The biggest competition in hockey, the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, begins tonight, with the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning facing off in a best-of-seven series.
While many Torontonians may be upset that the Maple Leafs are not facing off for hockey’s ultimate trophy, we can take some solace in the fact that, no matter who wins the series, the Stanley Cup will be awarded to a hockey player from the GTA.
It’s a tradition in the hockey world to award each member from the winning team some time to cart the Stanley Cup around as they wish, and most spend at least a few days bringing it back to their hometown. Lucky for the GTA, the list of possible winners includes many players who hail from the area, and even some who have come to find roots in the city of Toronto.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup last year, with some of the team, including Anthony Cirelli, hailing from the GTA, though the squad has a few new faces this year.
Here are the lists of players with GTA connections competing for each team in the Stanley Cup Finals:
Colorado Avalanche:
- Andrew Cogliano, Woodbridge
- Nazem Kadri, London (and former Toronto Maple Leaf)
- Kurtis MacDermid, Sauble Beach
- Captain Gabriel Landeskog spends his summers in Toronto, as his wife is a GTA native.
Tampa Bay Lightning:Â
- Anthony Cirelli, Etobicoke
- Brian Elliott, Newmarket
- Nicholas Paul, Mississauga
- Corey Perry, Peterborough
- Captain Steven Stamkos is from Markham