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Here is a story I wrote in 2006 about the time the Stanley Cup came to Iowa. I had been instructed to write this story for potential inclusion in a DHS periodical, however, the Jayster decided he didn't like the story.
Nonetheless, here it is.
When United flight 1114 from Calgary developed a
problem enroute to Chicago on 25 August 2006, the Eastern Iowa airport
was nearest airport where they could safely divert. After an uneventful landing, a quick once over by airport fire and rescue, passengers were offloaded so the
airplane to be towed to the maintenance hanger for inspection.
With no clear idea of when or if they would be able to
re-board, some passengers sought other means to get to their destination – a
few rented cars, some decided to stick it out in the terminal and a few opted to transfer to another airline. One of
those passengers was Mr. Mike Bolt who as it turns out, works for the Hockey
Hall of Fame in Toronto, Canada. Mike was especially concerned about getting to
his final destination because of the precious cargo he was entrusted with – The
Stanley Cup.
For those folks who aren’t familiar with this NHL icon, it is
annually awarded to the best professional national hockey team and Bolt, officially known as a “Stanley
Cup Escort” had to get his cup to Lansing, Michigan ASAP.
Bolt is one of three Hockey Hall of Fame employees who transport and protect
the Stanley Cup as it travels almost year-round to be displayed at hospitals,
charity fundraisers, NHL arenas, local hockey rinks, players' hometowns and
other venues. The traveling security
unit was created in 1995 to efficiently display and safeguard the Cup.
Prior to discovering Mike’s
mission, I had happened to chat with him in the concourse as he commented that he
had to get to his destination. After directing him to the United ticket counter he disappeared into the throng of travelers.
Later, I
saw Mr. Bolt in the lobby and asked him how things were going. He replied that
United and Northwest were taking care of him and it was during this
conversation that he revealed his responsibility. He added that he would be
happy to pull “The Cup” out of its shipping container for anyone who
might be interested in seeing it although Mike admitted that he wasn’t even
sure there were any hockey fans in Iowa! I assured him that there were and
shortly afterward,
Soon, a large blue
container was wheeled out into the lobby, from which Mike pulled the four-foot tall, silver cup from its
protective container. Almost immediately there was a large crowd of passengers, airline workers, and a few TSA employees who gathered around to
see and touch the fabled award. To his
absolute credit, Mike stood patiently off to the side as people posed for
pictures, strained to see the inscriptions covering the trophy and a few even took
a moment to touch the polished silver in hopes of getting some of its “mojo.”
Cell phone cameras were stretched to their limits as passengers abandoned the
airline check-in queues for a snap shot. As we stood there, the crew from
the grounded plane came out from behind the counter and Bolt thanked the pilot
and crew for getting him and hockey’s icon safely to the ground.
Soon it was time
for Mr. Bolt to pack up “The Cup” to check-in at Northwest, and of
course to be re-screened. After thanking Mr. Bolt for his patience and good
humor about displaying The Stanley Cup for everyone to get a look at, he had
profuse thanks for all the TSA, airline, and airport personnel who helped him
get his precious cargo on to his destination. Considering that this might have
been the only time in its 114-year history of the Stanley Cup visited Iowa, it
certainly was an exciting moment for all of us who got to witness it.
Two Internet links
of interest:
