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* The Stanley Cup is coming to Springfield, but only for private ceremonies so far…
Rocky Wirtz - chairman of the 2013 National Hockey League champion Chicago Blackhawks - announced Monday the trophy will appear at private events on July 29.
It will go to a legislative reception at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, then for a photo with the Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Fighter Wing.
The public may snap photos with the trophy when it arrives at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport at 7 a.m. and leaves the library and museum at 9 a.m.
Officials say it’s possible the cup will be back in Springfield next month.
If there’s a special session during the State Fair, it’s possible that we might see it again.
* Meanwhile…
A bet is a bet, and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is certainly a man of his word.
Following a friendly Stanley Cup wager with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, the two politicians are coming together Tuesday to volunteer at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The afternoon at the food bank is all part of a bet made prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, in which the Chicago Blackhawks topped the Boston Bruins in six games.
The wager dictated that the losing team’s governor would agree to spend the day volunteering at a food bank in the winning team’s city. Patrick actually grew up in Chicago and last month had a portion of a city street named in his honor. It was just one high-profile bet made on a series that will forever be ranked among the most exciting Cup Finals in recent history.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 10:50 am
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Which is legislature is having a reception is SPI on the 29th?
Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 10:54 am
I got to drink out of it last time they won. I know nothing about hockey, so please don’t ask me who the players were who brought it into a bar in the Viagra Triangle where I was gossiping with a coworker. We’d chosen that bar that day so we wouldn’t run into anyone we knew. Anyone two of them came in with the cup, they filled it with beer and everyone in there got to take a sip. It was great fun and it irritates my hockey fan friends because I don’t know who those guys were.
Comment by Chavez-respecting Obamist Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 11:03 am
Call me a cynic, but I don’t like these volunteerism “bets.” First off, if you start to think about it (too much, perhaps) the logic behind it becomes a little strange. As in: what about the food banks in Boston? They don’t get the benefit of a high profile visit from two governors because their local professional hockey team lost a series?? Maybe Quinn can/should/will reciprocate anyway…. but then what was the point of making it a “bet?”
Seems to me that what’s really on the line here is good publicity for the ‘winning’ Guv. The press coverage is better in the ‘winning’ market where they do the volunteering, and the Guv get credit for making such a ‘self-less’ bet. Seems kind of self-serving to me, with poor people being used as props.
I liked it better when they just wagered a cheese cake and deep dish against whatever the heck the other town is famous for.
Comment by grand old partisan Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 11:12 am
I have no problem with the volunteering bet. All these bets are for publicity anyway, at least something good comes from it. When Chicago bets cheesecake or a hot dog, where does that go anyway?
If you’re going to do it, you might as well make the most of it and do something positive. If the bet benefits the winning City/State politician, isn’t that kind of the point of a bet anyway?
Comment by Verbal Kint Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 11:47 am
What Verbal Kint said. Raising awareness about volunteering and addressing hunger is not a bad way to play a sports championship.
Comment by Montrose Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 12:24 pm
Just to be clear, I’m not opposed to raising awareness about volunteering and addressing hunger. What I find odd and off-putting is politicians using sports betting as a way to determine where said awareness will be raised.
Comment by grand old partisan Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 12:31 pm
===What I find odd and off-putting is politicians using sports betting as a way to determine where said awareness will be raised. ===
I really think you’re making way too much of this. There’s only so much space in the media, so why not raise a little awareness when possible?
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 12:35 pm
How can Quinn work at the Food Depository when he is locked in the Governor’s Mansion with legislative leaders until the pension problem is resolved? Didn’t candidate Daley demand this?
Comment by downstate hack Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 12:52 pm
No, Rich. I definitely am making too much about it. But it’s a slow day, and as I said, I’ve always found the logic to be a little strange and the message a bit mixed. Volunteering should be a positive thing, not the losing end of a bet. That’s all.
Comment by grand old partisan Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 12:53 pm
grand old partisan - I actually agree with you. I guess I always have that thought that if you “lost a bet”, there is something distasteful coming your way. Serving meals to the poor as part of a losing bet just rubs me the wrong way. I’d rather see the governors of their respective states volunteer once in awhile at food banks just because it’s a good thing to do, and stick to the local cuisine swaps for sports bets.
Comment by ??? Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 2:28 pm
Nice to see the governor taking a break from his night and day work on pension reform. Remember when Quinn postponed a trip to Wisconsin to pay off a bet because their Governor was in the middle of a crisis? Too bad Gov Patrick doesn’t seem to have that same kind of class.
Comment by Rail Sitter Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 4:48 pm
Think we should tell Rocky the 183rd is now generally based in Indiana, so if he’s looking for photos with the F-16s…
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 4:56 pm
The Officials DO really need to make the Stanley Cup available for viewing and Photo Ops WELL-beyond a 7 am-9 am slot, and with easier access to the Public.
As for Gov. Patrick, a bet is a bet. He sure as heck better of shown up to help out, and kudos to Gov. Quinn, too, for suggesting such an Outstanding Cause once the Blackhawks would win(!), in assisting/feeding the Poor of our Great State…!
Comment by Just The Way It Is One Tuesday, Jul 23, 13 @ 8:07 pm
Yes the pension issue is a crisis now for the past several years. What is the definition of a crisis? A crisis (from the Greek κρίσις - krisis; plural: “crises”; adjectival form: “critical”) is any event that is, or is expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation. What’s all the fuss for? You can take a day off and work in the food pantry. It’s only a crisis for Squeezy when the cameras are running and you are campaigning.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jul 24, 13 @ 8:23 am