Uvis Balinskis made his day with the Stanley Cup a personal one.
The Florida Panthers defenseman took the trophy to his home country of Latvia on Monday, where he hosted events for youth hockey players at two local rinks.
“Good feeling to have the Cup again,” Balinskis told the Panthers website. “It’s awesome.”
Balinskis started the day at Marupe Ice Rink, where he shared the Cup with local youth hockey players.
“It’s pretty cool,” Balinskis said. “The kids love it and that’s the most important thing.
“You don’t see it every day here, and I have a chance to show it to the kids so that’s pretty special.”
The second stop was to Tukums Ice Rink, a place where Balinskis grew up playing hockey. He even got to reconnect with his former youth hockey coach at the rink.
“They took really go