Quote:Hockey officials and the New Jersey Devils are breathing a big, collective sigh of relief right now.

The Stanley Cup, the most famous trophy in all of sports, was missing for at least 24 hours last week, the Toronto Sun reported on its Web site Monday.

Vincent Lukac, father-in-law of Devils forward Jiri Bicek, led a welcoming committee of 15,000 fans in the main square in Kosice, Slovakia, for the Cup's arrival on Thursday, according to The Sun.

Two Hockey Hall of Fame officials responsible for escorting the Cup arrived on Thursday. The Cup itself did not.

And panic ensued, according to The Sun.

\"From what we understand, the Cup was supposed to have been flown from the United States via Toronto to Vienna, then from the Austrian capital to Kosice,\" Zdeno Simonides, editor-in-chief of the Sports Daily in Bratislava (Slovakia), told The Sun. \"Apparently, the travel arrangements from the U.S. to Toronto were too tight, allowing the two guards to make the transfer, but not the Stanley Cup box on four wheels.\"

The organizers figured the Cup was left in Vienna. However, according to The Sun, Austrian airport officials said they had not seen it.

Disaster -- but not high anxiety -- was averted when the Cup was located and finally arrived in Kosice (from Vienna) on Friday.

The delay wreaked some havoc on the Cup schedule. The Cup is supposed to stay with each member of the champion Devils for a 24-hour period. To save time, Richard Smehlik reportedly drove approximately 250 miles from Ostrava to pick up the Stanley Cup. Later the Cup made its way to Trebic in the Czech Republic, so Patrik Elias could have his picture taken with the prize.