Second time is sweeter

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Kids and grownups alike got a big kick out of the Cup when L.A. Kings forward Dustin Penner brought Lord Stanley’s venerable old mug to Southland Mall in his hometown of Winkler on Friday afternoon. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

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(JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

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Connor Rempel, 4, and his brother Colton, 7.

WINKLER, Man. -- They are a select few, the men who are fortunate enough to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. And so for those who are immortalized on hockey's holy grail more than once, well, they consider themselves truly blessed.

Case in point, we give you Dustin Penner -- the 29-year-old Los Angeles Kings' forward who returned home to Winkler Friday with the Stanley Cup in tow.

Yes, Penner has been here, done that before, returning with ol' Stanley as a member of the champion Anaheim Ducks in 2007. But while you'll always remember your first, Penner said his championship encore allowed him to sit back and soak up just how powerful the magical allure of the Stanley Cup really is to hockey fans.

"Everybody who has won it always says, 'The second time around I'm going to do it differently, I'm going to enjoy it more,'" said Penner prior to signing several autographs for folks who had gathered at The Southland Mall.

"Now I'm able to enjoy everybody else's reaction to it and their happiness when they get in front of it. I get a better view of it, I can take more of it in now. (The first time) everything else was a blur, just like winning it the first time it passes by so quickly."

Back in '07 Penner brought the Cup to a public gathering at the rink he grew up toiling on in Winkler. But the joint was so hot that day, he actually had to leave early because of heat exhaustion. He had his high-school hockey jersey retired then with was given the key to the city. So with his second championship Mayor Martin Harder declared Friday, Aug., 17, 'Dustin Penner Day.'

"This feels good," said Penner. "I didn't get to see as many people last time because it was really hot inside the rink and I suffered from a bit of heat stroke. I actually had to get IV fluids... I'm a lot more together this time and it's not so stressful and it's a more relaxed atmosphere for me.

"I'm enjoying it more. Last time it was the first time I had won it and you wanted to do so many things and you had so many requests and you wanted to make everybody happy. I ran myself ragged trying to do that. I wanted to do a few key things, a couple key things on the Stanley-Cup diet, and then spend more personal time with him. I kind of neglected him last time."

Penner arrived with Stanley in a stretch limo Friday and was greeted by several hundred fans, several of them who had gathered three hours in advance of the Cup's arrival. One of those early arrivals was Christine Giesbrecht of Steinbach, who rented a hotel room in Winkler Thursday in order to be near the front of the line.

"I just wanted to see the Stanley Cup," Giesbrecht said. "It's like a piece of history and I'm a diehard hockey fan. To get the chance to see it in person and to see all the legends' names on there is pretty important to me. I went to Winnipeg two years ago when Jonathan Toews (of the Chicago Blackhawks) brought it and I'm going to take every chance I can to see it whenever I can.

"It's like I'm in shock and awe when I see it... it's the greatest trophy in sports."

Jay Jaskiewicz was there near the front, too, with his five-year-old son Bryce and family friend Ethan Gibson, 9, after driving out from St. Francois-Xavier.

"He's an NHL player and it's really an honour to get a picture with him and keep it for the future," said Gibson, who plays for the River Heights Cardinals and the Manitoba Ice Caps in the summer. "I've seen the Cup on TV but not in real life until now."

"I'm just like everybody else -- I wanted to see the greatest trophy of them all," added Jaskiewicz. "But I'm here mostly for my son. He's five and is starting his minor hockey this year. So this, being here to see Dustin and the Cup with him getting ready to play this winter, it's a big deal in our house."

The Cup travels to Kenora today, home of Mike Richards, Penner's teammate with the Kings. Richards has a private party planned with 120 people aboard the M.S. Kenora.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 18, 2012 C1