St. Louis Blues' Joel Edmundson 'can't wait to bring the Cup back to Brandon'

Bluesdefencemanand Brandonite Joel Edmundsonis celebrating his first Stanley Cup win with family and fans in St. Louis, but he's eagerto show off the hardware and share the excitement with those back home inManitoba.

"It's a special feeling," hetold CBCInformation Radiohost Marcy Markusa over the phone from St. Louis Thursday morning.

"I'm glad that my parents are here to experience it with meand I just can't wait to bring the Cup back to Brandon."

The Blues downed the Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 of the finals Wednesday night in Boston before boarding a plane and flying back to St. Louis.

Edmundsongrew up in Brandon with his family.Hisparents screamed with joy as they rushed onto the ice andpulled their6-foot-4, 215-pound son close for a hug in the middle of an interview he was doing Wednesday night.

"I don't have much of a voice, but we're doing great," his father Bob Edmundsonsaid fromSt. Louis Thursday morning.

"When we were on the ice, it honestly didn't feel real at all," Joel said.

The game capped off a storybook season that saw the Blues rise from worst in the league midway through the seasonto net the team its first title in franchise history.

Edmundson said he's thankful for every early morning practice his parents took him to over the past 20 years, and heremembers getting into fights with his brother often during road hockey games when their competitiveness took over.

"We could never finish a game because me and my brother would always get in a fight, and I think that's where I got my toughness from," he said.

"Every game was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, so to actually do it real life, it's pretty special."

The Blues left a trail of destruction in their path to the finals, defeating the San Jose Sharks in Round 3, the Dallas Stars in Round 2 and the Winnipeg Jets in Round 1 on April 21.

"That Winnipeg series feels like a year ago. It's been a long road for us," Edmundson said. "I'm so happy I did it with this team and this group."

A bunch of fans greeted theteam when they arrived back in St. Louis late Wednesday night, and the team and their loved ones came together again early Thursday morning to keep the party going at their home ice at the Enterprise Centre.

"I don't think anybody knows what time it is, we're just having a good time," he said.

Edmundsonplans to bring the Cup back to Brandon, though he doesn't know when yet.The team will take part in a parade in St. Louis on Saturday.

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