Rideau Hall, Thursday, March 16, 2017

Welcome to Rideau Hall, home of the people of Canada, home of the Stanley Cup!

This is a highlight for me, both as a lifelong hockey fan and as governor general.

This truly is a homecoming for the Cup.

It was here, at Rideau Hall, that Lord Stanley—pictured on the wall behind you in his official portrait—lived with his family and worked as Canada’s 6th governor general.

And it was on the Rideau Hall skating rink and on rinks around Ottawa that he developed a passion for the sport of hockey.

In fact, Lord and Lady Stanley experienced a truly Canadian phenomenon:

They became hockey parents!

They loved watching their sons and their daughter play in amateur leagues around town.

So much so that Lord Stanley eventually bought the Cup in 1892 for 10 guineas, or $50 Canadian at the time, to be awarded to “the championship hockey club of the Dominion of Canada.”

That was 125 years ago, and the rest is hockey history.

It’s wonderful to have the Stanley Cup back at Rideau Hall—both the original bowl and the modern-day cup! Celebrating excellence is a big part of what we do here, and this storied trophy is a great example of that. 

There’s something very special about seeing it in person, and we’re delighted to invite members of the public to join us for a viewing and a skate on the rink this afternoon.

We hope it’s an experience people will cherish, and I thank all of you who are participating and who have made it possible.

I would particularly like to thank Ottawa 2017, the National Hockey League and the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club for bringing the Cup home today.

Thanks also to our Stanley Cup champions who are here to help make today so special.

It’s been 10 years since the Stanley Cup was last here at Rideau Hall. How fitting for the trophy to return in time for the 150th anniversary of this great country, Canada.

There’s no doubt about it: this is a big year for Ottawa and for Canada, and having the Stanley Cup in town is icing on the cake!

In just a few moments, we will unveil a very special 125th Stanley Cup anniversary coin!

So let’s get to it. Time with the Cup is precious!

Thank you.