Detroit Red Wings star Daniel Cleary shows the Stanley Cup to hundreds of fans at St. John's International Airport Monday. (CBC)Hundreds of hockey fans filled St. John's International Airport Monday afternoon as the Stanley Cup arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador, greeted by Detroit Red Wings star Daniel Cleary.
The Stanley Cup landed around 1 p.m. NT on its way to Harbour Grace, N.L., where it will spend Canada Day with hometown hero Daniel Cleary of the Detroit Red Wings.
Cleary greeted the trophy in the secure arrivals area of the airport and carried it down a flight of stairs to hundreds of cheering fans.
Flanked by police officers, Cleary made his way through the crowd, as fans and media clamoured to get close to the Newfoundland and Labrador, hockey star and the famed hockey trophy — won by the Red Wings in their NHL final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Detroit Red Wings winger Dan Cleary skates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final in Pittsburgh on June 4. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)Cleary stepped to a microphone in the airport to thank the crowd for their support.
"Being a Newfoundlander is something I'm real proud of and being the first to bring the cup home is a real honour for me," Cleary said.
Upon leaving the airport, Cleary will take the Stanley Cup to the Janeway Children's Hospital in St. John's to visit with children in a private event.
Airport planned ahead for Stanley Cup's arrival
The trophy's arrival by plane, and the arrival of Cleary to greet it, drew such a crowd that airport authority spokeswoman Marie Manning said the airport had to put some special rules in place.
"It's a pretty peak time for us, from a traffic point of view," Manning said. "So we are asking passengers who are flying out on those flights at lunchtime to be here at least two hours prior to their flight, to get up to the departures lounge as quickly as possible, so that they are away from the crowds and they're not fighting through the crowd."
Parking at the airport was restricted Monday to passengers, people picking up passengers and airport staff. The authority provided free shuttle buses to the airport for fans.
Cleary, 29 is the first Newfoundlander to have his name on the Stanley Cup. On Tuesday, Cleary and the trophy will be part of special Canada Day Parade in Harbour Grace.
CBCNews.ca will carry a live news special of the Canada Day festivities in Harbour Grace with Cleary and the Stanley Cup on Tuesday, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. NT (11:30 a.m. to noon ET. )
