Two-time champ Goodrow brings Stanley Cup home

Aurora native Barclay Goodrow brought the Stanley Cup to Machell Park last Thursday that brought together hundreds of Aurorans.

In what was a very hot afternoon, Goodrow arrived with Lord Stanley's cup on his Jeep and brought it right out in front of a stage set up in the park.

Mayor Tom Mrakas introduced Barclay Goodrow to the crowd and provided a brief timeline of his career, up until he was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 24, 2020.

Goodrow comes off back-to-back Stanley Cup victories with the Lightning defeating the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens, before being traded by the Lightning to the New York Rangers this offseason.

Mayor Mrakas pegged this conversation as a “Between the Pipes” interview. He alluded to questions regarding Goodrow's early life and once he finished his personal questions, children who registered prior to the event were permitted to come up to the microphone and take a picture with their local hockey icon.

Other fans lined up to take pictures with the Stanley Cup in the process.

When Goodrow began playing hockey, he recalled it was extremely important to play other sports in a calendar year.

“I played a lot of soccer every summer. I wasn't into playing hockey 12 months round back then. My parents instilled in me it's good to build your athleticism in playing other sports. It's good to take a break from hockey every offseason,” Goodrow recalled.

“I played soccer pretty seriously until I was probably 14 or 15, right before the OHL draft. I think the year before I stopped playing soccer to focus my time on to hockey. Other than that, I played rugby, basketball. Pretty much any sport in school that was going on at that time. I feel like it really built me into the athlete I am today.”

Throughout his time growing up in Aurora, Goodrow recalled he spent a lot of time at Aurora Community Centre. He won multiple OMHA championships with a lot of his buddies. He said most of his friends all live in different places but when they all come back home to Aurora, it jogs a lot of memories. And his favourite place to eat in Aurora was The Purple Pig.

“I used to get Dad's Root Beer that came in a bottle, thinking I'm a beauty drinking the beer out of a bottle. That was my favourite part. I didn't even like the food, I just liked the drink.”

Goodrow was drafted into the OHL in 2009 by the Brampton Battalion. He spent four seasons with Brampton before moving to the North Bay Battalion for one season.

In 2014, Barclay Goodrow entered the NHL undrafted, signing with the San Jose Sharks.

Growing up, Goodrow also loved the Toronto Maple Leafs and his favourite player was former Leafs captain Mats Sundin.

One child asked Goodrow why he never played for Toronto and Goodrow chuckled. He laughed back while replying, saying the Leafs didn't trade for him or draft him.

Goodrow will now be heading over to New York to play in the Big Apple this upcoming season.

Aurora wishes Goodrow the best of luck with his new team!

By Robert Belardi