Hundreds line up in Waterdown, Ont., to see hometown NHL star Carter Verhaeghe and the Stanley Cup

After sharing the Stanley Cup with 500 adoring fans at the Harry Howell Arena in Waterdown, Ont., on Monday, Florida Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe was coy about his plans for the rest of the day.

He said he planned to spend more time with close friends and family than he was able to when he won it with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021. 

But his wife Casey Engleson was more straightforward: "We're going to go to his favourite lunch spot from growing up — Turtle Jack's in Waterdown," she told CBC Hamilton. "He's going to try to eat some wings out of the Cup."

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 back in June.

According to staff travelling with the trophy, eating and drinking out the massive silver chalice is a common pastime during the one day National Hockey League championship winners each get with the Cup.

The tradition has been running since 1995, in which players typically parade the Stanley Cup around their hometowns and to parties with family and friends. 

"It's a different experience to see it in person," said Austin Forbes, a 10-year-old Waterdown resident who was first, alongside his great-aunt Lynn Sartori, in a line of 500 people that snaked through the arena lobby, out the front door and down the side wall of the building. "All the NHL players have held it."

The pair claimed their spot at about 9 a.m., well in advance of Verhaeghe's arrival at noon. It was the start of what would grow into something of a kid party as the morning wore on. Roving gangs of children in hockey attire – detached from their adults who were holding spots in line – played games, ran around and watched every incoming vehicle for evidence that it could be holding the NHL star and the revered trophy.

Mats Uznanski, 11, had a prime spot near the arena doors, in a place where he'd be able to watch Verhaeghe's arrival. Being from Waterdown himself, he said it meant a lot for him to get to meet a local guy who'd made it all the way to the top – twice. 

"I feel a lot more confident that maybe I could make it to the NHL," he said.

Further back in line, Kingsley Baker and Zarah Alesi, both 11-year-old goalie partners on the Brampton Canadettes sported matching sweaters from a recent hockey tournament in Rochester and talked about what it would be like when they finally met Verhaeghe.

"Maybe we will ask him some questions," said Alesi, a Waterdown resident. "Things like, 'What's it like, a day in the life of an NHL player?'"

Also in line were Flamborough dad Jamie Mitchell and his two kids Ayden, 9, and Jacob, 7. 

"We always talk about the Stanley Cup," said Jamie, referring to his younger son. He said they had been expecting a lot of people, but when they turned the corner to see the line go all the way behind the arena, he was crossing his fingers that they would make it inside.