Nick Leddy's hometown tour with Stanley Cup starts

The Stanley Cup, the revered 120-year-old trophy awarded to the NHL champion team, has arrived in the Twin Cities for a whirlwind tour.

Eden Prairie's Nick Leddy of the champion Chicago Blackhawks will escort the Cup to many locales over a 24-hour-plus visit, giving hockey fans an opportunity to gaze upon and touch the silver chalice.

The NHL title won last month made Leddy the first to be a Minnesota state high school champion, a Mr. Hockey honoree as the top high school senior skater in the state and a Stanley Cup winner.

The Cup's public itinerary includes:

THURSDAY

• 4-4:30 p.m: Maynard's, 685 Excelsior Blvd., Excelsior.

• 8:30-10 p.m: Brits Pub, 1110 Nicolet Mall, downtown Minneapolis.

FRIDAY

• Noon-2 p.m: Rink 1, Eden Prairie Community Center, 16700 Valley View Road.

• 4-5 p.m. Lobby of Mariucci Arena, where Leddy, a 2009 draft choice of the Wild, played one season for the Minnesota Gophers.

In a stop not open to the public, Leddy and the Cup will travel to the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital and visit with patients.

As other NHL champions have done for many years, the 22-year-old Leddy, his teammates and others in the Blackhawks organization are each given a day or so to do with the Cup as they wish.