With the end of the hockey season coming to a close I thought it a good time to look into the famous award associated with this sport. Following are a few fun facts about the award that represents the pinnacle of the National Hockey Leagues’ success:

Height: 35-1/4 inches
Weight: 34-1/2 pounds
Material: Silver-nickel alloy
Cost: $75,000

The Stanley Cup ….

…is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes
… was crafted in Sheffield, England
… was purchased for 10 guineas ($48.67 at the time) in 1892
… Logged more than 400,000 miles in travel during the past five seasons
… has each winning player and team management member take the Cup home for a day to share with family and friends
… has misspells on the Cup that never have been corrected: Jacques Plante’s name has been misspelled five times, (incl. “Jocko,” “Jack” and “Plant”); Bob Gainey was spelled “Gainy” when he was a player for Montreal in the 70s; Ted Kennedy was spelled “Kennedyy” in the 40s; New York Islanders was spelled “Ilanders” in 1980/81; the Toronto Maple Leafs was spelled “Leaes” in 1962/63; the Boston Bruins was spelled “Bqstqn” in 1972.

The Stanley Cup is a Silver bowl atop plinth, engraved with all past winners. Plinth is extended as required. First named the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. First contested in 1894. The original bowl was retired in 1969 because it was brittle. In case you were wondering what a plinth is, it is any flat block used as a base for something.

In baseball, basketball or football, you often hear of athletes pining for a ring. Not in hockey. When it comes to the NHL, the championship ring is nice, but every player longs to hoist the trophy. It is one of the few team sports in which you see every member personally holding, kissing and even drinking from Lord Stanley’s mug. It is one of the most famous trophies in the sporting world and has been awarded every year since 1894, except for 1919 (Spanish influenza) and 2005 (labor dispute).
Memorable moment: In 1989, in the only all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final within the last 16 years, Lanny McDonald raised the Stanley Cup trophy for the first time in what would be his final NHL game, as the Calgary Flames defeated the Montreal Canadiens in six games.

For some more information you may want to visit the following link: http://www.tmlfever.com/NHLTrophies.html