The City of Belleville was graced by a legendary piece of silverware on Tuesday.
Local Nick Cousins was joined by loved ones and community members at Trillium Wood Golf Course and the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre to bask in the glow of the Stanley Cup, just shy of two months after an ’emotional roller-coaster’ of a Cup Final Series.
Cousins, 31, became a first-time Cup winner when his Florida Panthers held off a furious Edmonton Oilers comeback attempt to win the final in seven games on June 24.
The Quinte Red Devils AAA graduate was beaming with pride as he lifted the 34.5-pound Cup over his head to the cheers of the crowds at his events.
He told Total Sports Quinte in an interview the day was a true family affair.
“The best part of winning is spend it with family, close friends and everybody that got (me) to where I am today,” Cousins noted.
“It’s really important to be able to be here and share this with them. Just seeing smiles on their faces means a lot to me.”
“I just want to make sure that everybody gets a chance to see it, take a pic and have some fun with it, because at the end of the day, I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Cousins victory marked the fifth time in 15 years that the Cup paid a visit to Belleville, following the likes of Matt Cooke (2009), Brad Richardson (2012), and Andrew Shaw (2013, 2015).
“I looked up to a lot of those guys growing up,” he reflected.
“It just shows that Belleville is a hockey town. I feel like maybe it doesn’t get enough credit for the players that have come out of the city and the Quinte area. It’s nice to follow in their footsteps.”
Fans and community members had the opportunity to line up in the lobby outside Mackay Insurance Arena from 12:30 to 2:30 for photos with hockey fans of all ages, with his family proudly watching on.
Cousins’ brother Mike said he was overjoyed for his sibling after seeing him live the dreams of hundreds and thousands of hockey-playing kids in towns and cities across Canada and the world.
“I’ve grown up with him playing road hockey and (ice) hockey and all the sports. We’re just really happy for him, because he got to live out his childhood dream,” he said.
As Cousins dealt with the ups and downs of an 82-game NHL season and the grind of a two-month postseason, his family was right there along with him.
They even travelled to Sunrise, Florida for a potential Game 5 clincher that never materialized, before coming together for the final showdown as a group at home.
Mike Cousins described the scene in the family home when the clock ticked down on the night of Game 7.
“Our living room was pretty loud. I’m sure our neighbors heard us screaming from the top of our lungs,” he said.
“My sister was bawling her eyes out. My mom and dad were having a good time, and we were just ecstatic. It was one of the craziest things we ever been through.”
Cousins nephew Emmett described his feelings on seeing his uncle win the big trophy.
“I was nervous at the start of the game, but in the last 10 seconds of the game. I was like, I think we won it,” he said.
“They were digging in the corner on (Florida’s) side (of the ice), and then in the last five seconds, I jumped up from the couch and screamed at the top of my lungs.”
Other family members in attendance included his wife Nina, daughter Harpur, parents Brian and Annie, sister Katie, brother-in-law Corey Engelsdorfer, nephew Malcolm and niece Amelia.
Several other family members made the trip from out of town, including an uncle who flew in from Vancouver, BC to be there for the celebrations.
The day also included pictures and a couple holes of golf with the Cup on the course he grew up playing on, a family lunch and dinner, plus speeches, games and other assorted activities at the public event at the Wellness Centre.
