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A date with the Stanley Cup |
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Written by Michael Felberbaum, asap
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Monday, 30 April 2007 |
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First presented in 1893, the Stanley Cup is among the most famous sports trophies in the world. And in its 115 years of existence, the 35-pound, nearly three-foot-tall Cup has had its fair share of adventure.
Over the past five seasons, the Cup has logged more than 400,000 miles on trips around the world. It has seen the halls of the White House, sat in a sauna in Finland and has been tossed into swimming pools in Pittsburgh and Montreal. And, in case you’re wondering, it doesn’t float.
Each member of an NHL championship team gets the chance to spend a day doing anything they want with the trophy. (Fans can approximate the feeling by buying a limited edition replica of the Cup — complete with white gloves and table cover.)
With the playoffs under way and players vying for a chance to hoist the Cup, here are some examples of what past and present players have done with hockey’s Holy Grail:
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Player: Martin Brodeur
Position: Goalie
Year(s) Won: 1995, 2000, 2003 with New Jersey Devils
Day with the Cup: Brodeur has had some fun with the Cup. In 2000, the Canadian sneaked into a movie theater with his children to watch an animated movie and eat popcorn out of it (leaving butter and salt stains behind until its next cleaning); he’s taken it to his lake house in Quebec where he stocked it full of marshmallows for roasting; and the Cup has served as the prize for a street hockey game he plays with friends. He even added a street hockey game for children, where the winning team drank flavored slush from the Cup.
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Player: Glen Wesley
Position: Defense
Year(s) Won: 2006 with Carolina Hurricanes
Day with the Cup: On the way to his North Carolina beach house, Wesley took the Cup to the barracks for wounded servicemen at the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejuene. The American citizen who was born in Canada said he wanted to thank the Marines for their service and to teach his children about the people who defend the country. Wesley recalled a Marine who asked him to sign picture that showed the wounded veteran bloodied on the ground after being shot in combat. When the family finally reached the beach, Wesley had a photographer take pictures of them walking along the water with the trophy and posing in the sand — a sight that drew onlookers with cell phone cameras.
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Player: Leonard “Red” Kelly
Position: Defense, Center
Year(s) Won: 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955 with Detroit Red Wings; 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967 with Toronto Maple Leafs
Day with the Cup: In Kelly’s day, the system of sharing the trophy among players wasn’t institutionalized, but the Cup still made it to his house after he won with Toronto in 1964. Kelly, now 80, had been rushed to the hospital after the final game against Detroit — and couldn’t drink champagne from the Cup with teammates. Team owner Harold Ballard brought the Cup to Kelly’s house the following day, despite Kelly rushing away to Ottawa to serve in Parliament (yes, he played and held elected office from 1962-1965). Kelly’s family posed for a picture with the Cup, with his infant son, Conn, in the bowl. And, as Kelly tells it, his son relieved himself in the Cup. His family still laughs every time they see someone celebrating with a drink from it.
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Player: Peter Forsberg
Position: Center
Year(s) Won: 1996, 2001 with Colorado Avalanche
Day with the Cup: Forsberg and the Avs won the Cup with a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers, that came down to a 1-0 win in third overtime. The sweep gave Forsberg the chance to be the first player to take the Cup outside of North America; he displayed it at city hall in his Swedish hometown and partied with it at his house there. Forsberg says the Cup is less well known in Sweden than the country’s own championship or the Olympics, but plenty of people still wanted to take pictures with the trophy.
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MORE FACTS ON LORD STANLEY’S CUP:
— Crafted in Sheffield, England, the trophy was bought in 1892 for about $50.
— Originally known as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, it was the brainchild of Lord Stanley, the Earl of Preston and Governor General of Canada, to be awarded in Canada’s top-ranking amateur hockey club.
— Since being awarded in the NHL, no team has won the Cup more times than the Montreal Canadiens, who have 24 victories. Montreal player Henri Richard has won it a record of 11 times.
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asap contributor Michael Felberbaum is an AP reporter in Richmond, Va. | Only registered users can write comments.
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