Chronicles of Stanley: Jeff Carter takes the Cup back in time

The Chronicles of Stanley is an occasional series this summer that tracks the Los Angeles Kings as they each get their special alone time with the Stanley Cup.

"Jeff Carter lives out his own version of 'Field of Dreams' along with The Stanley Cup", says the caption on this photo at the Hockey Hall of Fame website, and it couldn't be more appropriate. Like the baseball field Kevin Costner builds, for Jeff Carter, the Stanley Cup served the purpose of bringing the past back to life.

For his day with the Cup back in late-August, the Los Angeles Kings' forward did what plenty of other champions do: he returned to his hometown. For Carter, that was London, Ontario.

But his journey back in time didn't stop there. On Friday, the HHOF published the journal from Carter's day and it's clear that he had more than a fleeting interest in honouring the past.

Carter also dug up several of his old jerseys and incorporated them into photos with the Cup, plotting his course from his humble beginnings in North London to his eventual championship with the LA Kings.

For Carter, it began at the North London Sports Association, and what do you know, that jerseys still fits:

Okay maybe not. Unless the NLSA runs a program for young hipsters.

Next, Carter broke out two more jerseys he wore on the way to the NHL.

In this photo, his sister and mother wear his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds sweater from his four year stint in the Ontario Hockey League and his jersey from the London Jr. Knights rep program, respectively.

As Carter said, "For a Canadian boy growing up, you dream about winning the Stanley Cup." It only makes sense to take a moment and reflect on the road that took you to the realization of that dream. (Or you can use the Cup to realize your other dream, as the Kings' manager of video production did.)

All that said, I checked, and it looks like Carter's forgotten that he played for the Columbus Blue Jackets.