Both field hockey and ice hockey as a form of sport were not invented, but imported from other countries into the United States. However, that has not stopped them from becoming extremely popular sports. Currently, there are 24 ice hockey teams from the country that are a part of the professional ice hockey league, which is called the NHL (National Hockey League), along with seven teams from Canada. Moreover, that does say something about the game’s recognition and why winning the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is considered the most prestigious victory in professional ice hockey.
Although it is the Northeast and the upper Midwestern parts of the country that enjoy a cold winter climate, ice hockey has caught on with high intensity and fervor even in the Southeast and Southwestern parts of the country. Developed first in Montreal, Canada, in the year 1875, there are some traditional characteristics of this game that have not been changed even today.
The most important championship trophy in the game of ice hockey is the Stanley Cup. It is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, who was the Governor General of Canada in 1892, and is annually awarded to the winner of the National Hockey League playoffs. It was awarded the first time to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in 1893 and is currently held by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In a series of matches that went on for two months, beginning April 12, 2017, the current champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the series against the Nashville Predators.
The unique thing about the Stanley Cup is that a new one is not made every year. Furthermore, the Cup has undergone a number of design changes, and only in the year 1958 was the current model was brought in. The Stanley Cup has many nicknames such as The Stovepipe Cup, The Cup, Lord Stanley’s Cup, The Holy Grail, and The Lord Stanley’s Mug. Moreover, as you rightly guessed, there are anecdotes behind each of these different names.
Since the 1914–15 championship hockey season, the Stanley Cup has been won a 101 times. The Detroit Red Wings have won the Cup a record 11 times, the most by any United States based professional National Hockey League team.
Furthermore, unbelievable as it might sound, the Stanley Cup is always chaperoned by at least one representative of the Hockey Hall of Fame, who is dubbed as the “Keeper of the Cup.” He maintains a record of who is in possession of the Cup everyday. This is because the National Hockey League allots each winning team one hundred off-season days with the Cup, and since the 1994-95 season, the tradition of giving each player one personal day with the Cup during the off-season has been followed.
