College Sports
Five things you didn’t know about the Stanley Cup, ice hockey’s most iconic trophy
“The Stanley Cup is meant to be shared and enjoyed” It’s also had its share of misadventures: left on the side of a road after a flat tire, stolen by a fan mid-playoff, dented at dive bars and parades, and even delivered to the wrong house. In 1907, after winning the Stanley Cup, the Montreal […]

“The Stanley Cup is meant to be shared and enjoyed”
It’s also had its share of misadventures: left on the side of a road after a flat tire, stolen by a fan mid-playoff, dented at dive bars and parades, and even delivered to the wrong house.
In 1907, after winning the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Wanderers accidentally left it at a photography studio, where the cleaner mistook it for a flower pot, took it home, and used it as a real rose bowl. It remained on her mantle for two months before anyone noticed it was missing.
It even caught on fire once, courtesy of the 1940 New York Rangers, who promptly put out the fire… by urinating in it.
But while the Cup has been fed beer, dog food, and baby formula, it is never left unsupervised. Since the 1980s, an official from the Hockey Hall of Fame, one of the so-called “Keepers of the Cup,” is always by its side, white gloves on, ready to intervene if things get too rowdy (and they do).
“It’s a trophy that doesn’t hide behind glass,” said Keeper of the Cup Mike Bolt.
“The Stanley Cup is meant to be shared and enjoyed. It’s out in the community every day, so accidents do happen. It’s [now 132] years old, there are a few knicks and bangs on it for sure.”
The Cup is also a symbol of hope and healing. It’s been carried to the summit of Colorado’s highest peak and into the frozen vastness of Nunavut, and comforted survivors in the wake of tragedy.
When the Chicago Blackhawks won in 2010, Brent Sopel brought it to a Pride Parade, and in 2022, Nazem Kadri became the first player to bring the Cup to a mosque.
In short: it’s the most well-travelled, well-loved, and wildly unpredictable guest at ice hockey’s victory party. From its humble beginnings as a silver rose bowl purchased by a British noble to its current role as hockey’s most coveted prize, the Cup has become a symbol of excellence, endurance, and a kind of joyful chaos that the sport can offer.
To this day, it doesn’t sit quietly in a case; it lives a full, unruly, and unforgettable life. With the 2025 champions soon to be crowned, the ice hockey world holds its breath to see what the Cup will be up to next.