History UsefulNotes / TheStanleyCup

The St. Louis Blues are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it in 2019 for the first time in franchise history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying playoffs until August, the Blues are still currently the holders of the Cup, but due to their elimination they will not be the holders this year.

** Some fans call it the Curse of Marty [=McSorley=].[[note]]([=McSorley=] was a defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings who were playing the Montreal Canadiens in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. Late in the 3rd period of Game 2 with the Kings up 2-1 in the game and 1-0 in the series, Canadiens coach Jacques Demers called for a measurement of his stick, which was found to be in violation of regulations on stick curvature and [=McSorley=] got a two-minute penalty for unsportsmalike conduct, which the Canadiens capitalized on to tie the game and eventually win in overtime. It's alleged that Demers only knew about [=McSorley=]'s illegal stick because he asked an employee of the Montreal Forum about it - Demers denies this and credits Canadiens captain Guy Carbonneau for spotting it on the ice.)[[/note]]

The St. Louis Blues are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it in 2019 for the first time in franchise history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic delaying playoffs until August, the Blues are still currently the holders of the Cup.

** The 1919 Finals, which ended up being canceled when players on both teams contracted UsefulNotes/TheSpanishFlu (which would end up taking the life of Canadiens player Joe Hall). The spot on the Cup for this final simply says 'Series Not Completed'.

** The 1919 Finals, which ended up being canceled when players on both teams contracted Spanish Flu (which would end up taking the life of Canadiens player Joe Hall). The spot on the Cup for this final simply says 'Series Not Completed'.

The St. Louis Blues are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it in 2019 for the first time in franchise history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the 2019-2020 season midway through, as of this writing the Blues continue to hold the cup.

The Cup itself is named for Lord Frederick Stanley (later the [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever 16th Earl of Derby]]), the [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Governor-General of Canada]] who was instrumental in organizing Canadian hockey and donated the original Cup in 1892. Originally a silver punch bowl made in [[OopNorth Sheffield]] and purchased for [[UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney ten guineas]] (on the order of $1200-$1300 in today's dollars, the trophy has been through a lot of incredible stories, especially for a trophy.[[note]](Some of these stories apply to the original, others apply to the newer one, and others to both.)[[/note]] This is in no large part due to the unofficial tradition of each member of the winning team getting a day to spend with the trophy (most will simply take it to their hometown for photo-ops at local schools). It's shared a bed with countless players, been set on fire, gone clubbing with Mark Messier, been used to baptize infants, attended pool parties with the winning team ([[MemeticMutation the trophy, it turns out, does not float]]), marched in a gay pride parade, been driven around at 200mph by Mario Andretti on the eve of the Indy 500, and been [[GrailInTheGarbage lost on the side of the road]]. It was also attacked by Taliban grenades in 2007 while visiting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The damage it's sustained is fairly significant; multiple dings and dents from being kicked into a frozen river, bar-hopping with players, and [[NoodleIncident incidents players are presumably too embarrassed to discuss with the press]].

The St. Louis Blues are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it in 2019 for the first time in franchise history.

The Cup itself is named for Lord Frederick Stanley (later the [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever 16th Earl of Derby]]), the [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Governor-General of Canada]] who was instrumental in organizing Canadian hockey and donated the original Cup in 1892. Originally a silver punch bowl made in [[OopNorth Sheffield]] and purchased for [[UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney ten guineas]] (on the order of $1200-$1300 in today's dollars[[note]]{Canadian or American, it's been years since there was a difference in value of more than a few cents between the two.}[[/note]]), the trophy has been through a lot of incredible stories, especially for a trophy.[[note]](Some of these stories apply to the original, others apply to the newer one, and others to both.)[[/note]] This is in no large part due to the unofficial tradition of each member of the winning team getting a day to spend with the trophy (most will simply take it to their hometown for photo-ops at local schools). It's shared a bed with countless players, been set on fire, gone clubbing with Mark Messier, been used to baptize infants, attended pool parties with the winning team ([[MemeticMutation the trophy, it turns out, does not float]]), marched in a gay pride parade, been driven around at 200mph by Mario Andretti on the eve of the Indy 500, and been [[GrailInTheGarbage lost on the side of the road]]. It was also attacked by Taliban grenades in 2007 while visiting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The damage it's sustained is fairly significant; multiple dings and dents from being kicked into a frozen river, bar-hopping with players, and [[NoodleIncident incidents players are presumably too embarrassed to discuss with the press]].

