A man from Niverville set his alarm for 3:30 this morning, in order to catch a glimpse of a Stanley Cup champion.

Kris Dueck, who has been a Washington Capitals fan for many years learned that T.J. Oshie would be in Warroad, Minnesota this morning as part of his day with the Stanley Cup. So, he hit the road around 4:30 am and about two hours later pulled into the small Minnesota city.

Dueck says the doors to the local arena, The Gardens opened at 7:30. When he arrived at 6:45, there were already lineups.

"I was almost hoping I would be first in line but that wasn't the case," he says. "There were some people there with camping chairs and their coffees in hand so I'm guessing people showed up there pretty early for this big event."

Oshie was scheduled to land in Warroad between 8:30 and 9:30 and then head over to The Gardens. But Dueck says it was closer to ten o'clock by the time he arrived. By then, an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 people were inside the arena, waiting for Oshie's arrival.

"When he finally did make the grand entrance into the arena, he had the typical, the classic hoisting of the cup and that place went absolutely crazy when he did that," recalls Dueck.

According to Dueck, Oshie spoke for 15 to 20 minutes, much of which was spent thanking coaches, teammates and friends from his years as a youth hockey player in Warroad. There was also a tribute video, highlighting his accomplishments as well as a chance to promote the success of the city's hockey teams this past winter.

Following his stop at the arena, Oshie climbed into a classic car and then paraded the cup through Warroad, stopping at the docks for photos. By noon he was back on a plane.

"I was probably within five feet of him, he walked right past me," says Dueck. "To be within five feet of a professional athlete holding the Stanley Cup is pretty awesome."

Dueck says unfortunately because of his flight delay and tight itinerary there was no opportunity for a one-on-one with Oshie, but he says it was still worth the early wakeup call.

Dueck wore his Capitals jersey but says there weren't many others donning Caps' colours. He says however, many people wore Warroad Warriors jerseys with OSHIE on the back or UND jerseys from his college years. Others wore commemorative t-shirts that were printed and sold for this special occasion.