Back-To-Back Champion to Bring Stanley Cup Back to Peterborough

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in his first two seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Peterborough’s Mitchell Stephens will bring the prestigious trophy to Peterborough next Wednesday.

Stephens winning his second consecutive Stanley Cup at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL. Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Stephens.

“It’s going to be amazing to see my family and my friends celebrating it with me,” said Stephens. “My parents weren’t able to come down to either event. It’s going to be an amazing feeling for my dad to hold the Stanley Cup.”

Stephens will ride in a boat starting at the Peterborough Lift Lock at 5:30 p.m. He will descend the historic landmark with hockey’s most coveted trophy. The public is encouraged to spectate at the canal with parking and designated viewing areas on Ashburnham Drive to watch the water parade. Additional parking is available at the Lift Lock Visitor Centre on Hunter Street.

The boat will make its way through the Trent Severn Waterway to Little Lake and finish at the Fred Anderson Stage in Del Crary Park at roughly 6:30 p.m.

A route map of the Stanley Cup water parade starting at the Lift Lock and going down the Trent Severn Waterway. File Photo.

The 24-year old was unable to bring the cup home after his first win due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each winning member is allowed one day with the trophy where players typically bring it back to their respective hometowns. He had the cup for the day in Tampa Bay but understood why he could not bring it back to Peterborough.

“We understood it was challenging circumstances last year with COVID,” explained Stephens. “But to win it again and have the chance to celebrate in our hometowns like a normal year definitely made it sweeter.”

Stephens winning his first Stanley Cup championship in Edmonton in his rookie year during the 2019-20 NHL season. Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Stephens.

Stephens had played minor hockey in Peterborough for years before he played for the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League from 2011-2013 in the U15 and U16 age groups.

From 2014-2017, the hometown champion has played in two World Juniors and two World Junior U18 Championships winning a gold, silver and bronze medal.

Stephens as a member of the Peterborough Petes before playing minor Peewee hockey in Toronto. Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Stephens.

In 2013, he was drafted eighth overall by the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection draft where he played for four years.

He was drafted 33rd overall in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015 and was sent to play with the Syracuse Crunch, the team’s American Hockey League farm team.

Stephens has scored a total of eight goals in his four World Junior appearences. Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Stephens.

Stephens scored his first goal on Dec. 28, 2019, against Montréal Canadiens’ Carey Price— who Tampa Bay beat in Stephens’s second cup win — after his rebound shot bounced off Artturi Lehkonen.

Entering his third NHL season, Stephens was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft on July 30.

“The Lift Lock is a staple of Peterborough. It’s been recognizable. For me to do that, to bring the community together and celebrate one of the greatest trophies in sports,” reflected Stephens. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to show the young athletes in Peterborough that I grew up playing minor hockey and I achieved this. The most important thing is to share it with my friends and family to the people who supported me during the highs and lows and show my gratitude.“

A reminder to everyone attending that all COVID-19 protocols are in effect, exercise caution and to maintain social distancing while viewing the event.

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PTBO Celebrates the 101st Anniversary for the Trent-Severn Waterway of Parks Canada In Video Series

Historian Dennis Carter-Edwards takes you through the history of the Peterborough Lift Lock with the start of an amazing series with PTBOCanada with never-before-seen photos!

This summer series explores the history of Trent-Severn Waterway of Parks Canada on its 101st anniversary!

Part 1: Lift Lock Origins

Carter-Edwards takes us through the story of how canal construction began in Peterborough including Cobourg entrepreneur James Grey Bethune and his mishaps with the Commission.

Part 2: Thomas Stafford Rubidge

Canal engineer Thomas Stafford Rubidge conducts surveys to feasibly further canal works and maybe getting in a fistfight with his assistant.

Part 3: Richard Birdsell Rogers, Henry Holgate and the Lift Lock Construction

Carter-Edwards takes us through the story of how canal construction began in Peterborough including Cobourg entrepreneur James Grey Bethune and his mishaps with the Commission.

Part 4: The Liberal Party and the Peterborough Lift Lock in 1896

See how the Liberal Party thought of the canal system and the Lift Locks after winning the federal election in 1896.

Part 5: Extending the Canal System Amidst the 1911 Election

Despite that the Liberal and Conservative Parties were in favour of an extended navigation system from Lake Simcoe to Georgian Bay, see how politics and the canal system would intersect through the 1911 election.

Part 6: Maintenance, Improvements and Tourism of the Trent Severn Waterway

Following the 1920s, the government had the challenge of maintaining and upkeeping the Lift Locks while using it as a tool to promote tourism.

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Lost In Time: Old Water Fountain Hidden In Plain Sight Exposed At Lift Lock

During the rehabilitation work being done to the earth dams at the Lift Lock, crews found and exposed remnants from the original water fountain on the East side they knew was there from the 1900s (the Lift Lock itself opened in 1904) that has not been used in a long, long time.

Here is what it looks like now after trees were removed from around it...

Image courtesy Parks Canada

It's literally been hiding in plain sight for many decades under all the tree growth and vegetation...

