When the Stanley Cup Champion is crowned, each person on the team is allowed to take the cup with them for one day to do whatever they like. This tradition in itself has created many stories that only the Cup knows.

Because this is the most famous trophy in all of sports, we thought it best to kick off the finals with some of the random facts and history about this infamous trophy.

Let’s check out some of the history, Cup travels, player misspellings and other weird but true stories…

Stanley Cup History

  • Was first presented in 1893
  • Was crafted in Sheffield, England
  • Was purchased for 10 guineas ($48.67 at the time) in 1892
  • Is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes

Check out some fun facts on the most famous trophy in the Sporting world after the jump….

Stanley Cup Facts

Cup Facts

  • The Stanley Cup consists of bands that wrap around the trophy that has the names of every member of the team engraved on it. When the bands fill up, the band itself is retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but the Cup itself stays intact.
  • Weighs 35 pounds and stands just under three feet in height
  • The only professional trophy that is used every year and each year it is engraved with the names of every player, coach and owner of the winning team’s name on it.
  • Logged more than 400,000 miles in travel during the past five seasons
  • Has raised more than $4 million for charity the past three seasons
  • Each winning player and team management member gets to take the Cup home for a day to share with family and friends
  • It takes 13 years to fill the ring of the Stanley Cup with names of winners
  • Once a bottom ring is full, another one of the same size is removed from the top of the base and retired at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto
  • There is only one Stanley Cup — authenticated by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the bottom of the Cup; this seal can be seen when winning players lift the Cup over their heads
  • There is a second version of the Stanley Cup that remains in the Hall of Fame, which never travels, and is used for display purposes only at the Hall when the Stanley Cup is traveling; this Cup is perfect and has no misspells
  • In addition to the players’ names and teams’ names that have won the Stanley Cup, there are two other phrases on the upper bowl of the Stanley Cup. One side says: “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup” and the other side says: “From Stanley Of Preston”.

Stanley Cup Travels and Tales

  • Travels approximately 250 days per year
  • When NHL legend Mark Messier won the Cup in ’87 and ’94, he was famous for taking Lord Stanley to only the finest of strip clubs to have the ladies do a special routine around it while it stood on the runway.
  • In the summer of 1997, the Stanley Cup traveled to Russia for the first time in its history. It was accompanied by Russian members of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings, including Slava Fetisov, Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov
  • When Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks had his day with the Cup, he took it to Niagara Falls to lift the Cup while having the water hit him during that moment.
  • In the spring of 1999, the Stanley Cup was among a list of Hollywood celebrities invited to take part in the 5K Celebrity Run Walk in Los Angeles for Women’s Cancer Research
  • In 1994 Rangers forward Ed Olczyk took to the Cup to pay a visit to current Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin and allowed the horse to actually eat out of the Cup
  • Has appeared on talk shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Meet the Press with Tim Russert, Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Late Night with Conan O’Brien
  • Places that the Stanley Cup has visited: Czech Republic, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Japan, Switzerland, the Bahamas
  • Other interesting towns/cities that the Cup has visited: Fishing Lake, AB — a Native reservation of the Metis Nation four hours from Edmonton; Anchorage, Alaska with Scott Gomez; Wawa, Ontario with Chris Simon
  • The Stanley Cup has climbed Mt. Elbert in Colorado – 14,433 feet
  • In 2007 the Cup was taken to Kandahar and for the first time ever, was in an active War Zone.
  • In ’96 Avalanche player Sylvain Lefebvre was the first to have the Cup used as a baptismal font for his daughter Alexzandra

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Players, Misspellings and Requirements To Be On the Cup

  • To have one’s name engraved on the Stanley Cup certain requirements must be met. A player must have at least 41 games played with the club or one game played in the Stanley Cup Finals. However, in 1994 a stipulation was added to allow a team to petition the Commissioner for permission to have players’ names put on the Cup if extenuating circumstances prevented them from being available to play.
  • Has been won a record 24 times by the Montreal Canadiens and a record 11 times by Henri Richard of Montreal
  • Names misspelled on the Stanley Cup — Adam Deadmarsh was spelled Deadmarch — but later was changed; the only misspelled name to be corrected
  • Some other 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
  • Name scratched out – “Basil Pocklington,” father of former Edmonton Oilers owner, Peter, put his dad’s name on the Stanley Cup in 1983/84; today, on the Cup, one can see a series of “Xs” over his name
  • As a player, Henri Richard has won the most Stanley Cups with 11
  • Overall, no one’s name appears on the Stanley Cup more than Jean Beliveau. He has 17: 10 as a player and 7 as management

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