of Stanley, presented by Alaska Airlines.

Bracket Racket
The 2020 NHL postseason became a bracket tournament once the COVID-19 pandemic halted the regular season March 11 and league officials explored ways to reconstitute the best playoffs in sports. Well, so far, so engaging. It feels like playoff hockey to fans and appears the same for players celebrating goals and getting physical in the four corners of the rink where puck battles lead to wins and losses.
The bracket element lends a particular drama, especially with the current Qualifying Round's best-of-five series format. Dramatic is not overstating it: In Eastern Conference play in Toronto, No. 12 seed Montreal goes into Friday's game with No. 5 Pittsburgh, up 2-1 in games, while out West in Edmonton No. 12 Chicago has the same 2-1 advantage in games going into Friday's matchup with the hometown No. 5 seed Oilers. Yikes, superstars Sidney Crosby (PIT) and Connor McDavid (EDM) could be eliminated from playoff hockey on the same day and just seven days after the first puck dropped.
There's more to lower-ranked teams 'ex-seeding" expectations: No. 11 Arizona leads No. 6 Nashville, 2-1 in games, awaiting Friday's tilt in Edmonton. Only No. 6 Carolina in the Eastern Conference slowed the upset express, beating the No. 11 New York Rangers in a three-game sweep.
Player of the Week, presented by Alaska Airlines
Lots of candidates here, but it's hard to ignore Montreal putting Pittsburgh's juggernaut on the brink. The Penguins have won two Stanley Cups in recent season and finished the 2019-2020 season with 86 standings points, tied with Vegas for the eighth best record in the NHL. Montreal eked into the postseason but pundits wondered if perennial all-star goalie Carey Price might steal the series-and he has disappointed with big saves on the likes of the aforementioned Crosby and fellow future Hall-of-Famer Evgeni Malkin. But the vote here goes to Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry, who scored the overtime winner in Game 1 of this series, then followed up with the game winner Wednesday night. Petry scored 11 goals this season, fairly high for a defenseman, but while Price keeps his team in games (especially in the first periods against PIT), someone has to eventually score to make Price's efforts worthwhile.
Touring with the Cup
Most hockey fans know that the cup is one and only one of a kind. The Cup hoisted in past glory years by the likes of Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux is the same Cup that St. Louis Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo lifted last June.
Many hockey fans know each winning player gets his day with the Cup to celebrate. The NHL allows up to 100 offseason days for the Cup champion to have access to the Cup, so coaches and select staff members take it to their hometowns too.
That 100 days wasn't always about each player getting a Cup day. What most and many hockey fans don't know is the 1994-1995 New Jersey Devils were the first Cup champions to make a it a tradition that every player, coach and front office member take the Cup for a day. During this postseason, Summer of Stanley will look back at some of the most fun tour days along this summer's decidedly dramatic action.