As the NHL playoff season gets underway, with the top sixteen teams battling it out for supremacy, all eyes turn to hockey and all thoughts turn to the oldest trophy in North American sport – The Stanley Cup. But what is the Stanley Cup? Where did it come from? And how did it get to be the biggest trophy, both physically and metaphorically, in the sport?

Thanks, Lord Stanley

The trophy was created by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley, in 1892. The original rose bowl, which is replicated at the top of the current trophy, cost Lord Stanley around $48, which is about $1,360 in today’s money.

It was originally called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and the first ever winners were the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893. From 1915 the champions from the National Hockey Association and the Pacific Coast Hockey association fought for the prize. It finally became the NHL season finale in 1926.

Is it still the same cup?

Lord Stanley’s rose bowl was used for many years until it began to wear thin. It was replicated as the Presentation Cup in 1963, which is the trophy still used today. A second replica, the Permanent Cup, was created in 1993 to stand in for the trophy at the Hockey Hall of Fame when the actual trophy is being used elsewhere. The original rose bowl can still be seen in the Vault Room.

The size and weight of the Stanley Cup doesn’t stop victorious players holding it high!

The Stanley Cup stands at 35¼ inches tall and weighs a mighty 34½ lbs, but that doesn’t stop the winning captains from hoisting it above their head at the end of the final game. The trophy contains the names of winning teams and staff, and it has removable bands that can be replaced when they get full. Each team can add up to 52 names, but they must be directly associated with the team. In 1984, Edmonton Oilers added Peter Pocklington’s father to the trophy, even though he was not associated with the club. The NHL struck his name out with a row of Xs.

Who will win this year?

The Stanley Cup, in its various forms, has been awarded 101 times to 24 different teams, 19 of which are still playing in the NHL. Montreal Canadiens have lifted it on almost a quarter of those occasions, although they have not won it again since 1993. This year, Tampa Bay Lightning are the Oddschecker experts’ choice as the team to beat, although as every hockey fan knows, anything can happen on the ice.

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