Editor’s note: This story was originally published during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. It has been updated.
We are getting closer to seeing what may be the most famous trophy in sport awarded to a new team.
That team may be literally new this year: The Florida Panthers, slight favorites heading into the series, have never won a championship in franchise history. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers have won five, but none since 1990. That adds some extra drama to what is already one of the greatest moments in the modern sports landscape, when the captain of the winning team is called to center ice to put your hands on the ice. the cup.
Whether you’re a hockey fan or not, you’ll probably love the Stanley Cup. (Years ago, when writers from North America’s four major professional leagues drafted their favorite things about other sports, the Stanley Cup was the No. 1 pick.) There’s something about the trophy: its age, its size, the shape. The winners’ names are etched on it for (almost) perpetuity, making it seem like the perfect reward for a grueling season.
But how well do you know the Stanley Cup? Let’s go over some of the facts and figures and see if we can learn a thing or two about the famous silver mug.
1892: The year the original trophy was commissioned by Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada. The original was just the bowl and was known as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup.
1893: The year the Cup was first awarded to the Montreal Hockey Club. During its first decades, teams could challenge the current holder of the Cup; It did not become the NHL’s exclusive championship trophy until 1926, and did not officially come under league control until 1947.
1907: Montreal Wanderers forget the Cup at a photographer’s house; when they return to claim it, they discover that it is being used as a flower pot.
1924: The year in which the name of the entire team was recorded became a tradition. To this day, fans of the winning teams debate who deserves to have their name included; There are rules applicable to players and staff, but it is possible to request an exception.
13: The number of teams that can fit in each band, meaning 65 teams can appear in those main bands at once. That means bands are removed as space fills, and retired bands are sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
3,540: Total names etched on the Cup as of the Avalanche’s 2022 win, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
eleven: The record for most participation in the Cup as a player is held by Henri Richard of Montreal.
17: The most Cups won by Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau: He won 10 as a player and seven more as an executive after retiring.
1957: After decades of redesigns and different versions of the Cup, the modern version with five thick bands is adopted.
3: Actual number of Stanley Cups in existence today. The first, the original, is preserved in a vault at the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame. The current “real” cup, sometimes known as the Presentation Cup, is the one awarded to the winning team at the end of the playoffs and which players can spend a day with during the offseason. When available, that trophy will also be the one on display in the Hall of Fame. When on the road, a third “exhibition” version of the Cup is displayed in the pavilion.
2: A probably unbreakable record for most Cup appearances for the same team in the same year by the same player; goaltender Turk Broda, who was listed as Turk and Walter for the 1941-42 Leafs.
2030: The year the current bottom band is scheduled to be retired, meaning the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ most recent championship will no longer appear on the Stanley Cup.
3: Teams with misspelled names in the current Cup. The 1962-63 Maple Leafs are the “Leaes,” the 1971-72 Bruins are listed as “Bqstqn,” and the 1980-81 Islanders are the “Ilanders.”
0: Number of times the name “Stanley Cup” appears on the Stanley Cup. Technically, the trophy is still called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, although the Stanley Cup moniker is used virtually everywhere today.
eleven: Age in years of the youngest person to have their name on the Cup. Kerry Day was 11 years old when he was honored for his role as mascot of the 1944-45 Maple Leafs team.
72.25: Height in inches of the current Stanley Cup if none of the bands had ever been removed. (Instead, it is currently listed at 35.25 inches.)
2: Number of Hall of Fame players born on October 5, 1965, who have dropped the Stanley Cup into their pool, which isn’t a lot, but it’s strange that it’s happened twice. Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy have had teammates to test the buoyancy of the Cup.
209: Number of fluid ounces of liquid the Cup bowl can hold, according to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
1: Number of babies the glass can contain, although ideally not at the same time as the beer. Two babies have been baptized in the Cup, that we know of.
32: Number of countries the Cup has visited at the beginning of 2024.
300: Approximate number of days the Cup spent away from home last year, according to Cup Keeper Phil Pritchard.
(Illustrations: Drew Jordan and John Bradford / The Athletic. Photos: Bruce Bennett and Bettmann / /Keynote USA/Getty Images)
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.