SPOKANE, Wash. — Tyler Johnson brought the Stanley Cup trophy to the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena for fans to see on Thursday, July 29.
Fans got in line as early as 7:30 a.m. to see Johnson and take pictures with the trophy from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
"For me to be able to bring it back in front of everyone who supported me this entire time is a dream come true," Johnson said.
Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward proclaimed July 29, 2021 "Tyler Johnson Day" in the city. It also happened to be Johnson's birthday on Thursday.
Johnson is a former Spokane Chief and two-time NHL Champion. He won the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 7. However, he wasn't able to bring the trophy home last time, so it made this time that much more special.
"We had to make sure we won it again to get that opportunity," he said. "We had a great team and it was a lot of fun."
Johnson also took the Cup to the Spokane Fire Department Station 4 in downtown to do something memorable for those serving the community.
The Lightning topped the Montreal Canadiens with a 1-0 win in Game 5 to take the series 4-1. Johnson scored two goals in this series. Both came in Game 3, which the Lightning won 6-3. Johnson was a Central Valley graduate and a player for the Spokane Chiefs between 2007-2011.
A few days ago, reports broke that Johnson will not be back with the Lightning next season. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Spokane native played all nine of his pro seasons with Tampa Bay, so there will be some change for him there, but he's excited.
"It's one of the teams that I really wanted to go to and it's going to be awesome," he said.