To be honest, I’m a casual hockey fan at best. My interest in sports is fueled by the success of the Chicago Blackhawks this year. I got a new found respect for hockey, which I followed in the playoffs, but I still have a rudimentary knowledge of the rules and history of this professional game.
Central Illinois I spent my summers in growing up playing baseball. Hockey is not the only sport played by neighborhood kids. It was a game for me in Canada and I didn’t even know anything about hockey in practice. it was fought. But over the years, as my interest in every game grew, I learned of course that the NHL’s championship trophy was called the Stanley Cup, but I never knew why. Oh I knew it was mentioned by some guy but that was the extent of my knowledge. With my attention now focused on hockey as the Hawks get closer to that Stanley Cup, I decided to do some research.
Although hockey is not as popular in this country as football, baseball, and basketball, the trophy, the Stanley Cup, is probably the most recognizable. Most sports fans can tell you that the trophy was named after Mr. Stanley, but who was this man, and how did such a respected and prominent professional footballer come to be named after him?
According to a Legends of Hockey post on the legendsofhockey.com story, “The Stanley Cup, notably the oldest trophy for professional athletic competition in North America, was donated in 1892 by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the Earl of Derby.
At this time Lord Stanley of Preston was also Governor-General of Canada. The trophy was actually a silver bowl Mr. Stanley bought for 10 guineas which at the time was about $50.00. The cup was originally named as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, and is awarded to Canada’s top-ranked amateur hockey club each year. Not until 1926 did he capture the NHL Cup. Another was 21 years old when in 1947 the Stanley Cup became the official trophy of the NHL.
The original bowl is now on permanent display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Stanley Cup that is awarded to the NHL is called the “Presentation Cup”, as it is presented to the team of the championship. It was created in 1963 by a Montreal banker. Fans can recognize this Cup by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame attached to the bottom of the Cup. It can be clearly seen when the captain the victorious team lifts the cup over its head.
One of the most notable traditions associated with the Stanley Cup, and something unmatched by any other professional or amateur sports, is that every player and team member pre-office takes to keep the Cup for the championship won in the space of 24 hours.
According to Gregory Sean in his article, The Stanley Cup, “When Mr. Stanley de Preston, the governor general of Canada, bought the cup for $50 in 1893, he never anticipated that it would be used by a goalie. a a bowl of popcorn in a movie theater, just like New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur did a century later.
Because of this unique tradition, the Stanley Cup was held at the bottom of the Mario Lemieux Lake and in various clubs – most notably with Mark Messier at Scores in New York. A Kentucky Derby The winning horse, Go to Gin, was allowed to eat from the Cup, and Steve Yzerman also soaked it. at Lord Stanley’s Cup The cup was included all over the world as well as in the fight in 1997.
According to Wikipedia, “During the trip to Kandahar, Afghanistan from May 2 to May 6 organized by the NHL, the Hockey Hall of Fame, the NHL Alumni and the Canadian Department of National Defence, the Cup was put on display for Canadian and other Nat forces.
The Stanley Cup in its refinement was made from an alloy of silver and nickel. He stands at 35 inches tall and weighs 34 pounds. It consists of a bowl, a collar, a shoulder, a barrel, and a base. The faces of each team that won the Cup have been engraved in many places with the first face being engraved in 1906. There are now 2,163 individual players inscribed on the Cup with more added each year.
According to Legends of Hockey posted on their website, “overshadowing all other football trophies in sports, the legend and glory of the Stanley Cup continues to live on in the dreams of hockey players and fans alike.”
Finally, Sean Gregory had this to say in regard of the Stanley Cup which I think is the best way to end this article, “Stains and all, the Stanley Cup is a species. Why else show the trophy in the local shop. or two shots?
“Sculpture Made, First, & Faux Pas”, Legendsofhockey.net
“History”, Legendsofhockey.net
Sean Gregory, “The Stanley Cup”, Time.com
“Stanley Cup”, Wikipedia.org
