The original Cup was like the top section of the current trophy, a silver bowl from Sheffield, England purchased in 1892 for 10 guineas on behalf of Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada. It is the oldest championship trophy in professional North American sports. The original bowl is now retired, and a replica adorns the current Cup.

The informal tradition of players adding their names to the trophy became formalized, and the bands were added to hold the names. In a unique tradition started by the New York Rangers in 1994, each player also gets to have the cup for a twenty-four hours, to take home to the folks or otherwise spend time with*.

So ... how did Lord Stanley's mug end up in the bottom of Mario's pool?

After the Pittsburgh Penguins' first Cup win in 1991/1992, the team was invited back to Mario's palatial home to celebrate. The house featured an in-ground swimming pool. The pool's decorative highlight was a four-tier neon-lit waterfall.

During the course of the party, Penguins goaltender Tom Barrasso climbed up the waterfall with the Cup, and had his photo taken. After much more of this, the Cup was left atop the waterfall and the party went on.

Meanwhile, defenceman Phil Bourque, who had been enjoying a frosty alcoholic beverage or two, decided to scale the waterfall. According to legend, clad only in his underwear, Bourque lifted the Cup and hurled it into the pool, where it sank ignominiously to the bottom.

Since that infamous day, the Cup travels with security escorts assigned by the NHL.

Fun fact: The Cup holds exactly seventeen cans of beer.


* Many have debated what should happen to the Cup during the 2004 NHL player lockout summer. The league has hit upon a tremendous idea. Since 1994, each player on the winning team has gotten to spend one day as he chooses with the Cup. During the summer of 2005, the NHL will honour select veterans from the past by letting them have the Stanely Cup for a day. According to TSN columnist Bob McKenzie*, the oldest living Stanley Cup winners will be given the Cup for a day. Bob reports that HHOF member Ted Lindsay spearheaded this effort.
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp

Stanely Cup winners: 1893 - present

Pre-NHL era (1893-1926)

These teams came from the AHAC, MHA, CAHL, FAHL, ECAHA, MPHL, CHA, NHA, PCHA and the NHL. Also, the 1904 Ottawa team was not affiliated with any league.

1893-1899

  1. Montreal Hockey Club
  2. Montreal Hockey Club (2nd)
  3. Montreal Victorias / Montreal Hockey Club (3rd)
  4. Winnipeg Victorias / Winnipeg Victorias (2nd) / Montreal Victorias (2nd)
  5. Montreal Victorias (3rd) / Montreal Victorias (4th)
  6. Montreal Victorias (5th)
  7. Montreal Victorias (6th) / Montreal Shamrocks / Montreal Shamrocks (2nd)

1900-1909

  1. Montreal Shamrocks (3rd) / Montreal Shamrocks (4th) / Montreal Shamrocks (5th)
  2. Winnipeg Victorias (7th) / Winnipeg Victorias (8th)
  3. Winnipeg Victorias (9th) / Montreal HC
  4. Ottawa HC / Ottawa HC (2nd)
  5. Ottawa HC (3rd) / Ottawa HC (4th) / Ottawa HC (5th) / Ottawa HC (6th)
  6. Ottawa HC (7th) / Ottawa HC (8th) / Ottawa HC (9th)
  7. Ottawa HC (10th) / Ottawa HC (11th) / Montreal Wanderers / Montreal Wanderers (2nd)
  8. Kenora Thistles / Kenora Thistles (2nd) / Montreal Wanderers (3rd)
  9. Montreal Wanderers (4th) / Montreal Wanderers (5th) / Montreal Wanderers (6th) / Montreal Wanderers (7th) / Montreal Wanderers (8th)
  10. Ottawa HC (12th)

1910-1919

  1. Ottawa HC (13th) / Ottawa HC (14th) / Montreal Wanderers (9th) / Montreal Wanderers (10th)
  2. Ottawa HC (15th) / Ottawa HC (16th) / Ottawa HC (17th)
  3. Quebec Bulldogs / Quebec Bulldogs (2nd)
  4. Quebec Bulldogs (3rd) / Quebec Bulldogs (4th)
  5. Toronto HC / Toronto HC (2nd)
  6. Vancouver Millionaires
  7. Montreal Canadiens
  8. Seattle Metropolitans
  9. Toronto Arenas
  10. No winner

1920-1926

  1. Ottawa Senators
  2. Ottawa Senators (2nd)
  3. Toronto St. Pats
  4. Ottawa Senators (3rd)
  5. Montreal Canadiens (2nd)
  6. Victoria Cougars
  7. Montreal Maroons

 

NHL era (1927-present)

This is the modern era as we know it.

