Legends of Hockey - NHL Trophies - Stanley Cup - Tales of the Cup







TALES OF THE CUP The 1904-05 Ottawa Silver Seven After a night of celebrating their Stanley Cup victory in 1905, members of the Ottawa Silver Seven felt it necessary to see if one could kick the Cup into Ottawa's Rideau Canal. One of them lined it up and gave it a boot, drop-kick style. In a true test of his accuracy and distance, the Cup landed on target, in the canal. That established, the boys went on their merry way, and the Cup stayed in the Canal until the next day when sober heads prevailed and Lord Stanley's mug was rescued. It was then placed in the capable hands of Harry Smith, a Silver Seven member.

After a night of celebrating their Stanley Cup victory in 1905, members of the Ottawa Silver Seven felt it necessary to see if one could kick the Cup into Ottawa's Rideau Canal. One of them lined it up and gave it a boot, drop-kick style. In a true test of his accuracy and distance, the Cup landed on target, in the canal. That established, the boys went on their merry way, and the Cup stayed in the Canal until the next day when sober heads prevailed and Lord Stanley's mug was rescued. It was then placed in the capable hands of Harry Smith, a Silver Seven member. In 1907, the Montreal Wanderers left the Cup at the home of a photographer they hired to document their trophy win. The photographer's mother decided it would make a wonderful flower pot, and it served that purpose for a few months until the Wanderers brass remembered and rescued it from the earthly grave. A cartoon reflecting the forgetfulness of the 1923-24 Montreal Canadiens.

In 1924, Montreal Canadiens players on their way to a victory party stored the trophy in the trunk of their car. On their way to the festivities, the vehicle had a flat. The players removed the Cup to get at the spare, changed the tire and drove off leaving the Stanley Cup sitting on a snow bank. When it came time to drink champagne from the Cup they realized they didn't have it with them. They drove back to where they changed the tire and thankfully the Cup was still there.

During the 1962 playoffs, the Cup sat on display in a huge glass case in the Chicago Stadium lobby. A Montreal fan, Ken Kilander, was upset with the Stanley Cup being in Chicago. He opened the glass case and when no alarms went off, reached in and grabbed the Cup off its stand. Kilander crept through the stadium lobby and headed for the exit doors. He was just a few yards from the exit when a police officer spotted Kilander and asked him why he was taking the Stanley Cup out of Chicago Stadium. "I want to take it back where it belongs," Kilander explained, "To Montreal."

After the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Cup in 1962, the original bowl and collar were retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where they were placed on display. In January 1970 the collar was stolen from the Hall and remained missing for seven years, before an anonymous phone call told police to check the back room of a Toronto cleaning store for a very important piece of history. The police weren't sure what they would find, but there, wrapped like a Christmas present, was the original collar of the Stanley Cup, recovered after seven years of hibernation.

The current Cup was almost stolen again in 1977, but a keen-eyed Hall of Fame employee thwarted the attempt. Seven men were spotted near the Cup with a large gym bag. When approached, they dashed outside. In their car, police found a series of photos detailing the Hall's floor plan and the necessary equipment to pull off the heist.

Guy Lafleur with teammate Steve Shutt during their Stanley Cup Parade. After the traditional Stanley Cup parade honouring the 1979 Montreal Canadiens, star forward Guy Lafleur impulsively grabbed the Stanley Cup and placed it in the trunk of his car. He then drove to his parents' house in Thurso, Quebec, where he displayed the Cup on the front lawn and allowed friends and family to photograph and enjoy the trophy. While Thurso residents enjoyed the prank, the men responsible for the Cup's safety were searching frantically for the missing prize. Lafleur returned the Cup later that night, but was told never to repeat his stunt.

After the traditional Stanley Cup parade honouring the 1979 Montreal Canadiens, star forward Guy Lafleur impulsively grabbed the Stanley Cup and placed it in the trunk of his car. He then drove to his parents' house in Thurso, Quebec, where he displayed the Cup on the front lawn and allowed friends and family to photograph and enjoy the trophy. While Thurso residents enjoyed the prank, the men responsible for the Cup's safety were searching frantically for the missing prize. Lafleur returned the Cup later that night, but was told never to repeat his stunt. In 1996, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre christened his child in the bowl of the Stanley Cup after his championship season.

The Stanley Cup has visited three government buildings including the Parliament Buildings in Canada, most recently with the Montreal Canadiens following the 1992-93 season, the White House in the United States most recently with the Detroit Red Wings in 2001-02, and the Kremlin in Russia with Igor Larionov most recently following the 2001-02 season.

