Photo: Capitals
Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov had a day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2018, just like his teammates. Only problem, his day to celebrate the Stanley Cup was far shorter than it should have been.
Orlov was scheduled to celebrate his day with the Stanley Cup on August 17, 2018, in his original home town of Novokuzetsk, Russia. Spelling is key, here.
Just two days earlier, the Stanley Cup was in Chelyabinsk, Russia, for teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov’s “Day with the Stanley Cup,” a celebration that lasted until very late into night. The plan was for the Cup to arrive in Novokuznetsk at around 11:00 am on August 17.
Even in the best of circumstances, travel between Chelyabinsk to Novokuzetsk is not easy. The two cities are nearly 1200 miles apart and the journey would take nearly 24 hours via automobile.
A direct flight from Chelyabinsk Airport in Chelyabinsk to Spichenkovo Airport in Novokuznetsk would be a two and a half hour flight, and cover 1020 miles (1641 kilometers). However, it is difficult, if not impossible to get direct flights from Chelyabinsk to Novokuzetsk.
Instead, two flights are generally involved, with one travel leg traveling westward from Chelyabinsk to Moscow and the next travel leg flying eastward from Moscow to Spichenkovo Airport, involving a total of eight hours at the minimum. In addition, Novokuzetsk is two hours ahead of Chelyabinsk, leaving less time in the day at the destination.
Wrong Way Stanley
There was a major snafu in the delivery of the Stanley Cup to Dmitry Orlov in Novokuznetsk. The Cup was loaded onto a flight to the city of Novosibirsk instead of a flight to Novokuznetsk. Perhaps airline workers were confused by the similarity of the names, as they both begin with “Novo” which means “new”, and both are cities in Siberia. However, the two cities are about 250 miles apart, about a five hour drive away.
Eagerly Waiting
The original plan was for Orlov to host a public celebration with the Stanley Cup at the main square in Novokuznetsk from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Orlov planned everything in advance, thought over the program, and flew to his native Novokuznetsk to organize the day as best as he could.
“I understand how I want to spend a day with him [Stanley Cup] in Novokuznetsk. You just need to think over everything in order to show people and enjoy yourself.” But to quote the poet, Robert Burns, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”
The Cup ultimately was delivered to the proper city via helicopter and the public celebration commenced.
Orlov did have a private celebration with family and friends after the more public event.
When all was said and done, Orlov had the Cup from 7:00 pm until he went to bed. Orlov tried to negotiate for additional time with the Cup for the following day, August 18, but was denied.
Instead, the Cup needed to be transported to its next destination – nearly halfway around the world to the home of forward Brett Connolly in British Columbia on August 20.
They don’t mess around with player introductions in Russia. Dmitry Orlov’s introduction, complete with flame throwers. #ALLCAPS #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/V9uo5Jz9fi
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) August 17, 2018
Orlov missed out on events such as eating breakfast with the Cup (as Tom Wilson and Lars Eller were able to do), missed out on taking the Cup to the ice rink he skated on as a child (as Holtby, Wilson, and Vrana), and also missed out on sharing the Cup with the community (as Connolly, Carlson, and Oshie could do).
His short time was in contrast to Michal Kempny who got nearly 24 hours with the Cup as he received it in the evening and got almost the entire next day with it and team Captain Alex Ovechkin who had the Cup for two entire days.
In an ironic note, almost exactly a year later, Orlov was in Novosibirsk for a Stanley Cup celebration. On August 19, 2019, he attended the Stanley Cup celebration of his longtime friend, Vladimir Tarasenko, who was part of the Stanley Cup winning St Louis Blues team.
Photo: NHL
You can visit our complete post on Dmitry Orlov’s day, er, half-day, with the Stanley Cup right here.
You can revisit each of the Capitals day with the Stanley Cup on our dedicated Stanley Cup page here.
Further Reading
Sport 24 Russia Account of Dmitry Orlov’s Day With Cup and Travel Snafus
Dmitry Orlov Day With Stanley Cup in Novokuznetsk
NHL: Orlov Day With Stanley Cup
NHL: Vladimir Tarasenko Day With Stanley Cup
By Diane Doyle
Terrible planning. One of the most important days in a person’s working career. Fumbled.
When we get the cup again Dima gets two days!
Second this ☝️
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