Image courtesy Parks Canada

Here is what the functioning fountain looked like way back in the day (date unknown) with kids using it...

Historical image courtesy Parks Canada

Parks Canada tells PTBOCanada they do not know much about the fountain, other that it was a known entity. 

Through the course of rehabilitating that big earth berm, it would be great to see the old fountain brought back to life. Only time will tells what happens from this Peterborough remnant of the past.

[Note that the water is not safe for drinking, as it is ground and canal water.]

Know anything about this old fountain? Email us.

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Rehabilitation Work Being Done To Earth Embankment Dams At Lift Lock & Trent-Severn Waterway

Many of you might have noticed the removal of trees and vegetation at the Earth dam at the Lift Lock.

Well the Lift Lock is one of several Earth embankment dams across the Trent-Severn Waterway that have been identified for rehabilitation or upgrades that may include repairs to washouts, removal of vegetation undermining their strength, and height increases.

Photo AT LIFT LOCK by Jay Callaghan

According to Parks Canada, this work is being done to rehabilitate and strengthen earth dams—which are vital for flood mitigation and therefore the safety of visitors, residents and property.

Indeed, the long and the short is trees were never meant to be on a hill holding back water and some breaches were discovered in the earth dam a few years ago.

Picture via Parks Canada website

During phase one of the project, trees and shrubs growing along earth dams—which threaten the dam’s long-term integrity by creating places for seepage and erosion—are removed.

The plan is to remove stumps and to re-plant beneficial plants like milkweed and tall grasses at the dam sites.

Earth Dam rehabilitation is occuring across the Trent-Severn Waterway, as can be seen in this graph below...

Picture via Parks Canada website

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The Lift Lock Was Once Featured In The Saturday Evening Post

The iconic Saturday Evening Post is an American magazine that (aside from folding for two years before relaunching in 1971) has been running since 1821!

The magazine contains general human-interest type articles, and in the September 1958 issue Peterborough was featured. In an article entitled "Wonderful Waterways", the author describes his visit to our magnificent Lift Lock.

This is how the article described it...

"At Peterborough, Ontario, the author's boat enters one of the world's highest hydraulic lift locks. Like a huge chemist's scale, the lock raises and lowers vessels in 'pans' of water."

Norman Rockwell’s famous painting The Runaway, was the cover of this issue that featured the Lift Lock.

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Epic: Peterborough Lift Lock Will Be Attempting To Fit 300 Canoes & Kayaks Into Their Chambers At Once

Last June, 138 canoes and kayaks filled one of the Lift Lock Chambers as part of part of Lock 'n Paddle Day at the Lift Lock (aka Lock 21) in Peterborough for National Canoe Day celebrations. That broke the previous record of 101 set in 2007.

Well if you thought that was epic, then Trent-Severn Waterway's Manager of Operations Chad Buchner says wait until you see what they have planned for this year's Lock N' Paddle. Buchner tells PTBOCanada they are not only going to fill the west chamber again this year but also the east chamber—both tubs!

2016 Lock 'N Paddle

So yes, on Saturday, June 24th this summer—as part of 150 Canada celebrations—the goal is for 300 paddlecraft to fit into the chambers at one time. It will be like a jigsaw puzzle to fit them all in but Buchner and the Trent-Severn team think they can do it.

2016 Lock N' Paddle

"We are going to try and squeeze 150 paddlecraft in each of the two chambers," Buchner tells PTBOCanada, which is fitting since Canada is turning 150.

Buchner says he hopes this will turn into a huge community event with hundreds of spectators lining Lock 21 to watch the Chambers fill up, and documenting the day on social media to share across Canada and beyond.

Manager of Operations Chad Buchner

More details are coming soon on the big day and how to be involved, so make sure to save that date—June 24th—and follow Trent-Severn Waterway on Twitter and Facebook as buzz builds for this amazing community event.

Learn more about the Lift Lock's amazing history here.

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Happy 50th Anniversary Of The National Flag Of Canada

Today (February 15th) marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag. Parks Canada employees at the Trent-Severn Waterway—along with volunteers from the Peteborough community—celebrated it by recently painting the Canadian flag on the ice in front of the Historic Lift Lock...

BEAUTY SHOT FROM ABOVE...

Canada’s flag turns 50 today! We celebrated by painting it on the ice under the PLL. Check out the video! #FLAG50 http://t.co/BCmfO5knb1

— TrentSevern Waterway (@TrentSevernNHS) February 15, 2015

Watch the full video here of the flag being painted...

When Parks Canada employees at the Trent-Severn Waterway wanted to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag, they invited the community of Peterborough to join them in a truly Canadian undertaking. Here's what community spirit, patriotism, and a little bit of winter built at the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site.

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Awkward Group Photo In Front Of The Lift Lock In 1908

Maybe it was super hot that day, or maybe there was a tiff over where to eat in town, or maybe people didn't smile then... but either way this is a totally awkward group photo from circa 1908. Please discuss.

[Photo via Vintage Peterborough Lindsay and the Kawartha Region Facebook page]

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