WHL Tri-City Americans

Stanley Cup Comes to Tri-City in Support of Carson Kolzig Foundation

Published on October 19, 2006 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - The Tri-City Americans, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the National Hockey League and the Tri-City Hockey Booster Club are honored to announce that the National Hockey League's championship trophy, the Stanley Cup, will be making it's first-ever appearance in the Tri-Cities this November in a fundraising initiative for the Carson Kolzig Foundation.

The visit was initiated by avid fan and Booster Club member Chris Blankenship and then spearheaded by Washington Capitol and Americans co-owner Olaf Kolzig, the 2006 recipient of the King Clancy Award, the NHL's humanitarian of the year trophy. Since learning four years ago that his son, Carson, is autistic, Kolzig has dedicated himself to helping others cope with the disorder and has become one of the nation's leading spokesmen in raising awareness and funds for autism research. The Carson Kolzig Foundation aspires to educate and equip the Tri-Cities community and surrounding regions with the state of the art resources and training it needs to support kids and families with autism.

The Stanley Cup, one of the world's most prestigious sporting trophies, will arrive in the Tri-Cities the evening of November 17, 2006, accompanied by Phil Pritchard, vice president and curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame and longtime Stanley Cup attendant. On Saturday, November 18, the Cup will be escorted throughout the Mid-Columbia by two Humvees provided by the U.S. Army and will be on display and available for viewing at various locations in the Tri-Cities.

The Cup will be available for limited appearances throughout the morning and early afternoon on November 18. Businesses interested in hosting the Cup for a public or private event at their location should contact Brian Sandy with the Tri-City Americans for more information. The Cup will be available at a rate of $1,250 per hour, with all profits benefiting the Carson Kolzig Foundation.

"Hosting the Stanley Cup in our retail store in Kennewick will be a fun experience for our customers and associates, in addition to serving as a great fundraiser for an excellent cause," said Darci Hedden, director of sales for U.S. Cellular in Washington.

The Stanley Cup will then be placed on display in the Sunset Room and Lounge at the Toyota Center for "Kadlec Medical Center Stanley Cup Visit Night" when the Americans square off against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

"Kadlec is proud to support this exciting project to benefit the Carson Kolzig Foundation," said Jim Hall, Directory of Community Relations and Development for Kadlec Medical Center. "We've worked closely with them on projects such as the annual Autism Conference, and we want to continue to do what we can do to help further their mission of assisting autistic children and their families."

The Tri-City Americans, U.S. Cellular, T.L.C. Printing & Design and Kadlec Medical Center are combining efforts to provide fans with experiential opportunities and memorable keepsakes of this historic event:

The Tri-City Americans will be donating a portion of all walk-up ticket sales from the game on November 18 to the Carson Kolzig Foundation. U.S. Cellular will be providing photos of fans with the Stanley Cup at the numerous stops, including at the Toyota Center during the Americans game. Photos are available to all fans; donations are suggested, but not required;

The first 1,000 fans that donate $5 or more throughout the day will receive free Stanley Cup key chains courtesy of T.L.C. Printing & Design;

Kadlec Medical Center will provide all fans that attend the Lethbridge Hurricanes vs. Tri-City Americans game on Saturday, November 18, with a free Stanley Cup poster, featuring the Americans' own, Scott Gomez.

The Tri-City Americans are also encouraging fans to bring in their new and/or gently used children's books to the game on November 18 as part of the Washington's Lottery Children's Book Drive. All fans 18 years of age and older that donate books will receive a free scratch ticket, courtesy of Washington's Lottery, for every book donated. All books will go to the Mid-Columbia Reading Foundation. Game time is 7:05 PM at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.

About Autism and the Carson Kolzig Youth Autism Foundation:

Autism is a developmental disability that affects, often severely, a person's ability to communicate and socially interact with others. It is four times more prevalent in males than females.

Currently, autism is believed to affect 1 in every 166 people. The rate of people being diagnosed with autism has increased substantially over the past two decades. Although this may be in part due to improved diagnostic techniques and to changes in the criteria for autism spectrum disorders, the majority of experts agree these changes are not enough to explain the epidemic rates at which autism is being diagnosed.

The Carson Kolzig Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization focused on developmental, research, education and awareness programs for children with autism as well as other youth education and sports-related activities.

About the Stanley Cup

On March 18, 1892, at a dinner of the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association, Lord Kilcoursie, a player on the Ottawa Rebels hockey club from Government House, delivered a message on behalf of Lord Stanley, the Earl of Preston and Governor General of Canada. Shortly thereafter, Lord Stanley purchased a silver cup measuring 7 ½ inches high by 11 ½ inches across for the sum of 10 guineas (approximately $50).

Then in 1915, a gentlemen's agreement between two professional hockey organizations, the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was reached in which their respective champions would face each other for the Stanley Cup. After a series of league mergers and folds, it became the de facto championship trophy of the NHL in 1926. The Cup would later become the official de jure NHL championship prize in 1947.

The Stanley Cup is currently the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes. The first winner of the Stanley Cup was the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) hockey club, champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada for 1893 and the current Stanley Cup champions are the Carolina Hurricanes.

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