A hockey fanatic says he had a life-size Stanley Cup carved out of a dead tree stump in his yard to show his enduring love for his team, the Buffalo Sabres.

ADVERTISEMENT

Doug Harbison of Eggertsville said he had the replica of the NHL championship trophy created as permanent way of showing support for his favorite team, The Buffalo News reported Saturday.

Harbison called a wood sculptor to transform an 8-foot-tall stump into the cup.

"I didn't even ask him how much," Harbison said. "I said, 'When can you do it?'"

Harbison originally dreamed of the cup being as tall as him, but wood sculptor Rick Pratt talked him into keeping close to the real-life dimensions.

"With something like the Stanley Cup, people identify with its size," Pratt said.

Some of Harbison's neighbors are upset by the sculpture.

"Honestly, I love the Sabres and I love the Stanley Cup," said Pam McKenna, a neighbor who lives directly across the street, "but I don't want to look out my kitchen window and see the Stanley Cup every day."

Amherst Council Member Mark Manna said he has received several complaints about the sculpture.

"They're worried about the noise and traffic issues," he said, adding "There's nothing against it legally. It's private property."

Harbison maintains the sculpture is good for the neighborhood.

"You can never see it enough. Never," he said. "And I've been to the Hockey Hall of Fame 10 or 15 times."