Shortly after the Chicago Blackhawks captured the National Hockey League championship June 24, defeating the Boston Bruins on the road, the sport's legendary trophy began a road trip of its own.
The Stanley Cup, whose history traces back 120 years, has been making the rounds in the Chicago area, putting in surprise appearances at popular nightspots, city events and parades, among other stopovers. Per tradition, the cup travels for 100 days after a new champion is crowned, with players and team members allowed to take the cup wherever they wish.
One stop this month was Evanston (Ill.) Hospital, flagship of NorthShore University HealthSystem. The cup was accompanied by Blackhawks owner and chairman Rocky Wirtz. It toured for about an hour and a half in two pediatric units of the hospital, including the facility's infant special-care unit, where some of the very young patients might not have been so happy to be taking part in the festivities. Several infants looked a little uncomfortable in photographs showing them perched in the prized cup. For 2-week-old twins Peter and Collin Michalak, however, their time in the cup was a perfect opportunity for a snooze.
Outliers plans to remember those names. In 20 years or so, they could be hoisting the cup in victory instead of taking a nap in it.
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