1927-1929

  1. Ottawa Senators
  2. New York Rangers
  3. Boston Bruins

1930-1939

  1. Montreal Canadiens
  2. Montreal Canadiens (2nd)
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs
  4. New York Rangers (2nd)
  5. Chicago Blackhawks
  6. Montreal Maroons
  7. Detroit Red Wings
  8. Detroit Red Wings (2nd)
  9. Chicago Blackhawks (2nd)
  10. Boston Bruins (2nd)

1940-1949

  1. New York Rangers (3rd)
  2. Boston Bruins (3rd)
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs (2nd)
  4. Detroit Red Wings (3rd)
  5. Montreal Canadiens (3rd)
  6. Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd)
  7. Montreal Canadiens (4th)
  8. Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd)
  9. Toronto Maple Leafs (4th)
  10. Toronto Maple Leafs (5th)

1950-1959

  1. Detroit Red Wings (4th)
  2. Toronto Maple Leafs (6th)
  3. Detroit Red Wings (5th)
  4. Montreal Canadiens (5th)
  5. Detroit Red Wings (6th)
  6. Detroit Red Wings (7th)
  7. Montreal Canadiens (6th)
  8. Montreal Canadiens (7th)
  9. Montreal Canadiens (8th)
  10. Montreal Canadiens (9th)

1960-1969

  1. Montreal Canadiens (10th)
  2. Chicago Blackhawks (3rd)
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs (7th)
  4. Toronto Maple Leafs (8th)
  5. Toronto Maple Leafs (9th)
  6. Montreal Canadiens (11th)
  7. Montreal Canadiens (12th)
  8. Toronto Maple Leafs (10th)
  9. Montreal Canadiens (13th)
  10. Montreal Canadiens (14th)

1970-1979

  1. Boston Bruins (4th)
  2. Montreal Canadiens (15th)
  3. Boston Bruins (5th)
  4. Montreal Canadiens (16th)
  5. Philadelphia Flyers
  6. Philadelphia Flyers (2nd)
  7. Montreal Canadiens (17th)
  8. Montreal Canadiens (18th)
  9. Montreal Canadiens (19th)
  10. Montreal Canadiens (20th)

1980-1989

  1. New York Islanders
  2. New York Islanders (2nd)
  3. New York Islanders (3rd)
  4. New York Islanders (4th)
  5. Edmonton Oilers
  6. Edmonton Oilers (2nd)
  7. Montreal Canadiens (21st)
  8. Edmonton Oilers (3rd)
  9. Edmonton Oilers (4th)
  10. Calgary Flames

1990-1999

  1. Edmonton Oilers (5th)
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins
  3. Pittsburgh Penguins (2nd)
  4. Montreal Canadiens (22nd)
  5. New York Rangers (4th)
  6. New Jersey Devils
  7. Colorado Avalanche
  8. Detroit Red Wings (8th)
  9. Detroit Red Wings (9th)
  10. Dallas Stars

2000-2009

  1. New Jersey Devils (2nd)
  2. Colorado Avalanche (2nd)
  3. Detroit Red Wings (10th)
  4. New Jersey Devils (3rd)
  5. Tampa Bay Lightning
  6. No winner
  7. Carolina Hurricanes
  8. Anaheim Ducks
  9. Detroit Red Wings (11th)
  10. Pittsburgh Penguins (3rd)

2010-2019

  1. Chicago Blackhawks (4th)
  2. Boston Bruins (6th)
  3. Los Angeles Kings
  4. Chicago Blackhawks (5th)
  5. Los Angeles Kings (2nd)
  6. Chicago Blackhawks (6th)
  7. Pittsburgh Penguins (4th)
  8. Pittsburgh Penguins (5th)
  9. Washington Capitals
  10. St. Louis Blues

2020-2029

  1. Tampa Bay Lightning (2nd)
  2. Tampa Bay Lightning (3rd)
  3. Colorado Avalanche (3rd)
  4. Vegas Golden Knights
  5. Florida Panthers

Fun Stanley Cup facts!

There are three eras that cover the NHL since its beginning: the Original Six era (1927-1966); the first expansion era (1967-1990); and the second expansion era (1991-present). Given the longevity of the Original Six era, and the fact that there were so few teams then, it should come as no surprise that the most successful teams overall began in that era.

