The Stanley Cup returns to Long Island without the NY Islanders

The Stanley Cup is coming back to Long Island.

That's something we hope to be saying in June at some point in our lives. For now, it's returning in August and being brought back by a hometown kid that plays for a division rival.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender and Sound Beach native Brandon Bussi will bring hockey’s most famous trophy home Wednesday, giving local fans a chance to celebrate one of their own after his remarkable championship season.

Bussi’s day with the Cup will include two public appearances, first at The Rinx in Hauppauge at 10:30 a.m. and later at Bracco’s Clam & Oyster Bar in Freeport at 6 p.m.

For Bussi, sharing the moment with the Long Island hockey community was important.

“The most important thing to Brandon was to be able to celebrate with the Long Island hockey community,” his agent, John Osei-Tutu, told Newsday. “He wants to inspire the next wave of kids.”

The day will also include private celebrations with family and friends, including a gathering in Farmingdale and a chartered boat trip through The Captain Lou Fleet in Freeport.

Bussi becomes just the second Long Island-born player to win the Stanley Cup, joining Bethpage native Rob Scuderi, who won with Pittsburgh in 2009 and Los Angeles in 2012. That makes the Cup’s return particularly meaningful for a hockey community that has continued to grow.

Michael Hagens, whose sons James and Michael developed in the Long Island hockey scene, called Bussi’s accomplishment a reminder of how far the sport has come locally. “For a Suffolk County kid, to see him lift that Cup and bring it home, it means the world to us,” Hagens told Newsday.

Bussi earned the honor after a breakout first NHL season, going 31-6-2 before starting the final three games of Carolina’s Stanley Cup Final victory over Vegas.

Now, after lifting the Cup in Las Vegas, Bussi gets to bring it somewhere far more personal.

Home.

And for one day, the Stanley Cup belongs to Long Island again. Let's hope that day comes again, but this time, an Islander is the reason why.

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