Stanley Cup tours Whitefish

JJ Stephens, a Vegas Golden Knights fan from Kalispell, has his photo taken with the Stanley Cup inside Whitefish Mountain Resort's Base Lodge on Friday, Dec. 29. The trophy made a stop on Big Mountain as the defending NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights and Whitefish Mountain Resort are both owned by Foley Entertainment Group. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

A fan kisses the Stanley Cup at Whitefish Mountain Resort's Base Lodge on Friday, Dec. 29. The trophy made a stop on Big Mountain as the defending NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights and Whitefish Mountain Resort are both owned by Foley Entertainment Group. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Fans have their picture taken with the Stanley Cup inside Whitefish Mountain Resort's Base Lodge on Friday, Dec. 29. The trophy made a stop on Big Mountain as the defending NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights and Whitefish Mountain Resort are both owned by Foley Entertainment Group. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

Fans stand in line to have their picture taken with the Stanley Cup inside Whitefish Mountain Resort's Base Lodge on Friday, Dec. 29. The trophy made a stop on Big Mountain as the defending NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights and Whitefish Mountain Resort are both owned by Foley Entertainment Group. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider

by JOSH DUGAN
Sports Reporter | December 29, 2023 10:00 PM

As the Montana Grizzlies look to bring home a championship trophy to the Treasure State, another piece of championship hardware made its way to northwest Montana with the NHL's famous Stanley Cup on display throughout Whitefish Friday.

The northwest Montana connection stems from the Foley Entertainment Group, which owns the defending Stanley Cup champions Las Vegas Golden Knights as well as the Glacier Restaurant Group and Whitefish Mountain Resort.

The trophy made stops at Whitefish Mountain. the Stumptown Ice Den and Whitefish Lake Golf Club before closing out the day for viewing at the Craggy Range Bar and Grill.

"We started up the mountain about 8:30 this morning. That was absolutely spectacular. Then we went to the hockey arena, that was great, there must have been 300 to 400 people there." said Mario Della-Savia of Toronto, who serves as a keeper of the cup for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Stanley Cup trophy previously made a trip to Whitefish in 2011 when Boston Bruins assistant coach Doug Houda, who had ties to the area, helped arrange a showing at the Stumptown Ice Den.