The loss of their leader is proving no match for an organization determined to build a monument to the Stanley Cup in downtown Ottawa.
After the death of board president and noted hockey historian Paul Kitchen this summer, Lord Stanley Memorial Monument Inc. is continuing its vision to build a commemorative statue to the gift of the Stanley Cup in 1892.
The location secured for the memorial is at the corner of Sparks and Elgin, facing Confederation Square and the National War Memorial.
The statue would replace the current art installation, Territorial Prerogative, a statue of a bear catching a fish.
Since the project’s announcement in 2013, project manager and Ottawa architect Barry Padolsky has guided the board with “the vision of having a commemoration to such a well known international sports trophy right in the heart of Ottawa,” he says. Even with the location having been donated by the city, the organization has faced a number of challenges a since its establishment in 2010. Padolsky, a hockey fan, likens the struggle to the game itself.
“Let’s imagine it as a very long hockey season, with a seven game playoff series,” he says.
One of the primary issues for the group has been acquiring funding.
The project’s original budget of $7 million was quickly reduced to $4.5 million, after the project lacked financial commitments or donations.
“Funding is always an issue, whether it’s buildings, art galleries or commemorations,” says Padolsky.
But in spite of all issues, the board has not given up its goal of an unveiling in 2017.
“It’s the 100 anniversary of the NHL, the 125 of the Stanley Cup, and the 150 of Canada. It’s a triple anniversary, and so we are committed,” says Sylvie Bigras, communications consultant for the Canadian Olympic Committee and a founding board member of the Lord Stanley Memorial Monument Inc.
“We are confident, very confident, (about) 2017.”
The struggle to find funding and the recent loss of Kitchen, have been hard for the board members, but these challenges have only reaffirmed their commitment.
“We’re like a little engine that could,” says Bigras. “We’ve got a group of volunteers who really want to make this happen.”
Kitchen was a staple in the Ottawa hockey community, serving as a former president for the Society of International Hockey Research, and published the 399-page Win, Tie or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators 1883-1935.
“He was so passionate about the sport of hockey, and getting this project off the ground,” says Bigras. “We’re definitely going to do this for Paul.”
In the coming months, the board plans to hold a national design competition.
Once a design and artist have been chosen, Padolsky and the board will get to work turning Kitchen’s dream into a reality. Over the next couple of months they are working to confirm funding and partners, ensuring they have all they need to get the project back on track.
“The board are a real powerhouse and it’s a real honour to work with them,” he says. “It’s what you’d expect of hockey players and hockey teams, and they have the same kind of dedication.”
That dedication has since grown to a desire to commemorate not only Lord Stanley’s gift, but also Kitchen’s work for the Ottawa hockey community.
“They are determined to make sure that this memorial monument actually happens, partly as a tribute to the work that Paul Kitchen did in conceiving the whole idea,” says Padolsky.
“It has to be a tribute to Paul.”