Did you know the Stanley Cup is the only professional sports trophy that has the names of the winning team member’s name inscribed? It’s also the only professional sports trophy that isn’t recreated every year and the only one passed from player to player in the offseason.
The famed trophy has a lot of lore behind it, and players have drank from it, eaten from it and even baptized their kids in it.
Here are other fast facts about hockey’s biggest prize.
How much does the Stanley Cup weigh?
The Stanley Cup weighs 34.5 pounds and is 35.25 inches tall, according to the NHL.
The famed Cup wasn’t always this towering, however; when it was donated in 1892, the “Dominion Challenge Cup” was a bowl only 7.28 inches tall. In 1924, the trophy changed into its 3-foot stature to allow room for an inscription of each year’s championship team. According to the NHL, this was to prevent players from carving their names into the cup themselves as some had done. It morphed into a “cigar-shaped” trophy in 1939 and a two-piece award with a barrel-shaped base and removable bowl in 1948. In 1958, the NHL introduced the current design. It was improved once again in 1963 to strengthen the Cup and remains that way today.
Because new names are stamped every year, some of the bands have been removed and retired in the Hockey Hall of Fame alongside the Cup’s original bowl, according to the NHL.
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Does anyone keep the Stanley Cup?
No one person gets to claim the silver trophy, but the Stanley Cup does have a “24/7 bodyguard” according to NHL records. Phil Pritchard, known as the Keeper of the Cup to hockey fans, is the curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He’s been taking care of the Stanely Cup for over 30 years, traveling with it for more than 100 days annually, he told USA TODAY in 2018.
The Stanley Cup has a permanent residence in the Hall of Fame, but it travels a lot. There’s a replica that remains in its place while the actual Cup is on the road.
Winning the Stanley Cup ushers a team into a whole host of traditions, from sipping from the Cup – which holds 209 fluid ounces – to hoisting it above their heads and passing it around to each member. According to the NHL, each member of the championship team (including staff) gets to spend 24 hours with the trophy.
How much is the Stanley Cup worth?
It’s hard to say how much the Stanley Cup would be worth if it was put up for sale, though USA TODAY estimated in 2017 based on silver prices that it would be worth around $23,478. Current silver prices are within a dollar or two of the prices in 2017, according to Macrotrends. What we do know is that Lord Stanley bought the original trophy for 10 Guineas or around $50 in the late 19th century.
Who won the most Stanley Cups ever?
The Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup the most, clocking in at 23 wins. Below Montreal are the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 wins and the Detroit Red Wings with 11 wins. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks tie for fourth place with six wins each.
The player that has won the Cup the most times is Henri Richard, a Canadiens player from 1955 to 1975. Richard’s name is stamped on the Stanley Cup 11 times. Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer, also Canadiens players, each won 10 Stanley Cups as players. Beliveau’s name appears a record-breaking seven more times on the Cup because of his time as a Montreal executive.
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