Most successful teams:

  1. Montreal Canadiens: 22 wins
  2. Detroit Red Wings: 11 wins
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs: 10 wins
  4. Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks: 6 wins
  5. Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers: 5 wins

First "first expansion" era (1967-1990) team to win:

First "second expansion" era (1991-present) team to win:

Longest time between wins:

  1. New York Rangers: 54 years (1940-1994)
  2. Chicago Blackhawks: 49 years (1961-2010)
  3. Detroit Red Wings: 42 years (1955-1997)
  4. Boston Bruins: 39 years (1972-2011)
  5. Boston Bruins: 31 years (1941-1972)

Longest time between most recent win and the present:

  1. Toronto Maple Leafs: 57 years (1967)
  2. Philadelphia Flyers: 49 years (1975)
  3. New York Islanders: 41 years (1983)
  4. Calgary Flames: 35 years (1989)
  5. Edmonton Oilers: 34 years (1990)

Non-defunct teams that have yet to win the Stanley Cup (year of first NHL season in parentheses):

a) The Ottawa Senators team of the early 20th century is distinct from the modern team of the same name; the 1927 Cup win belongs to the earlier incarnation.

b) The Arizona Coyotes played as the Winnipeg Jets from 1979 until 1996, when they moved to Phoenix and became the Phoenix Coyotes; in 2014, the team's name was changed to the Arizona Coyotes; then, in 2024, the team announced that they were moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, to become the Utah Hockey Club (which has no name as of this writing).

c) The second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets began play in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers before moving to Winnipeg in 2011. This version is distinct from the team which played as the Phoenix Coyotes from 1979-1996 before changing later their name to the Arizona Coyotes.

/msg avalyn with updates, questions, etc. The most recent update was made on June 25, 2024.

Every year the Staleny Cup is hoisted over the victorious shoulders of individuals from one fortunate team. What most people do not know is what happens to the Stanley Cup after the cameras turn off and the fans go home. An official tradition began in 1995 of having players of the winning team spend a day with the Stanley Cup. Long before the official tradition, the cup has turned up in some unpredictable places.

  • Early 1900s - A forward thinking capitalist member of the Montreal Wanderers who also happened to own a bowling alley displayed the cup in a trophy case. As the story goes he used the cup as an impressive ashtray and trashcan combo for gum and cigars, thus impressing friends and bowlers.
  • 1905 - The Ottawa Silver Seven had Bo Jackson beat by several decades playing multiple sports. After winning the trophy members of the team punted the Stanley Cup over the Rideau Canal on the Ottawa River. This might seem physically impossible now, but in those days the cup wasn't much larger than a football. The trophy was found the next day on the ice.
  • 1906 - The bowl of the cup has been used by victorious players for many practical purposes. After a photo shoot with members of the Montreal team, the cup was forgotten at the photo studio. Leaving no good bowl to waste, the local photographer's mother used the cup to plant geraniums, to decorate the studio window until hockey officials relieved her of the silver vase.
  • 1924 - Another Montreal team, another forgotten cup. This time the Montreal Canadiens, traveling to a victory party at the team owner's house, pulled over to fix a flat tire. Only after arriving at the party did they realized the cup was left behind. Luckily for them, the cup was recovered on the road where it was left untouched, just a mile and a half from the party.
  • 1927 - King Clancy of the Ottawa Senators found a practical use for the cup. Apparently having an abundance of junk mail and space at a premium, Clancy used the cup to collect his mail, stray pencils, chewing gum, and cigars.
  • The Stanley Cup has had many lovers, and occupied the beds of many married men. New York Islander Bryan Trottier once said, "I wanted to wake up and find it right beside me. I didn't want to just dream of this happening."
  • After a night in bed, the Stanley Cup usually takes a hot shower. Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings once took a shower with the Stanley Cup.
  • 1962 - Chicago is known more for their blues music than their hockey. So it may not seem surprising that during a playoff game between the Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks, a fan took the cup out of the Chicago stadium display case, telling police outside that he was merely returning it to Montreal, "where it belonged."
  • 1980 - Having no clean dishes left in his apartment, New York Islander Clark Gillies allowed his dog to eat from the cup.
  • 1987 - The 80's was a glutinous time for many people, including those in Canada. After the Edmonton Oilers won the championship, the cup ended up across the street-- naked-- on the runway with an exotic dancer at the Forum Inn.
  • 1991 - In a move that would have made Jacques Cousteau proud, Pittsburgh Penguin Mario Lemieux sank the Stanley Cup to the bottom of his swimming pool. Not to be outdone Avalanche goalkeeper Patrick Roy completed the same feat.
  • 1994 - Not to be out done by the glutinous 1980's, Mark Messier of the victorious New Rangers took the cup to a strip club in New York City.
  • 1994 - Hopefully before the strip club, Ranger Ed Olczyk let Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin eat from it.
  • 1996 - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre had his daughter baptized in the cup.
  • 1996 - Looking for a more creative use for a large silver trophy than a container for junk mail, dog food or baptised children, Brian Noonan found the cup an ideal rolling pin to make biscuits with while appearing on MTV.

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