Stanley Cup Essay

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The Stanley Cup has been forgotten on the side of the road, being kicked into a canal and taken into a swimming pool (“Stanley Cup Fast Facts.”). In the 125 year history of the Stanley Cup, it is possibly the most traveled trophy in all of professional sports. The Cup has undergone many changes to both its shape and the format in which one must go through to hoist it. Hoisting the Cup is one of the greatest honors someone can receive and is a dream come true for everyone who has had the chance. The 125 year history of the Stanley Cup is very rich and intricate. The Stanley Cup was donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston. He was the Governor General of Canada in 1892 and the son of the 14th Earl of Derby (Rourke). Lord Stanley donated the …show more content…

The original and current models of the Stanley Cup vary greatly in size, shape, and weight. The original bowl has very different dimensions than the current Cup. It is 7.28 inches tall, has a diameter of 11.42 inches, and is made of silver. The current model of the Stanley Cup is quite a bit larger than the original as it has a height of 35.25 inches, weighs 34.5 pounds, and is made of a mix of silver and nickel alloy (Hockey Hall of Fame). The shape and appearance of the Stanley Cup have also changed over the years. The original bowl warped into a stovepipe shaped Cup until it was remodeled into today’s current model (Hockey Hall of Fame). The five rings on the Stanley Cup are filled with the names of past champions with 13 teams per ring. This means that every 13 years, a ring must be removed to make room for future champions. The retired ring is kept in Lord Stanley’s Vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. One of the greatest traditions in all of sports is the engraving of every member of the winning team on the Stanley Cup. The choice to have the teams names engraved on the Cup was decided by the team who won it until it became official in 1924 (Rourke). There are 2,528 individuals engraved on the Stanley Cup and once a name is engraved, it is there forever. There have been numerous spelling mistakes made on the Stanley Cup and the NHL has only just started to correct them. Some mistakes …show more content…

The grind of the playoffs can have a huge impact on players physically and mentally. The format of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a 16 team bracket with teams playing a best of seven game series against each other. The format has undergone minor changes through the years such as the first series being best of five and only the top four teams make the Playoffs. The unwritten code of the playoffs is playing hurt. Players play through immense pain as to not let their team down. The thought is that is you can hold a stick and sit up straight, you are good to go. In 2012, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron played through a cartilage tear in his ribs, a punctured lung, and a separated shoulder. In the 1999 playoffs, Mike Modano broke his wrist and played the rest of the playoffs while having to have his wrist shot up before every game. Dallas won the Stanley Cup that year (Bernstein 187-212). Winning the Stanley Cup leaves many players speechless because it is such an honor to win it. The thought process that goes into winning the Cup is something that is different for every player. The fact that these players have been dreaming of hoisting the Cup their whole lives and then finally getting to see their dream unfold before their eyes is something that is very special to them. “To win the Cup was just a dream come true, it really was” (Bernstein 44). Because of the

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