MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Stanley Cup has had a busy schedule already on its first trip to the Southern Hemisphere. On Tuesday, it visited ESPN, which airs NHL games in Australia; O'Brien Icehouse, the home of Ice Hockey Australia; and Culture Kings, a trendy apparel store.
It will continue to tour the city leading up to the 2023 NHL Global Series -- Melbourne, two preseason games between the Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday and Sunday. The games will start at 12 a.m. ET and air on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the United States; Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada; and 9Go, 9Now, ESPN and the ESPN App in Australia.
"It's surreal," said Jacob Hoch, who was first in line to see the Cup at Culture Kings.
Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena transformation
Hoch, a Melbourne native, said he has played, coached and worked in analytics in hockey here. He has seen the Coyotes and Kings play in Los Angeles, and he has seen the Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
"You never would imagine the day you'd see it in this country, let alone in your own city," he said. "It's just a very, very cool moment, and I think it's going to be special for everyone here in Melbourne and across the country to see hockey on a national stage.
"We're really looking forward to showcasing hockey not only to our fans, but also to the rest of the world that there is a strong hockey contingent here in Melbourne."
Phil Pritchard and Howie Borrow of the Hockey Hall of Fame are escorting the Cup in Melbourne. Pritchard said there was an enthusiastic reception for the Cup at ESPN. At O'Brien Icehouse, a small group spent time with it in a private setting.
Andrew Shelton got to see the Cup at O'Brien Icehouse, which he helped bring into being in 2010. Shelton, a Melbourne native, once lived in New York and Toronto. His son, Nick, started playing hockey in New York, kept playing in Toronto and continued to play when the family returned home.
"Just an absolute delight," Shelton said. "I've got to say, it was part of the dream when we were putting this together that we would one day be able to get the NHL out here.
"I hope it will just create a wider awareness about this game and how good it is, how exciting it is. We see from experience in this building, when people who have never seen hockey before see the game, they love it. That's what I just hope might come out of this."
At Culture Kings, Borrow spent time with Marc Laurin and his 16-year-old son, Andre, showing them details on the Cup up close. Marc is from Montreal but has lived in Melbourne for 27 years. Andre was born in Melbourne and grew up playing hockey here. Earlier this year, they saw the Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
"We traveled to Canada to see it," Marc said, "so the fact that the Cup comes to us here is awesome."
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