Thousands of fans lined a stretch of the Rideau Canal Thursday for a unique glimpse of hockey's Holy Grail.
The Stanley Cup was skated to the Ottawa Convention Centre with the rest of the NHL trophies to officially begin NHL All-Star weekend.
Their escorts were young, local hockey players who said they were thrilled at the chance.
"It's really exciting and I can't wait to tell my friends and everything," said one child.
"Out of a hundred people my brother got chosen to carry the Stanley Cup, how cool is that?" said Jack Kingsbury, whose brother Gabe had the honour.
Parents said they were glad the children had the unforgettable opportunity.
"It's amazing, it's quite the opportunity to do this considering it probably only happens once every 30 years," said one father.
"These kids . . . this is going to stick with them for a lifetime," said one fan watching the parade.
Nineteen trophies in total were brought down the canal from Waverley Street to Daly Street, including the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP and the Vezina Trophy for top goaltender.
Weather co-operating . . . for now
This was a parade that almost didn't happen.
The National Capital Commission announced Thursday the full 7.8 kilometres of the canal was re-open after being closed earlier this week due to weather.
However, inclement weather returns Thursday night in the form of a freezing rain warning.
You can check ice conditions on the Rideau Canal on the main page of our website.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Catherine Lathem
