The Matthews family was back in Verona this weekend, and they brought a special guest with them: the Stanley Cup.
Rich Matthews is the assistant equipment manager for the St. Louis Blues, the team that won the National Hockey League championship this year. Stanley Cup tradition has it that, in the year after the win, members of the Cup-winning team can take it on tour so that hockey fans can bask in its silver sheen.
And more than a few got do to that on Saturday. After the 35-pound Cup’s handler and security guard brought it to Verona, the Matthews family–Rich, his wife Sara, and daughters Madisyn and Kamdyn–took a family photo with it on the bridge in Verona Park. The Matthews’ lived in Verona until last year, when they moved to St. Louis to be near Rich’s job.
Then it was off to Towne Scoop for another Cup tradition. During their day with the Cup, team members are allowed to fill it with something, like a sparkling beverage or, at least once, a baby . For the Matthews family, their filling was vanilla and chocolate soft-serve ice cream from the Verona dessert hub. The Cup also made appearances at the Verona Fire Department and at the Verona Inn. Along the way, many other Veronans got to take a selfie with the trophy.
And while championships are ostensibly won by the teams that take the ice or the field or the court, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that Rich Matthews may be something of a lucky charm for hockey teams. The 2019 Cup is his third. He was with the Dallas Stars when that team won in 1999 and with the New Jersey Devils in 2003.