The Cup itself is named for Lord Frederick Stanley (later the [[BlueBlood 16th Earl of Derby]]), the [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Governor-General of Canada]] who was instrumental in organizing Canadian hockey and donated the original Cup in 1892. Originally a silver punch bowl made in [[OopNorth Sheffield]] and purchased for [[UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney ten guineas]] (on the order of $1200-$1300 in today's dollars[[note]]{Canadian or American, it's been years since there was a difference in value of more than a few cents between the two.}[[/note]]), the trophy has been through a lot of incredible stories, especially for a trophy.[[note]](Some of these stories apply to the original, others apply to the newer one, and others to both.)[[/note]] This is in no large part due to the unofficial tradition of each member of the winning team getting a day to spend with the trophy (most will simply take it to their hometown for photo-ops at local schools). It's shared a bed with countless players, been set on fire, gone clubbing with Mark Messier, been used to baptize infants, attended pool parties with the winning team ([[MemeticMutation the trophy, it turns out, does not float]]), marched in a gay pride parade, been driven around at 200mph by Mario Andretti on the eve of the Indy 500, and been [[GrailInTheGarbage lost on the side of the road]]. It was also attacked by Taliban grenades in 2007 while visiting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The damage it's sustained is fairly significant; multiple dings and dents from being kicked into a frozen river, bar-hopping with players, and [[NoodleIncident incidents players are presumably too embarrassed to discuss with the press]].

* ''Series/BostonLegal'': The Cup (though likely a prop) appeared in an episode. Denny Crane (Creator/WilliamShatner) knocked it off a balcony. This was after attempting to engrave his own name into it alongside the 1970 Bruins - he claims to have loaned Bobby Orr his lucky jock strap for that Cup-winning game.

** A couch gag has the Simpson family skating around their living room and celebrating with The Cup, along with Maggie sitting inside the bowl.
** In "The Last Temptation of Krust", Krusty drinks from the Cup going on a late night bender and then vomits. The NHL weren't amused, and sent a letter to the show...which a Fox lawyer told the show to ''ignore''.

Which, of course, leads to the question, "If there is only one single trophy, what happens when they run out of space on the Cup to engrave names?" Well, since 1991, when the size of the Cup was finally capped, each time they Cup runs out of space (once each 13 years or so), the top ring is removed, the ones underneath are moved up, and a new ring is added to the bottom. The removed ring is then stored in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The NHL takes the immortality of its winners ''very'' seriously.

Which, of course, leads to the question, "If there is only one single trophy, what happens when they run out of space on the Cup to engrave names?" Well, since 1991, when the size of the Cup was finally capped, each time they Cup runs out of space (once each 13 years or so), the top ring is removed, the ones underneath are moved up, and a new ring is added to the bottom. The removed ring is then stored in the NHL Hall of Fame. The NHL takes the immortality of its winners ''very'' seriously.

The St. Louis Blues are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it for the first time in franchise history.

* There are three actual Cups: the original bowl (retired in 1969), the authenticated cup that is actually presented at the games (and updated accordingly), and a replica stand-in that is at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto when the authenticated Cup is out of town and up to no good.
* The names of the winning team are engraved into the cup. Once it is filled, the top band of the Cup is removed and a new one is replaced at the bottom, preventing it from growing any longer. As seen below, it's already enormous.

* And there was a time when it was bigger than ''that''. Nowadays, each band can store 13 winning clubs' names. Decades ago, though, each band stored one per, and bands were not removed in a timely manner. The Cup became taller and taller till it resembled a stovepipe, hence the nickname "Stovepipe Cup". A 1948 redesign proved insufficient for fixing these problems, so it was redesigned again in 1957; that design is in use today - five bands, 13 clubs per band and remove the topmost one once they're all full - to keep the Cup from growing out of control ever again. It also adds a certain sentimentality to the periodic removal of the top band, as iconic names can disappear from the Cup altogether, as happened in 2018 after the Capitals won and started a new band.

* And there was a time when it was bigger than ''that''. Nowadays, each band can store 13 winning clubs' names. Decades ago, though, each band stored one per, and bands were not removed in a timely manner. The Cup became taller and taller till it resembled a stovepipe, hence the nickname "Stovepipe Cup". The restrictions today - five bands, 13 clubs per band and remove the topmost one once they're all full - were instituted to keep the Cup from growing out of control ever again.
* Decades before all ''that'', teams sometimes engraved their names directly onto the Cup itself, though usually omitting players' names and just describing the series in which the team won. These engravings were replicated on the replica Cup that is in use today; if you look closely, you can even see names ''in'' the bowl itself. These belong to the March 1907 Montreal Wanderers, though not all of the players involved are even listed (five are missing).

* A GretzkyHasTheBall joke in ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' had Rerun, a new recruit to Charlie Brown's baseball team, convinced they were playing in the finals of the Stanley Cup.

** The New Jersey Devils are the only team, amongst the relocated teams, to have won the Stanley Cup after moving to new cities TWICE (originally the Kansas City Scouts, then the Colorado Rockies).

* Twelve of the NHL's 31 teams have never won the trophy, and of those twelve, four have never made it to the Finals (Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona, Atlanta/Winnipeg, Minnesota, and Columbus. [[labelnote:note]]To be fair, three of these teams are among the most recent expansion teams added to the league.[[/labelnote]])
* Of all the teams in the NHL, the St. Louis Blues have gone the longest without winning their first Cup. Founded in 1967, they're tied with the Maple Leafs for the longest Cup drought.

