Stanley Cup Visits Saratoga
The Stanley Cup on display at the Jockey Silks Porch at the Saratoga Racecourse on Saturday, August 31. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Amidst the hustle and bustle of a Saturday afternoon at the track, you’d be forgiven for missing an unusual sight: the NHL’s Stanley Cup being driven down East Avenue on a golf cart.
Such was the scene on August 31, when Vincent “Vinnie” Viola, the principal owner of the Florida Panthers, brought his team’s championship trophy to the Saratoga Racecourse. The Cup was on display for about an hour, and visitors were able to take photos with it for free.
“We are grateful to Vinnie Viola for bringing the iconic Stanley Cup to Saratoga Racecourse, an appropriate setting where champions compete every summer,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O’Rourke in a statement. “We thank the Florida Panthers organization for allowing us to share in the celebration of their success.”
Viola, in addition to owning the Panthers, owns the thoroughbred racing operation St. Elias Stable, which produced the 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming. In 2016, the billionaire businessman was briefly President Donald Trump’s pick for the United States Secretary of the Army, before he withdrew from consideration.
The Stanley Cup last visited Saratoga in 2015, thanks to upstate New Yorker Kevin Dineen, who was assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during their championship season.