Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup tour makes stop in Heritage City
By The Nelson Daily Staff
The countdown has commenced for hockey fans in the region to embrace the Stanley Cup.
The oldest existing trophy awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America will be in Nelson Sunday, October 15 at the NDCC Arena.
Nelson’s own, Bruno Campese, an amateur scout for the 2023 NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights, is using his time with the Stanley Cup to bring the trophy to the Heritage City.
Each member of the Golden Knights team gets to spend a day with the Stanley Cup, which travels from community to community under the guidance of Hockey Hall of Fame staff.
Campese, who will share a special time with the Stanley Cup with family and close friends during the morning, is inviting the entire community to share in the celebration that will take place at the NDCC Arena between noon and 2 p.m.
The Vegas Golden Knights scout will share his thoughts during a brieft introduction at 1 p.m. with the community invited to capture individual photos with the Stanley Cup.
Campese, who started his goaltending career in Nelson Minor Hockey before graduating to play on two BCHL Championships with the Penticton Knights in 1980 and 1981, a Memorial Cup Championship with the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks in 1983, a long professional career in Europe and representing Italy in many international competitions including the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
After his retiring from playing, Campese turned his focus to coaching — starting with the Nelson Junior Leafs of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League before heading off to skipper the Trail Smoke Eaters of the BCHL in the 2000-2001 season.
After stops with the Calgary Hitman (WHL) and Penticton Vees (BCHL), he became the head coach and general manager of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders in 2007.
An amateur scout with the Golden Knights since the expansion team entered the NHL in 2016, Campese has been a key member of the staff that has built a perennial Stanley Cup contender and champion.
Campese lives in West Kelowna but travels throughout Western Canada scouting future Golden Knight prospects.
