I’ve seen Stanley up close and personal twice. In 2000, when Scotty Gomez brought the Cup to Anchorage, and in 2001, during a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Posted by Spector from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada on 06/05/07 at 07:21 AM ET

Ive poured a beer in the cup, drank it and then held it above my head while a Edmonton Sun photographer took my picture.
It was the day after the Oilers 2nd Stanley Cup win.
I was celebrating with friends at the Forum Inn across from Northlands Coliseum, and lo and behold, all the Oilers come in with the Cup and the celebrations intensified. It was a moment I will never forget.
Mark Messier sat right next to me and passed the Cup up to the dancer on the stage, and she proceeded to hug the cup sexually, and a picture of that was in the next days Edmonton Sun, of course her upper torso was blocked out. LOL
I went to the Sun 2 weeks later and purchased my picture with the Cup for $15.00.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 06/05/07 at 08:00 AM ET

I was pregnant and on bedrest, living in Salt Lake during the Olympics.  I actually called my doctor after I found out the Cup would be on display and said “You can’t say no, just tell me how to see the Cup without going into labor.”  I forced my husband to get a new digital camera and stand in line with me for 2 hours to have my picture taken with the Cup.  I didn’t touch it because I knew I was having a boy and I didn’t want to jinx his chances…

Posted by Jen from North Dakota on 06/05/07 at 04:50 PM ET

Matt Cullen brought the Cup to Fargo, ND last summer after he won it with Carolina, and he had it on public display at a club. I am a huge Wings fan, so I went into the hot summer day wearing my Yzerman jersey and got there an hour in advance so I wouldn’t have to wait in line. Sure enough, I was among the first to see it. When I was waiting in line, I ended up next to a die-hard Avalanche fan. So much that he had the logo tattooed on his ankle. Color and all. But seeing the chalice was the greatest part of the day, like you I only had a few seconds to look at it and get my picture with it, but I still found the names of my favorite players: Yzerman, Fedorov, Shanny, and all of the other greats that won the cups with the Wings.

Posted by Eric from North Dakota on 06/05/07 at 05:56 PM ET

I was a volunteer at the Coyotes fan fest in Phoenix and had my picture with THE CUP !!

Posted by john shapiro from Phoenix,Arizona,USA on 06/05/07 at 06:11 PM ET

When Tampa won the cup I told my son that it would most likely come to Springfield to be shared with the Falcons. When the news of it coming hit, I surprised him with tickets to a lunchen with the cup and the Bolts brass. We had a great time talking to Bill Barber and Jeff Reese, truly class guys. We had our pictures taken with the Stanley and Calder cups and still get chills when thinking about it. I had to touch the cups but my son wouldn’t, he said “One day I will Dad, but not now.” Major lifetime memories for both of us.

Posted by Gregsky from South Deerfield, Ma. on 06/05/07 at 10:47 PM ET

I was working as a news producer for the CBS affiliate in Anchorage, AK when the Devils won the Cup in 2000.  As many people know, Scott Gomez brought the Cup to Alaska for the first time that year.  It arrived in the middle of the night on a commercial flight with its “keeper”.  Despite the late hour, about a thousand people crowded into the airport concourse hoping for a view of the Cup.  As it turned out, we got more than just a look .  I had the opportunity to interview Gomez just outside the gate while we waited for the Cup to arrive.  Once the plane landed, Gomez boarded and fetched the Cup.  He emerged from the jet—Cup high above his head—to a cheering crowd.  I had expected that, but what happened next I never anticipated and will remember forever.  Gomez started walking slowly toward the airport exit, passing the Cup around to as many fans as he could!  I thought that was very classy and clearly thrilling for all of us in attendance.  At one point he handed me the Cup, and to this day I have a video of myself carrying the Stanley Cup down a hallway at the Anchorage Airport.  I left Anchorage a year later, but those few moments with the Cup will always be one of my favorite Alaskan memories.

Posted by Nathan from Phoenix, AZ on 06/05/07 at 10:48 PM ET

I was 11 years old when the Red Wings won the cup in 1997.  my uncle played on a sled hockey team in Buffalo and his team was invited to go to Scotty Bowman’s house for his Stanley Cup party.  surprisingly there wasn’t a lot of people there and it was mid-afternoon and there it was just sitting on the small table in the middle of the greatest coach in NHL history’s backyard.  at the time I wasn’t big enough to pick it up but I put my arm around it and got a picture which I still have.  i never mustered up the courage to say hi to Mr. Bowman but it is an experience I will never forget

Posted by Jim Wright from Buffalo, NY on 06/05/07 at 10:49 PM ET

When I was younger, my siblings and I had season passes to the local water park. Well, one day I just so happened to take my camera with me because I wanted to practice taking some action shots of my sister swimming and stuff. So, we got to the water park and lo and behold, there was the Stanley Cup! I was so excited because this was May of 2001, just before the Colorado Avalanche (my favorite team) won the Cup. I took pictures of it and my friend who is a lifeguard pretended he was going to steal it. It was quite funny because the security guy with the Cup at the time was quite old and my friend could have easily outrun him. The part that sucks…this was before I had a digital camera and when I sent the film to be developed…it got ruined and none of the pictures came out. I was so upset and I still am. To this day, I haven’t come across the Stanley Cup again.

Posted by Jessica from Denver, CO on 06/06/07 at 01:53 AM ET

I saved all year so I could take my sons to Toronto in August 2000 for a four-day vacation. Although we had seen the cup once while on display at Hershey Park Arena, seeing it in the Hall of Fame added an element of reverence to meeting Lord Stanley face-to-face. We were awestruck over so much history packed into one building and we visited the Hall two days in a row to absorb as much of the glory as possible.  When we headed up to see the Cup the second time, we again found the area roped off. But that day no one else was present in the room except myself, my sons, and one employee vigilantly standing guard.

As if by secret code, my 10-year old son, nearly in a trance and with his mouth slightly open as if saying, “Ohhhhhhhhh,’ ducked under the rope on the polar opposite side from where the attendant stood, and being out of view, crept toward the cup. Seeing his intent, I raised my camera and as his lips touched the prize, I clicked a picture. Perhaps doing so has jinxed him… he’s since had a concussion, and two fractures while playing high school hockey.

Having that photograph of him while still so young and impressionable compliments the memories of our favorite family vacation.

Posted by Hockey Mom from Harrisburg, PA on 06/06/07 at 06:50 AM ET