Oh No! Former NY Islanders F Kyle Okposo has his day with the Stanley Cup postponed
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There are many perks to being a Stanley Cup champion. One is having your name etched into Lord Stanley, but another is having your day with the most beautiful trophy in sports.
Friday was supposed to be the day for former New York Islanders first-round pick Kyle Okposo, who capped his career by hoisting the Stanley Cup after the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games last month.
The 36-year-old had to wait 17 seasons to win the elusive trophy, and now he'll have to wait a little longer for his day with the Stanley Cup. Okposo was scheduled to bring the trophy home to Pagel Activity Center in Minnetonka, MN, but the event was postponed due to the global IT outages that caused havoc at airlines across the country. Okposo was raised in St. Paul and played hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's before attending the University of Minnesota.
"I'm crushed," Okposo told Michael Russo of The Athletic on Friday.
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT especially if you’re driving from a long distance for Kyle Okposo’s public Stanley Cup appearance today at Pagel Arena.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) July 19, 2024
It has to be CANCELLED due to the Stanley Cup being stuck in St. Louis because of the global IT outage affecting airlines.
“I’m crushed,”…
"Due to flight delays, the Stanley Cup event scheduled for today has been postponed," officials at the Pagel Activity Center posted on social media. "Stay tuned for possible reschedules."
Okposo was concerned that people from the outskirts of the town had made plans to see the Cup and wanted to make sure word got out as quickly as possible that Lord Stanley was stuck in St. Louis.
Okposo will eventually get day... eventually, just as he did with the Panthers.
The former top-liner for the Isles left Long Island after the 2015-16 and signed a lucrative seven-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Okposo would become the team's captain and play in his 1,000th NHL game with the team. He was dealt to the Panthers at the trade deadline and played a reliable fourth-line role, adding more leadership and character to a team primed to win the Cup.
His impact was recognized by his teammates, as he was the third player to hoist the trophy.