“This Is Why Hockey Is Changing” Nikolaj Ehlers just produced the year’s biggest rock star moment in hockey, but not everyone is cheering.
Nikolaj Ehlers waited more than a decade to get his hands on the Stanley Cup. When his turn finally came to bring it home, the former Winnipeg Jets winger made certain it was a day his hometown of Aalborg would remember.
Ehlers celebrated his day with the Cup on Thursday carrying hockey’s most famous trophy through his city before sharing it with thousands of Danish hockey fans.
And naturally, he arrived in style: Ehlers placed the Stanley Cup in the passenger seat of a bright yellow Lamborghini, fastened the trophy securely with a seatbelt and drove it to Sparekassen Danmark Arena. The Cup rode shotgun as Ehlers cruised around Aalborg.
The 30-year-old then carried Lord Stanley down a red carpet and into the arena, where more than 4,000 fans had gathered for the opportunity to celebrate with one of Denmark’s newest Stanley Cup champions.
Ehlers posed for photographs, displayed the Cup and spent time signing autographs for those in attendance.
“We are enormously proud of his sporting achievements,” Mayor Lasse Frimand Jensen said in announcing the celebration. “But we are equally proud of the person he is and the great contribution the entire Ehlers family makes to their hometown and to the Aalborg Pirates.”
For Ehlers, the public celebration brought an emotional conclusion to a whirlwind stretch that began when the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in six games to capture the franchise’s second Stanley Cup.
Ehlers fittingly scored the final goal of Carolina’s season, depositing an empty-netter with 68 seconds remaining in the Hurricanes’ 3-0 Game 6 victory. It was the first championship of his NHL career after spending his first 10 seasons in Winnipeg with the Jets.
“It’s been fantastic to be able to take the trophy home to Aalborg and Denmark,” Ehlers said following Thursday’s festivities.
“There are a lot of people who have come from all over Denmark. So, that means a lot. It’s been a solid day and right now that gives me a little closure to the wildest month I’ve had. It’s been fantastic and I’m super happy.”
The celebration came one day after fellow Hurricanes champion Frederik Andersen brought the Stanley Cup to Denmark. Andersen’s tour included a stop at Legoland before the Cup moved north to Aalborg for Ehlers’ turn.
https://www.facebook.com/aalborgligehernu/videos/1699244697863304/
For Jets fans, the sight was undoubtedly bittersweet. A beloved member of Winnipeg’s only big-four professional team, the Jets selected Ehlers ninth overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, and he became one of the most electrifying players in the team’s modern history. His speed and creativity made him a fan favourite over 10 seasons in Manitoba.
His time in Winnipeg ended without the championship both he and the organization had chased. But one year after signing a big deal in Raleigh and leaving the only NHL home he had ever known, Ehlers reached the top of the hockey world.
And on Thursday, he brought the Cup back to where it all began – with thousands of people waiting to welcome him home.
Patrick Kane returns to Blackhawks on a 2-year, $16M deal
Connor Bedard is getting his wish — Patrick Kane is returning to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 37-year-old Kane and the Blackhawks have agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal, the team announced on Thursday.
“Day in and day out for 16 seasons, Patrick captivated the city of Chicago with his dazzling skill, creating some of the most memorable moments in Blackhawks history as he helped bring our storied franchise back to the pinnacle of our sport,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “He’s shown on countless occasions that he knows what it takes to win at the highest levels, and we couldn’t be prouder for Patrick to once again call the United Center home and continue to shine in Chicago’s brightest lights.”
Kane spent parts of the first 16 seasons of his NHL career with the Blackhawks after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, Hart Trophy as league MVP, a scoring title and was named an NHL First-team All-Star three times. He, along with the recently retired Jonathan Toews, also led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
As the Blackhawks transitioned into a rebuild, Kane was dealt at the 2023 NHL trade deadline to the New York Rangers. Following that season, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings where he’s spent the past three seasons.
Kane was reportedly weighing an option to sign with his hometown of Buffalo to play for the Sabres, but a return to where his NHL career began won out — maybe with a little help from Bedard.
Speaking to reporters earlier this week after signing a five-year, $75 million contract extension with the Blackhawks, Bedard said he was hoping Kane would come back to the franchise.
“I don’t know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we’d all be so excited to have a player like that but also a guy like that,” Bedard said. “I can’t imagine his first game back at the [United Center], just the reaction he’d get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him.”
In 1,369 regular-season games, Kane has scored 508 goals and recorded 1,400 points. Over 143 Stanley Cup playoff games, he has netted 53 goals and 138 points.
