This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

West Valley City • As an aspiring hockey player, Trevor Lewis once stood in line to pose with the Stanley Cup at the Maverik Center. So he can appreciate how more than 6,000 fans waited outside the arena for their chance to see him and the iconic trophy Thursday.

"I didn't think it was going to be this big here," Lewis said, "but it's awesome to see all the support I got, and I'm happy I could share it with Salt Lake a little bit."

Having played for Brighton High School as a freshman in 2002, Lewis is the first native Utahn to skate for an NHL championship team. He scored two goals against New Jersey in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in June as the Los Angeles Kings clinched the franchise's first title.

Recent tradition allows each player and staff member of the winning team to possess the Cup for 24 hours. Lewis followed the usual script by participating in a series of events, including the public viewing at midday, a halftime appearance during the University of Utah's football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium and a private party in downtown Salt Lake City.

The lore of the Stanley Cup's summer travels includes it serving as a child's baptismal font and a dish for dog food, horse feed and a giant ice cream sundae. Lewis merely planned to pour plenty of beer into the trophy. "Once we leave here, it'll be flowing," he said.

Relatives from Canada and former coaches and teammates from Colorado, where he played elite-level youth hockey, joined Lewis. "It's been crazy, a whirlwind," said his mother, Linda, who helped organize the family celebration. "He deserves it."

Youth hockey player Jesse Miles, of West Jordan, "idolizes NHL players, so the chance to meet Trevor is something you don't pass up," said his mother, Chantelle.

When he was 12, Lewis posed with the Cup. Conforming to hockey superstition, he refused to touch the trophy and void his chances of winning it someday. Yet that notion did not faze Cody Ritzinger, 13, of Kamas. After placing his hand on the trophy Thursday, he declared, "You'll see me many years from now in that exact position."