In 2003, toy manufacturer Lego created a replica Stanley Cup created out of 6,000 Lego blocks and displayed it at a sports equipment show in Las Vegas to promote the launch of their new NHL line of merchandise. There were only two such Lego Stanley Cups made, one for display, and one as a gift to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. The cup on display, like the Stanley Cup collar years earlier, was stolen and a national search went out to hunt down the Lego Cup. An Arizona man saw an article on the missing cup in the paper, and alerted authorities that he had the cup and had bought it for fifty dollars U.S. while on business in Las Vegas. The Lego Stanley Cup was returned to the company, and the good samaritan was rewarded with Phoenix Coyotes tickets and products from Lego's NHL line of merchandise.

In the living room of his Stony Plain, Alberta home, Glenn Hall sips champagne from the Stanley Cup. During the summer of 2005, the Stanley Cup took an exciting detour and visited a number of Stanley Cup champions of the past who never had the opportunity to spend time with hockey's most cherished prize. Among the legends who were visited by the Cup were Ted Lindsay, Bobby Orr, Frank Mahovlich and Glenn Hall. A Stanley Cup-winner in 1961, Hall had never had the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. That error was rectified on July 16, 2005. Hall welcomed the Cup to his Stoney Plain, Alberta home and surrounded by family and friends, raised hockey's most prized trophy over his head for the first time - over 44 years since he first earned the right to do so. Click here to see how more legends spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2005.



During the summer of 2005, the Stanley Cup took an exciting detour and visited a number of Stanley Cup champions of the past who never had the opportunity to spend time with hockey's most cherished prize. Among the legends who were visited by the Cup were Ted Lindsay, Bobby Orr, Frank Mahovlich and Glenn Hall. A Stanley Cup-winner in 1961, Hall had never had the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup. That error was rectified on July 16, 2005. Hall welcomed the Cup to his Stoney Plain, Alberta home and surrounded by family and friends, raised hockey's most prized trophy over his head for the first time - over 44 years since he first earned the right to do so. Crosby raises the cup high in front of The Canadian Armed Forces Sea King helicopter. In 2009, Pittsburgh Penguins star, Sidney Crosby, brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. The Canadian Armed Forces provided a Sea King helicopter which flew the conquering hero and his prize to the nearby Halifax Dockyard where they landed on the flight deck of the HMCS Preserver. Crosby and his entourage toured Halifax, getting scenic shots with the Stanley Cup all around one of Canada's oldest cities. The group then returned to Cole Harbour where an estimated 75,000 jammed the streets for a celebratory parade. Mayor Peter Kelly welcomed Crosby, and thanked him for putting Cole Harbour on the world map. He then declared Friday, August 7, 2009 as 'Sidney Crosby Day,' and the crowd went wild. Click here to see how more of the Pittsburgh Penguins spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2009.



In 2009, Pittsburgh Penguins star, Sidney Crosby, brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. The Canadian Armed Forces provided a Sea King helicopter which flew the conquering hero and his prize to the nearby Halifax Dockyard where they landed on the flight deck of the HMCS Preserver. Crosby and his entourage toured Halifax, getting scenic shots with the Stanley Cup all around one of Canada's oldest cities. The group then returned to Cole Harbour where an estimated 75,000 jammed the streets for a celebratory parade. Mayor Peter Kelly welcomed Crosby, and thanked him for putting Cole Harbour on the world map. He then declared Friday, August 7, 2009 as 'Sidney Crosby Day,' and the crowd went wild. Kopitar hoists The Stanley Cup on board a boat on Bled Lake with a castle in the background. In 2012, the Stanley Cup travelled to Slovenia - the 24th country visited by "Hockey's Holy Grail." Los Angeles Kings star, Anze Kopitar, played host as the Stanley Cup travelled by boat on the beatiful Bled Lake and toured his hometouwn of Hrusica, Slovenia. Click here to see how more of the Los Angeles Kings spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2012.

















In 2012, the Stanley Cup travelled to Slovenia - the 24th country visited by "Hockey's Holy Grail." Los Angeles Kings star, Anze Kopitar, played host as the Stanley Cup travelled by boat on the beatiful Bled Lake and toured his hometouwn of Hrusica, Slovenia. Selfie with Stanley. Willie could not resist snapping a photo of himself with hockey's most coveted trophy. In 2014, Los Angeles Kings defenceman Willie Mitchell brought the Stanley Cup fly fishing on the Pitt River in British Columbia. Click here to see how more of the Los Angeles Kings spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2014.



















Captain Jonathan Toews shows off hockey's most coveted trophy to baseball fans at Wrigley Field. In 2015, members of the Chicago Blackhawks brought the Stanley Cup to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the Cleveland Indians. Click here to see how more of the Chicago Blackhawks spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2015.



















Evgeni Malkin takes the Stanley Cup for a stroll during the Penguins championship parade. The Penguins celebrated their 2016 Stanley Cup championship with a parade through downtown Pittsburgh. With fans lining the streets 20 rows deep in places, the event was reported as the largest sports championship celebration in the city's history - even larger than 375,000 estimated attendance at the Penguins' 2009 parade. Click here to see how more of the Pittsburgh Penguins spent their day with the Stanley Cup in the summer of 2016.



























