KSC-04-S-00201

In another Florida first, NASA's Kennedy Space Center played host to a visit by the Stanley Cup. The Cup's visit was part of the statewide tour celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning's first NHL championship. The trophy's first stop at KSC was the Orbiter Processing Facility #3, home of Shuttle Discovery. Accompanying the Cup on its tour of KSC was the Lightning's General Manager Jay Feaster. 'We consider the folks on the Space Coast to be our neighbors, so it's an exciting opportunity for us to have the Cup here and have all the employees experience the thrill of being close to the Cup...' The idea to bring the trophy to KSC came from Jack Legere, a quality assurance specialist with the Space Shuttle program. 'We're number one now and NASA's number one in space flight. I just thought it was a good idea.' While at the OPF, the group was joined by KSC's Deputy Director Dr. Woodrow Whitlow. Following pictures and interviews, the group took the Cup along for a tour aboard Shuttle Discovery. While onboard, the grouped explored the OPF's white room and Discovery's payload bay. After visiting Discovery, the trophy was taken to its second and final stop at the Center's training auditorium. There, dozens of anxious KSC employees lined the aisles awaiting their chance take a few pictures and be a part of Florida history.