The Washington Capitals are the current Stanley Cup champions, winning it for the first time in franchise history.

** In 1969, NHL president Clarence Campbell predicted that the Cup would actually be ''awarded'' [[UpToEleven in Moscow]], implying dreams of a worldwide NHL. [[CaptainObvious So far, the Cup remains confined to the US and Canada.]]

** And when the finals are between ''two'' Canadian teams ([[CaptainObvious therefore guaranteeing that a Canadian team will win the cup]]), expect the entire country to grind to a halt.[[note]]This has only happened twice to date in the post-expansion era, in 1986 and 1989. In both finals, Montreal faced Calgary, with the Canadiens winning in 1986 and Calgary triumphing in 1989. In the Original Six era, Toronto-Montreal finals occurred five times: in 1947, 1951, 1959, 1960, and 1967.[[/note]]

The Cup itself is named for Lord Frederick Stanley (later the [[BlueBlood 16th Earl of Derby]]), the [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics Governor-General of Canada]] who was instrumental in organizing Canadian hockey and donated the original Cup in 1892. Originally a silver punch bowl made in [[OopNorth Sheffield]] and purchased for [[UsefulNotes/OldBritishMoney ten guineas]] (on the order of $1200-$1300 in today's dollars[[note]]{Canadian or American, it's been years since there was a difference in value of more than a few cents between the two.}[[/note]]), the trophy has been through a lot of incredible stories, especially for a trophy.[[note]](Some of these stories apply to the original, others apply to the newer one, and others to both.)[[/note]] This is in no large part due to the unofficial tradition of each member of the winning team getting a day to spend with the trophy (most will simply take it to their hometown for photo-ops at local schools). It's shared a bed with countless players, been set on fire, gone clubbing with Mark Messier, been used to baptize infants, attended pool parties with the winning team ([[MemeticMutation the trophy, it turns out, does not float]]), marched in a gay pride parade, and been [[GrailInTheGarbage lost on the side of the road]]. It was also attacked by Taliban grenades in 2007 while visiting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. The damage it's sustained is fairly significant; multiple dings and dents from being kicked into a frozen river, bar-hopping with players, and [[NoodleIncident incidents players are presumably too embarrassed to discuss with the press]].

* The Philadelphia Flyers were the first expansion team[[labelnote:note]]The Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals, Minnesota North Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins entered in the same year, 1967, the first expansion of the NHL since before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.[[/labelnote]] to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in 1974 (they repeated the following year).

** Every possible Original Six matchup except for one (Blackhawks/Rangers) has been played as a Stanley Cup Final. The second-to-last unplayed matchup was crossed off the list in 2013 when the Blackhawks defeated the Bruins to win the Cup. Many of the Original Six matchups are no longer possible because the Final is always played East vs. West, and five of the Original Six[[note]]except for the Blackhawks[[/note]] are located in the East.

** The Detroit Red Wings ended a 42-year wait (begun 1955) in 1997 by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. They followed up by sweeping the Washington Capitals in 1998 and kept up the success for two-plus decades, though the team ended the playoff streak in 2017 and have fallen off ''hard'' in recent years.

** Every possible Original Six matchup except for one (Blackhawks/Rangers) has been played as a Stanley Cup Final. The second-to-last unplayed matchup was crossed off the list in 2013 when the Blackhawks defeated the Bruins to win the Cup.
* The Detroit Red Wings are the most storied American team in the NHL as they have won the Stanley Cup 11 times. Their most recent championship was in 2008.

* Twelve of the NHL's 31 teams have never won the trophy, with the St. Louis Blues being the oldest of that bunch (founded in 1967-68, which means they're tied with Toronto for longest current drought). Four of them have never made it to the Finals (Winnipeg/Phoenix/Arizona, Atlanta/Winnipeg, Minnesota, and Columbus. [[labelnote:note]]To be fair, three of these teams are among the most recent expansion teams added to the league.[[/labelnote]])

* AncientKeeper: Since 1988 The Hockey Hall of Fame has employed a man by the name of Phil Pritchard with the official title of "Keeper of The Cup". Phil's, and two assistant keepers', entire job is dedicated to nothing but the Cup. Phil's duties include traveling ''everywhere'' the Cup is taken to prevent it from getting lost...again, and tracking it down in the event that it does (even if that [[NoodleIncident involves a snowy subzero sled ride through Newfoundland or hiding in bushes with players trying to surprise their families]]), throughly cleaning the Cup (people have used the Cup as a bathroom and eaten out of it, in that order, on the same day), caring for the retired and replica Cups and removed rings of the Cup that remain in the Hall of Fame, protecting the dignity of the Cup (I.E. ensuring there are no photos when players take the Cup to less than reputable places), and make on the spot repairs whenever players ([[NoodleIncident and in one or two accidents the keepers themselves]]) happen to dent, scratch, crush, or damage the Cup in anyway.