So what’re they gonna do when they run outta room on that cup anyway? Or do they have some method of moving the names around so they don’t run out of room… they just continually move the plates up until after 50 years your name is removed…
The metal bands that form the bottom panels of the Cup are moved up when full, and off when necessary. All of the bands that have already been removed to make room are on display in the “vault” at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, as well as the original cup.
What do you mean “original cup?” I was under the impression the “cup” is the original one.
It isn’t. The original Cup was replaced in 1962 by an exact duplicate. The original is in the Hockey Hall of Fame, where it has been on display since 1970.
The Stanley Cup they use now is much different from what it used to be. The original Cup was just the bowl-like top part (in fact, it has been used to hold flowers and fruit.) Everything else was added on to bear the names of the players for the championship teams. It got to its present size many years ago, but instead of adding more rings they started taking old rings off, so if you were to examine it now the listing of champions doesn’t go all the way back. It goes back 64 years.
Despite its hallowed status, the Cup is treated with remarkable disdain; several times in the past few decades it has been sent to smiths to have dents and scrapes repaired due to roughhousing. Mario Lemeiux once discovered the Cup at the bottom of his swimming pool the morning after a victory party; a few years later it was found in Patrick Roy’s swimming pool. Steve Yzerman once showered with it. Since it started going overseas, however, the NHL has added more security on its little tours.
At the risk of getting overly graphic here, I’ve heard the Cup has been urinated in, and possibly defecated in, as well.
I read an article recently that stated that the Stanley Cup seen in most commercials is actually a replica. There’s purportedly some rule that says that they can’t use the actual cup, except for “official” sponsors, or some such, in line with the increased security RickJay mentions above.
Probably never happened, according to a Cup security guard in a radio interview. Same guard said there is no replica of the Cup, thus all commercials show the “real” one.
Jeff Olsen, as far as the “bodily functions” in the Stanley Cup, those are just stories I’ve heard (but if the players on the winning team are allowed possession of the cup for a period of time in the offseason, who’s to say it didn’t happen?). By the way, I also heard the cup got thrown off a hotel balcony, left at a party, lost on several occasions–things like that.
As far as the replica of the cup, that I actually read in a newspaper article. I believe it was in the business section of the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, and it was within the last month. For what it’s worth–perhaps the security guard is better informed than the article’s author.
shrug
Actually in the May 29, 2001 issue of The Village Voice, Jeff Z. Klein interviewed Steve Ozimec a “Keeper of the Cup”, one of the guys in the white gloves.
He said this about the ESPN commercials with the Stanley Cup in them.
Hmm…duelling Keepers. The one I heard was referring to that article when he said there are no replicas. This was one morning after he and the Cup were in the booth the prevous night for a sports show. IIRC, he also said Steve Ozimec was misinformed.
The Keeper I heard further said that each player gets the cup for 24 hours. Not much time for such shenanigans.