It may have taken 20 years, but on Saturday night, Petr Sykora finally had his long-awaited opportunity to take a lap with Lord Stanley's Cup for the very first time.
This may seem like misinformation, given the fact that Sykora has won two titles. The first being with the Devils in 2000 when Jason Arnott banged home the game-winner in double OT, during game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Stars and the second was with the Pens in 2009 when they bested the Detroit Red Wings in a thrilling 2-1 victory, with Maxime Talbot scoring a pair of 2nd period goals for a lead that the Pens would never relinquish. Sykora was injured during both victories and was not able to take a lap with hockey's greatest prize overhead.
Sykora was joined on the ice by Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko, Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and St. Louis Blues legend Martin Brodeur as the representatives of the Devils for the 20th Anniversary celebration of the very memorable 2000 championship. When Sykora took to the ice, the magnificent hardware held proudly above his head in celebration, the Prudential Center absolutely erupted, and with good reason. Sykora finally had the opportunity to live out his dream.
Former Devils captain Scott Stevens and former alternate captain Patrik Elias were kind enough to share some thoughts on the monumental occasion.
"We had a great mixture, we were a deep team, we had size, we had strength, we could play a lot of different ways and had great goaltending," Stevens said. "It's a special time when you win something like that so it's really nice to get back and see all the guys 20 years later."
"Everyone asks me how I felt, and I tell them I felt relieved," Elias said. "I was like, thank God it's done. Then after that comes all the feelings and emotions and then you realize what you actually just did. They were special moments."
I would imagine that having the opportunity to skate a lap with the Cup 20-years later was a humbling experience for Sykora - a veteran of over 1000 career NHL games - and likely for the fans in attendance who witnessed the celebrations in 2000. It truly was something special to witness and a moment that Petr, his teammates, his family and his friends will never forget.
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