Traditions and anecdotes associated with the Stanley Cup

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The Stanley Cup is the National Hockey League’s championship trophy. The winning team keeps it for a year, until the next champion is crowned. It’s one of the few trophies in North American sports that lists the names of every winner on the cup itself. The Cup is famous not just for winning, but for the many legends, superstitions, and stories attached to it.

Traditions around the Cup
- A long-standing tradition began with the 1896 Winnipeg Victorias: after a victory, the team drinks champagne from the top bowl of the Cup.
- The winning team’s celebration often includes the on-ice presentation of the Cup by the NHL commissioner to the team captain after the clinching game. In many other sports, the trophy is handed to the owners, but hockey’s Cup is handed to the players.
- The Conn Smythe Trophy is usually awarded before the Cup is lifted, while in other leagues the MVP awards follow the trophy presentation.
- A captain’s lap around the rink with the Cup is common, and then the Cup is passed to each player so everyone can skate with it. The tradition of captains hoisting the Cup above their heads has become iconic.

Notable moments and exceptions
- Captains have hoisted the Cup in many memorable ways. Ted Lindsay was the first player to skate around with it in 1950; Frank Mahovlich is often credited with popularizing the sight of the Cup held high.
- There are also famous exceptions. For example, in 2001, Joe Sakic handed the Cup to Ray Bourque so Bourque could hoist it, and then Sakic hoisted it himself. In 1993, Montreal’s Guy Carbonneau invited Denis Savard to hoist the Cup in his place, a gesture that spoke to both teams’ histories.
- No-touch superstition is strong. Many players believe the Cup should be touched only after their team has earned it. Some players have deliberately not touched any conference trophy (the Campbell Bowl or the Prince of Wales Trophy) hoping to keep the Cup’s luck with them. But there have also been moments when players did touch the trophies and the team still won the Cup.

The Day with the Cup
- A special, unofficial tradition is a private day with the Cup for every member of the winning team, starting with the Devils in 1995. Each player can take the Cup for a day, usually with at least one representative from the Hockey Hall of Fame, and people use the Cup in all kinds of ways—eating cereal, using it as a cooler, or even baptizing a baby.
- The Cup has even become a symbol in pop culture, appearing in television shows, parades, and public events. It has traveled to schools, hospitals, and parties—wherever the champions go to celebrate, the Cup goes too.

The Cup’s travels, fame, and mishaps
- The Cup is known as the most-traveled trophy in sports. It has gone far beyond North America, visiting places like Sweden, London, Finland, and even Kyiv. It’s been used as a baptismal font, a cooking vessel, and a backdrop for photos.
- There have been plenty of missteps and mishaps along the way. Legends tell of early misadventures, such as attempts to drop-kick the Cup or the Cup being used as a flower planter. In other years, the Cup was left in a public place or damaged—though it’s always repaired and kept in good condition for future celebrations.
- The Cup has also seen youthful moments and emotional ones—like players using it at family gatherings, weddings, and even charity events. It has even accompanied presidents and notable public figures to mark moments in history.

A symbol beyond hockey
- The Cup isn’t just a trophy; it’s a record of hockey’s history, a reminder of the players, coaches, and teams who chased it, and the stories that fans tell about those summers and parades.
- Each year, the Cup’s journey continues, adding new chapters to a long, colorful tradition that makes the Stanley Cup one of the most recognizable and beloved trophies in sports.