The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Wednesday. This week we offer five facts about the Stanley Cup and the NHL’s post-season to get you excited for playoff hockey.
Lord Stanley’s Cup
The Stanley Cup is the oldest existing trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America. It was donated by Frederick Arthur Stanley, Canada’s former Governor General, in 1892. It was known as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. The trophy was awarded to the top amateur hockey team in Canada. In 1926 it became the NHL championship trophy.
In the early days, prior to the NHL, winning teams included the Kenora Thistles, Montreal Wanderers, Vancouver Millionaires, Seattle Metropolitans, Toronto Arenas, and the Quebec Bulldogs.
There are actually three Stanley Cups in existence today — the presentation Cup presented to winning players, a replica version for display purposes, and the original is kept in a vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Traditions
These days, everyone knows players have a tendency to grow a “playoff beard” while they battle for the Stanley Cup. This is actually a relatively recent tradition that was started by the New York Islanders teams of the 1980s. The origin of the superstition is unclear, but it is certainly well known today.
The final step before playing in the Stanley Cup Final is to win the Eastern of Western Conference Championship. The Eastern champs are awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy, while winning teams from the West are presented with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl. Most players believe that you should not touch either trophy, or else you will not win the Stanley Cup. It is a silly superstition, but don’t be surprised if teams don’t touch the trophies this year.
It is worth noting, however, that in 2009 Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins did choose to celebrate with the Wales trophy. He wanted to change his luck after not touching the trophy the year before and losing to Detroit in the final. It worked, as Pittsburgh beat the Red Wings in a rematch. Crosby and the Penguins did the same in 2016 and 2017, winning both times.
Winning teams now come together at centre ice but this too is a recent tradition. In fact, the 1988 Edmonton Oilers initiated the modern practice. After grabbing the Cup, Wayne Gretzky gathered everyone — players, coaches, and trainers — together at centre ice for a photo. Teams have been snapping photos together ever since.
Zero Wins
A number of high profile players have never won the Stanley Cup. This includes a who’s who of Hall of Famers, such as: Pat LaFontaine, Bernie Federko, Dino Ciccarelli, Marcel Dionne, Mats Sundin, Cam Neely, Darryl Sittler, Phil Housley, Borje Salming, Paul Kariya, Adam Oates, Mark Howe, and Pavel Bure. The players with the most points on this list include Dionne (sixth all time with 1,771 points in 1,348 games), Oates (18th all time with 1,420 points in 1,337 games), and Hawerchuk (20th all time with 1,409 points in 1,188 games). Also notable is Gartner, who is seventh on the all-time goals list with 708.
Other prominent players without a Cup win — who have yet to be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame — include Trevor Linden, Daniel Alfredsson, Curtis Joseph, Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla, Jeremy Roenick, Markus Naslund, and Keith Tkachuk.
Current NHLers without a Stanley Cup include Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers, and Joe Thornton in San Jose.
Of the NHL’s 31 teams, 12 have never won the Cup. This includes the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators (current iteration), St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, and Winnipeg Jets.
All I Do is Win
Dynasty teams are not what they once were. Although the Penguins won back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, no team has won three in a row since the Islanders won four from 1980-1983. The Canadiens also won four in a row prior to that, from 1976-79.
In fact, between 1956 and 1993, just nine different teams won the Stanley Cup — a span of 38 years. Of course, the NHL had just six teams prior to expansion in 1967, but this timeframe features some truly memorable dynasties. This list of winning teams includes:
- Montreal Canadiens (1956-1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976-1979, 1986, 1993)
- Chicago Blackhawks (1961)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-1964, 1967)
- Boston Bruins (1970, 1972)
- Philadelphia Flyers (1974, 1975)
- New York Islanders (1980-1983)
- Edmonton Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990)
- Calgary Flames (1989)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (1991, 1992)
Engravings
Winning players not only get to spend a day with the Cup, they also have their names engraved on it. Unfortunately, sometimes the spelling is all wrong.
Hall of Fame goaltender Jacques Plante had his name engraved five times between 1956 and 1960 — and his name is spelled differently every time. The 1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs are misspelled as Maple Leaes, the 1971-72 Boston Bruins are referred to as the Bqstqn Bruins, and the 1980-81 New York Islanders are listed as the Ilanders.
In 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington tried to get his father, Basil Pocklington, listed on the Cup. He was caught and the name is covered by a string of X’s.
All names are spelled correctly on the replica cup, however.
Henri Richard has his name on the Cup 11 times, which is the most of anyone.
The first woman engraved on the Cup was Marguerite Norris, who was president of the Detroit Red Wings from 1952-55. She was also the first female NHL executive.
The names are not on the Cup permanently, however. Bands from the Stanley Cup are periodically replaced to prevent the trophy from getting too large and heavy. Removed bands are kept at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The NHL recently removed a band representing winning teams from the 1953-54 season through to 1964-65. The next time a band will be removed is 2030. It will include the year 1967, which is the last time the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup. That means if the Leafs don’t win before 2030, they will be no longer be listed on the trophy.
