Lord Stanley’s mug to zoom north next month

It's the "holy grail" of hockey, and it's coming to Whitehorse.

It’s the “holy grail” of hockey, and it’s coming to Whitehorse.

On March 29 and 30, the Stanley Cup will be in the capital thanks to Special Olympics Yukon (SOY).

“The real Stanley Cup, the presentation cup, that’s right, the cup that they carry up on the ice and stuff and Mario Lemieux threw off his roof into a pool, yes, that’s the one,” SOY’s executive director Serge Michaud said during a press conference this morning after announcing the Stanley Cup School/Student Challenge.

“It really is a Canadian icon,” he said.

The challenge will serve as an awareness campaign and fund-raiser for the organization, which provides athletic opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Six schools are involved with the challenge - Whitehorse Elementary, Holy Family, Golden Horn Elementary, Elijah Smith Elementary, Hidden Valley School and F.H. Collins Secondary.

They will compete to raise the most funds for SOY based on their school population, with the winning school hosting the cup at their school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 30.

The night before, the student who has individually raised the most money through pledges will host the cup at his or her house for dinner.

The winning school and student will be announced March 23.

Mike Bolt, one of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Keepers of the Cup, will accompany the cup on its journey from Toronto, with Air North sponsoring the northern portion of the trip.

With such esteemed baggage, Air North has assured SOY Bolt will get “excellent northern hospitality” on the trip, Michaud said.

“We feel this project will not only raise money for Special Olympics athletes in Yukon, but more importantly will increase the profile of the organization amongst the student population,” he continued.

The students in schools now may be the organization’s future board members, athletes, coachs, or even future executive director, Michaud said.

Working on SOY’s five-year plan last September, Michaud and other officials knew they would have to raise more money to enhance their programs.

While events like the organization’s golf tournament and annual banquet have been successful in fund-raising, something else was needed, he explained.

“We thought, ‘What if we got the Stanley Cup?’ and we just threw it out there,” he said.

Michaud thought he could at least look into it, and, within a couple of days, he had gotten in touch with the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Phil Pritchard, another Keeper of the Cup.

“He said, ‘You know what? Get me a proposal, and let’s try to get this thing to you,’ ” Michaud recalled.

Over the Christmas holidays, Michaud learned the Cup would indeed be coming to Whitehorse.

While the dates of the visit were unknown, Michaud stated working with area schools on the challenge in January.

“Our target really is, whatever this thing makes is great, but more specifically, our main target with this is awareness in the schools,” he said.

The money raised will go to SOY’s programs and sending its athletes to events.

As Michaud pointed out, it costs anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 to send one of the 80 athletes involved in SOY to events outside the territory in addition to the training and programs here.

It’s important for people with intellectual disabilities to have the opportunity to participate in sports, he said.

“A lot of us here have been involved in sport at one time or another, be it on a team sport or individual sport. You learn life skills that apply to your everyday life,” he said.

Special Olympics Yukon focuses on bringing sports to people with intellectual difficulties. Since he first became involved, Michaud has watched athletes gain confidence, be positive, learn how to be a team player and be active.