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Daly hands Stanley Cup to Avalanche in Bettman's absence

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly presented the Stanley Cup to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog on Friday night because Commissioner Gary Bettman was sidelined by the coronavirus.

Bettman recently tested positive and was unable to produce enough negative results to get back to the series in time. That left Daly to give the traditional end-of-season speech and shake Landeskog’s hand before presenting the trophy.

It’s the first time someone other than Bettman handed out the Cup since he took over in 1993. A league spokesman said Bettman was resting at home and feeling better.

OLD GUYS GET CUP

After Landeskog took his lap, the Cup quickly went to some of Colorado’s older players and first-time champions, including Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano.

“The older guys that are probably nearing the end and they get a chance to lift the Cup for the first time, you can just see the excitement,” general manager Joe Sakic said.

Erik Johnson, the Avalanche’s longest-tenured player after arriving in a trade from St. Louis in 2011, considered retiring last year. After thinking better of it, he got the Cup first and remarked it’s “heavier thank you think.”

“It was like I was watching a video game or something like that, Johnson said. “It was amazing. Gabe was telling me the last couple years, ‘When we win it, you’re getting it first.’ If that doesn’t give you motivation to get it done, nothing else does. Just a super humbling, gratifying feeling, it’s amazing.”

Jack Johnson and Cogliano were more recent additions, but the feeling was the same. Cogliano got to hoist the Cup for the first time at age 35.

“It’s been a long journey, but, really this is why you put the work in,” Cogliano said.

Read more on tsn.ca