Stanley Cup on display in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 20 (UPI) -- The Holy Grail of hockey, the Stanley Cup, was on display Thursday at a Canadian military base in Afghanistan on a morale-boosting mission.

The cup arrived Wednesday along with current and former NHL players, Canadian entertainers and senior military officials, a Globe and Mail correspondent reported.

Among the 2,500 troops at the base, Chief of Defense Staff Canadian army Gen. Rick Hillier is known to be an avid fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who haven't won the cup since 1967. A chorus of catcalls went up when he pointed to the spot where he said their name would go at the end of this season, the report said.

His hope is that of a true fan -- the Maple Leafs are in 12th place in the NHL Eastern Conference, six points out of a playoff spot.

Ball hockey games in the desert temperatures were scheduled between the NHL pros and Canadian soldiers, along with a weekend game involving U.S. troops, the report said.

The Stanley Cup is on its second visit to Afghanistan from its home in Toronto at the Hockey Hall of Fame, although the soldiers who first saw it 10 months ago have all returned home, the Canwest News Service said.