The Stanley Cup Playoffs will be starting in less than 2 weeks! This is definitely my favorite time of the year. I figured why not share some little know facts of the most recognizable trophy in all of sports. . . The Stanley Cup.
The trophy has an incredible history and if the Stanley Cup had eyes it would be able to tell some pretty remarkable stories regarding the championship celebration parties it was in attendance for. . When a team is crowned Stanley Cup Champions, each player on the team has their name engraved on the cup. Each player and staff member get to spend 24 hours with the cup as well. As you can imagine, the excitement and adrenaline running through the veins of players can lead to some pretty interesting events.
Here are just a few of the Stanley Cup "moments":
- 1940 New York Rangers ended up lighting the cup on fire and then pissed on it to put it out.
- In 1987 Mark Messier brought it to a strip club, the Forum Inn and let people drink out of it. And when he won the cup again in 1988, Messier dented the cup and brought it to an auto repair shop to get fixed.
- In 1996 Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre christened his child in the bowl of the cup. Tomas Holmström, a Red Wings forward allowed his cousin to baptize his daughter in the bowl when the Red Wings won in 2008. Only 2 people can say they were baptized in the most famous trophy of all time.
- In 1991 the Stanley Cup sank to the bottom of Mario Lemieux's pool. Mario was having a party and apparently the cup found its way into the pool. I'm sure there was no alcohol involved there. :)
- In 1924 the Candiens got a flat tire on the side of the road. They took the cup out of the car to change the tire and forgot the cup on the side of the road. They luckily found the cup later that day sitting in a snow drift.
Phil Pritchard has been the keeper of the Cup since 1988 and travels everywhere the cup goes. He is the curator and vice president of the Hockey Hall of Fame and has one of the best jobs in the world. You will see him this year wearing his white gloves and bringing the trophy out to center ice.
In 1892, the trophy had a value of $50. Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley of Preston and son of the 14th Earl of Derby, bought the original trophy. He planned to present it to the championship hockey team in the Dominion of Canada.
The cup is 125 years old and is currently valued as priceless. The trophy represents the hopes and dreams of hockey players all over the world. The ultimate in hockey achievement. First time Stanley Cup winners typically break down in tears as they hoist the trophy around the stadium. Each player on the team that wins the Stanley Cup gets the opportunity to hoist the trophy around the stadium in a victory lap. If you have ever witnessed this and you are a hockey fan, it is tough not to experience "goose-bumps" on your arms.
- The youngest player to ever win the Cup was Larry Hillman. He was 18 years old when the Boston Bruins won the cup in 1955.
- Chris Chelios (my favorite player) was the oldest to win the Cup. He was 46 years old when he won it with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008
- The costliest celebration was the 2011 Bruins. They racked up a $156,679.74 tab at the bar which included a $100,000 bottle of champagne.
- The current Stanley Cup weighs in at 34.5 lbs. or 15.5 kgs
- There are actually 3 Stanley Cups: The original which is in a vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame, the "Presentation Cup "that we all know and love which was created in 1963, and a replica cup(1993) that is used as a stand-in at the Hockey Hall of Fame when the Presntation Cup is not available.
So this year, when you watch the Stanley Cup Champions hoist that beauty around the ice, know that it is more than just a trophy. It has a 125 year old history and is the admiration of every young hockey player around the world. It truly represents the love of the game and the dedication of the champions whose names have been engraved upon it.