The Stanley Cup visits UNC

Back when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup, I pointed out the several connections that the Hurricanes had to UNC, and how there wasn't a shortage of representation in the organization. This is despite the close ties the team seemingly has to the team they share the building with, including the head coach marrying an alumna of the school and making sure to celebrate on their campus earlier this summer. Now, one of those connections made sure that the Cup Tour included the UNC campus before he left the team. As has become tradition, members of the winning team get to spend a day with the Cup during the summer as a celebration tour before the start of the next NHL season. This isn't just for players but the invaluable support staff as well. One of those valuable members is Doug Bennett, now the former head athletic trainer for the Hurricanes. While he did his undergrad at Penn State, in 2007 he earned his Masters Degree in Sports Science at UNC. Due to this, he made sure the school that helped him get to the Hurricanes got to celebrate the win. The day started where any Cup should start—collecting water at the Old Well. Bennett, his family, and fellow UNC alumnus and Vice President of Communications Mike Sundheim rallied around the Well for photos, collected water in the chalice, and drank from it. It's safe to say water is probably the most boring beverage that has been consumed from this trophy, but water from the iconic Old Well is a step up. The Cup then decided to pose for pictures of its own in front of the fountain. It may be a little too late for it to get that 4.0 average, but at its age it's probably happy just to get a passing grade. Bennett then took the Cup to the folks that make UNC Athletics run — the Sports Medicine Department. This department doesn't get enough credit for the people it produces and work it does. These people work hard throughout the Athletic Department to keep UNC's athletes moving, across all sports. This department has produced a Stanley Cup Champion trainer as well as Dr. Quinton Sawyer, who has stints on multiple college and NBA teams and was a trainer on the 2024 Gold Medal-winning USA Basketball team. Next up, the Cup moved on to Boshamer to allow members of the UNC Baseball staff to partake in its glory. How big of a deal was this one? The retired Remington made a trip back out to the Bosh to make sure he got a chance to personally inspect the Cup. Unfortunately, it appears there was no food in it for him. Finally, what trip to Chapel Hill is complete without visiting the iconic Dean E. Smith Center, the place where athletic trainers are perhaps under the biggest collegiate spotlight? Lord Stanley's Cup got to visit the first big arena in the state, and the last photo incidentally may or may not be a wallpaper for my phone right now. The Cup will continue traversing the area until Opening Night, when it will grace the Lenovo Center one more time for the banner celebration. Then when it leaves the ice, the puck drops on the 2026-27 season and it's up for grabs again. If you're interested in seeing the Cup, keep your eye out for opportunities in the area as it makes its last rounds and Hurricanes players and staff get back to Raleigh for the start of the season. As for Bennett, it was announced the day before his visit that after sixteen seasons with the Hurricanes, he he would be stepping down before the start of the new year. The news came without an announcement of what comes next for Bennett, but with such longevity in the NHL and now his name on the Stanley Cup, one would imagine it'll be something massive. There's no word if the other two UNC alumni — Mallory Wilmoth and Mike Sundheim — have plans to bring the Cup back to Chapel Hill, or if it'll visit prior to Opening Night. That will just have to remain a mystery until it appears.