Hnidy the King of Neepawa

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This article was published 18/06/2011 (5585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shane HNIDY of Neepawa will roll through the streets of Boston today on a duck boat in a parade that will be presided over by Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Hnidy becomes Neepawa’s only native son to win the NHL’s storied prize. The 35-year-old Boston Bruins defenceman, who makes his home with his family in Winnipeg, and his Stanley Cup champion teammates, will roll down the same parade route today as the Boston Celtics in 2008. They’ll be in mid-size amphibious boats in a “rolly rally” that will start at the TD Garden, pass City Hall Plaza and end at Copley Square.

“It’s been a whirlwind here. Tomorrow’s the parade and Monday’s Fenway Park (where the team will be feted). It’ll be a great experience to be part of that,” said Hnidy in a telephone interview from Boston.

He didn’t play in Game 7 on Wednesday when the Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 to win the Cup, but he had his turn hoisting Lord Stanley’s mug on the ice during the post-game celebration.

“It’s pretty special. You get it, and my first thing was I just wanted to make sure I didn’t trip! It’s not a light trophy,” Hnidy said, laughing.

“It’s amazing, to lift that over your head and kiss the Cup. Since you are a little boy, and me being small-town Manitoba, you just dream about it. It takes a while to sink in. Everything kind of happens in a flash. Getting back to the room, the champagne and the guys, the emotion was just incredible.”

Hnidy will get a day with the Cup this summer. He will take it to Neepawa where his parents Ed and Diana continue to make their home, and where he played for the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League in 1990-91.

Today’s parade will feel like a short distance compared to the journey Hnidy made to get there. After suffering a shoulder injury during a free-agent tryout with the Phoenix Coyotes last fall, he spent most of the winter at home in Winnipeg trying to heal. Just before Christmas, he considered retirement, but his wife Michaella had a better idea.

“I was contemplating retirement, it’s been 15 years of pro, but my wife said ‘you’re going to come back and you’re going to win it with the Bruins.’ She made the call, I’ve got to give that,” Hnidy said.

He said he hopes their four children — daughters Kinnon, 13, Teagan, 9, Jayna, 7, and son Zaden, 4 — will remember how the Bruins battled in the playoffs, winning three series in the seventh game and facing almost continual adversity.

“A lot of people aren’t able to see behind the scenes… what it takes, right through the coaches and management and all the players. It takes everyone to find success, whatever your role is,” said Hnidy, who played in three playoff games.

Hnidy’s role was to provide defensive depth if needed and be a veteran voice in the room.

“I said to the guys before they went out, ‘you’ve been a good hockey team all year, now you have the chance to become great.’ And it happened,” he said.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca