[Devils-list] A story to break this tension.

[Joe]

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Sunday Special: Stanley Cup=20
By HAL BOCK
AP Sports Writer=20
June 2, 2001=20


The road to the Stanley Cup is a grueling trip that begins in late =
summer heat, meanders through the chill of winter and ends in June. By =
the time it's over, teams play 100 or so games, a punishing grind that =
takes a mental and physical toll.=20

The survivors would be wise not to whine about it. For Colorado and New =
Jersey, the journey to this Stanley Cup was a cakewalk compared with the =
most daunting one ever -- the challenge of the Dawson City Nuggets. In =
hockey's honky-tonk days, bids for Lord Stanley's Cup were less formal. =
Get a team together, submit a challenge to the hardware's caretakers and =
if it was accepted, take your shot.=20

And so it was that in 1904, Col. Joe Boyle, described as the Indiana =
Jones of Canada, took his shot with a team from the Yukon. Boyle was a =
wealthy prospector who struck it rich in the Yukon gold fields. He was =
always on the lookout for an adventure.=20

When World War I broke out, he took it upon himself to raise a =
50-machinegun unit, an effort that earned him the honorary rank of =
lieutenant colonel in the Canadian militia. He also was involved in the =
rescue of Romanian aristocrats from the Bolsheviks.=20

The son of a horse trainer, he spent three years at sea and at one time =
found himself managing Australian heavyweight boxer Frank Slavin, who =
called himself the Sydney Slasher. In 1897, Boyle traveled to the Yukon, =
lured there by the gold fields. He did well and was a leading citizen of =
the territory when Lord Stanley's Cup caught his attention.=20

The Cup had been residing in Eastern Canada for some time, held almost =
exclusively by teams from Montreal and Ottawa. Boyle decided it was time =
to change all that and in 1904 bankrolled a hardy team of gold miners =
for a challenge. This was no simple matter, largely because of =
logistics. The Yukon, after all, is well removed from Ottawa, where the =
challenge was to be held. And there were no planes operating in those =
days, of course.=20

On Dec. 19, 1904, the happy-go-lucky gold diggers left on their =
adventure. They traveled 4,400 miles, using dog sleds, stage coaches, =
boats, trains and even bicycles. The first day, they went 46 miles. The =
second day, they went 41 miles. By the third day, with temperatures =
dipping to 20-below zero, some of the players were forced to remove =
their boots because of blistered feet. Boyle's entourage needed 23 days =
to get from the Yukon to Ottawa. Their arrival was delayed when they =
missed a boat connection at Skagway, Alaska, by two hours and had to =
wait five days at the docks before catching another ship to Seattle.=20

It's a good bet that during the layover, the Yukon team did not spend =
all of its time practicing and studying playbooks. These were men who =
panned for gold. Pantywaists need not apply.=20

>From Seattle, they got a train to Vancouver and after a stopover there, =
took another train across Canada, jumping rope in the smoking car in an =
attempt to stay in shape.=20

By the time they trudged into Ottawa, one day before the challenge was =
to begin, the Klondikers had been traveling for more than three weeks =
and were in an understandably bedraggled condition. The traveling party =
included a single goalie, 17-year-old Albert Forest, who would never be =
mistaken for Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur. He does, however, remain the =
youngest player in Stanley Cup history.=20

Boyle's boys were dismissed rather quickly by the Silver Seven, beaten =
9-2 in the first game and then a lopsided 23-2 in the Cup clincher. =
Frank McGee, blind in one eye, was offended by some turn-of-the-century =
trash talk by the miners and scored 14 goals in the second game, eight =
of them in 8 minutes, 20 seconds.=20

News of the Dawson City challenge captured the country's attention. =
Imagine how dedicated the Klondikers had to be to endure the trip from a =
remote outpost in northwest Canada, for nothing more than a chance to =
play for a hockey championship.=20

The hardest part, though, came after they lost and had to make a U-turn =
back to the Yukon.=20

Boyle's price tag for this adventure was a fairly hefty $3,000, a king's =
ransom spent in pursuit of a lord's Cup


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<DIV><STRONG><FONT face=3DTahoma color=3D#000080 size=3D2><FONT =
color=3D#000000=20
size=3D4>Sunday Special: Stanley Cup </FONT>
<P><SMALL><FONT size=3D2>By HAL BOCK<BR>AP Sports Writer <BR>June 2, =
2001=20
</FONT></SMALL>
<P>
<P>The road to the Stanley Cup is a grueling trip that begins in late =
summer=20
heat, meanders through the chill of winter and ends in June. By the time =
it's=20
over, teams play 100 or so games, a punishing grind that takes a mental =
and=20
physical toll.=20
<P>The survivors would be wise not to whine about it. For Colorado and =
New=20
Jersey, the journey to this Stanley Cup was a cakewalk compared with the =
most=20
daunting one ever -- the challenge of the Dawson City Nuggets. In =
hockey's=20
honky-tonk days, bids for Lord Stanley's Cup were less formal. Get a =
team=20
together, submit a challenge to the hardware's caretakers and if it was=20
accepted, take your shot.=20
<P>And so it was that in 1904, Col. Joe Boyle, described as the Indiana =
Jones of=20
Canada, took his shot with a team from the Yukon. Boyle was a wealthy =
prospector=20
who struck it rich in the Yukon gold fields. He was always on the =
lookout for an=20
adventure.=20
<P>When World War I broke out, he took it upon himself to raise a =
50-machinegun=20
unit, an effort that earned him the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel =
in the=20
Canadian militia. He also was involved in the rescue of Romanian =
aristocrats=20
from the Bolsheviks.=20
<P>The son of a horse trainer, he spent three years at sea and at one =
time found=20
himself managing Australian heavyweight boxer Frank Slavin, who called =
himself=20
the Sydney Slasher. In 1897, Boyle traveled to the Yukon, lured there by =
the=20
gold fields. He did well and was a leading citizen of the territory when =
Lord=20
Stanley's Cup caught his attention.=20
<P>The Cup had been residing in Eastern Canada for some time, held =
almost=20
exclusively by teams from Montreal and Ottawa. Boyle decided it was time =
to=20
change all that and in 1904 bankrolled a hardy team of gold miners for a =

challenge. This was no simple matter, largely because of logistics. The =
Yukon,=20
after all, is well removed from Ottawa, where the challenge was to be =
held. And=20
there were no planes operating in those days, of course.=20
<P>On Dec. 19, 1904, the happy-go-lucky gold diggers left on their =
adventure.=20
They traveled 4,400 miles, using dog sleds, stage coaches, boats, trains =
and=20
even bicycles. The first day, they went 46 miles. The second day, they =
went 41=20
miles. By the third day, with temperatures dipping to 20-below zero, =
some of the=20
players were forced to remove their boots because of blistered feet. =
Boyle's=20
entourage needed 23 days to get from the Yukon to Ottawa. Their arrival =
was=20
delayed when they missed a boat connection at Skagway, Alaska, by two =
hours and=20
had to wait five days at the docks before catching another ship to =
Seattle.=20
<P>It's a good bet that during the layover, the Yukon team did not spend =
all of=20
its time practicing and studying playbooks. These were men who panned =
for gold.=20
Pantywaists need not apply.=20
<P>From Seattle, they got a train to Vancouver and after a stopover =
there, took=20
another train across Canada, jumping rope in the smoking car in an =
attempt to=20
stay in shape.=20
<P>By the time they trudged into Ottawa, one day before the challenge =
was to=20
begin, the Klondikers had been traveling for more than three weeks and =
were in=20
an understandably bedraggled condition. The traveling party included a =
single=20
goalie, 17-year-old Albert Forest, who would never be mistaken for <A=20
href=3D"http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/4/440/">Patrick Roy</A> or =
<A=20
href=3D"http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/6/686/">Martin Brodeur</A>. =
He does,=20
however, remain the youngest player in Stanley Cup history.=20
<P>Boyle's boys were dismissed rather quickly by the Silver Seven, =
beaten 9-2 in=20
the first game and then a lopsided 23-2 in the Cup clincher. Frank =
McGee, blind=20
in one eye, was offended by some turn-of-the-century trash talk by the =
miners=20
and scored 14 goals in the second game, eight of them in 8 minutes, 20 =
seconds.=20
<P>News of the Dawson City challenge captured the country's attention. =
Imagine=20
how dedicated the Klondikers had to be to endure the trip from a remote =
outpost=20
in northwest Canada, for nothing more than a chance to play for a hockey =

championship.=20
<P>The hardest part, though, came after they lost and had to make a =
U-turn back=20
to the Yukon.=20
<P>Boyle's price tag for this adventure was a fairly hefty $3,000, a =
king's=20
ransom spent in pursuit of a lord's =
Cup</P></FONT></STRONG></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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