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  BRIDGET O'BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Senior Brian Forde fights for balance as the Bruins fall to the Trojans in a 7-2 exhibition-game loss at the NHL All-Star FANtasy. USC 7 UCLA 2

By Vytas Mazeika

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

For hockey afficionados, there is no object more sacred than Lord Stanley’s Cup – the sport’s version of the Holy Grail.

And on Thursday, after an exhibition game which was part of the NHL All-Star festivities, the UCLA and USC ice hockey teams got their once in a lifetime chance to have their picture taken with it on the ice.

“First thing, I don’t think that was the real Stanley Cup, they have a couple of dummies. But if that was, a lot of NHL guys would just have to hang their head and shake,” UCLA goaltender Matt Hsu said. “They work their whole life for it, and we played in front of a couple of people and we get to sit next to it, pose next to it and pretend we won it.

“It’s kind of sacrilegious, but it was still pretty cool.”

The game itself turned out to be rather anti-climactic. Played in a miniature rink with 4-on-4 action during three 12-minute periods, the game was over in less than an hour. The Trojans came out on top 7-2, but the game was quickly forgotten.

The real star was brought out after the red carpet was laid out on the ice.

“That’s what the guys came here for – to see the Stanley Cup,” UCLA assistant coach Mike Siegel said. “None of these guys have ever seen it before, and just to be basically sitting right in front of it was pretty exciting for them.

“The game itself, it was all right. It kind of sucked. The rink was tiny. No one was really trying. But overall it was a good experience.”

The game was one of Thursday’s main attractions at the NHL All-Star FANtasy interactive festival held in the Los Angeles Convention Center. Fans had the opportunity to, among other things, test the power of their slap shot, the accuracy of their wrist shot and their courage as goaltenders in front of a “rapid fire” exhibit.

On top of the ice rink, there were also an in-line and a street hockey rink. Photo opportunities with the Stanley Cup and a Zamboni machine were also available for the public. There was even an arena stage where the band Unwritten Law played after the UCLA-USC game.

But some more powerful elements in display were the historical artifacts. From the covers of past All-Star game programs dating back to the 1940s and ’50s hanging from the ceiling, to trophies like the Calder, Norris and Vezina.

“There’s one thing that comes with this place: a healthy respect for history,” USC head coach Mark Wilbur said. “Hockey is one of those sports that refuses to let go of its history. It utterly refuses.”

And that’s why Thursday night was all about the Stanley Cup.

“The game was a chance to showcase the team and college hockey in Southern California,” winger Justin Williams said. “Once it ended, it was fun playing, but you were just waiting for the Stanley Cup to jump on to the ice. It’s your probably one chance in your life to sit next to it and touch it on the ice.”

And did Williams get to touch it?

“I did. Front and center. It was nice,” he said.

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