Historic Hoists: Lord Stanley and its Loyal Subjects
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The Stanley Cup is the hockey trophy, and Lord Stanley knows it. It is also the sassiest trophy out there, so much so that it has its own Instagram account and over 190 thousand devoted followers. Lord Stanley knows it is the coolest, and we agree. True to hockey tradition, the Stanley Cup has witnessed and been a part of some wild and incredible moments featuring champions and celebrities alike. There isn’t any other trophy like it. What other trophy do you know of that has its own entourage? Hoisting the Stanley Cup is one of, if not the most hallowed tradition in the NHL; only the winners get to strike that iconic pose. Seriously, one of the Lord’s crew said when he was on the New Heights podcast with the Kelce brothers, “... you can put your arms around it, you can hug it, you can kiss it, if you feel the need to lift it, you’re gonna have to win it.”
The History of Hockey’s Crown Jewel
This silver masterpiece, the Stanley Cup, was originally donated by Lord Stanley of Preston in 1892 to the top amateur hockey team in Canada since the NHL wasn’t founded until 1917. That’s right, the Stanley Cup is 133 years old, and it hasn’t aged a day, just a bit of cosmetic surgery. Lord Stanley is engraved with the name of the winning team, their players, coaches, and staff from each season to the bottom band of the cup. Every 13 years, the oldest band on the cup is retired into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other traditions of winning the Stanley Cup include drinking from it and each player taking a day with it, creating some iconic moments.
Trailblazer Ted Lindsay
The Associated Press
Terrible Ted Lindsay was the first captain of any NHL team to hoist the Stanley Cup over his head, thus starting the iconic tradition back in 1950 when he played for the Detroit Red Wings. When asked, he always said that he felt it was a great way to share the joy with the fans. He acknowledged the Red Wing fans who spent their money to come out and support the team while they played. It was his way of showing his gratitude and celebrating the momentous occasion with everyone before passing it around to the rest of the team.
Denis Potvin
Arguably one of the best NHL captains of all time, Denis Potvin led the New York Islanders to win the Stanley Cup four years in a row in 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1983. You can feel the joy radiating from Potvin when the Islanders won for the first time in franchise history, which was established in 1972. This era of the NYI is one of the greatest in NHL history, with legends like Potvin, Bob Nystrom, and Mike Bossy donning the blue and orange.
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Ben Hutton
When the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, the town of Prescott, Ontario, hometown of defenseman Ben Hutton, had a sign made up celebrating his big win. Talk about hometown pride! Hutton spent the day with the Stanley Cup in Prescott as part of the celebratory tradition.
Alexander Ovechkin
ABC 7 News
In 2018, the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup, marking the first time the team had won since its founding in 1974, captained by Alexander Ovechkin. Caps fans waited 44 years to see this dream come true. Ovechkin waited for the first 14 years of his career to work towards this goal, the team making the playoffs year after year. Ovi is the first Russian-born NHL player to captain a champion team and the first player to lead the NHL in both regular-season and postseason goals, then win the Stanley Cup in the same season, since Mike Bossy in 1981. That’s a lot of goals in one season; it's no wonder he holds the record for most goals scored in NHL history, a record he broke this season with 897 goals. When holding the cup for the first time, a speechless Ovechkin could only let out a roar 14 years in the making.
Bonus: A photo of Captain Ovi snuggling with Lord Stanley for a nap on a flight.
Aleksander Barkov
Associated Press
Aleksander Barkov is the first Finnish-born NHL captain to lead a team to win the Stanley Cup (twice). Now, the Florida Panthers are celebrating this huge accomplishment with their beloved captain and, of course, winning the championship. The Panthers are known to be a rowdy bunch, both on and off the ice, to the point where they dented and cracked the cup. Like I said, Lord Stanley has been through some wild times and plenty of cosmetic procedures. Not to worry, damage to the Stanley Cup is not uncommon; it’s a hockey trophy, after all. It's not the first team to damage it, and most likely, it won't be the last. Despite the rough riding, the Panthers have put Lord Stanley through already, they’ve still handled it better than the Colorado Avalanche in 2022, when they dented the cup within 22 minutes of having it in their possession. Classic.