Back in Time Today
The Stanley Cup isn’t just hockey’s greatest prize – it’s also the world’s most adventurous trophy.
Since 1893, this silver chalice has survived wild celebrations, dangerous mishaps, and downright bizarre situations that would destroy any ordinary cup.
While other sports lock their trophies behind glass, hockey tradition allows each winning player to spend a day with Lord Stanley’s Cup, leading to some truly unbelievable stories.
1. It Was Drop-Kicked into a Canal
Alcohol and victory celebrations rarely mix well. In 1905, an Ottawa Silver Seven player had one too many drinks while celebrating their championship. The brilliant idea struck him to punt the Stanley Cup across the frozen Rideau Canal. His kick went terribly wrong.
The Cup plunged through the ice and disappeared into the dark waters below. Panic ensued! The team sobered up quickly and returned the next morning to retrieve their sunken treasure. After fishing around in the freezing water, they successfully recovered hockey’s holy grail – a bit waterlogged but otherwise intact.
2. It’s Been Used as a Flower Pot
Victory parties can last for days. During one particularly lengthy celebration, some forgetful Toronto Maple Leafs players left the Cup unattended in a teammate’s backyard. The homeowner’s mother, not recognizing hockey’s most prestigious trophy, saw a practical use for the large silver bowl.
She filled it with soil and planted beautiful red geraniums in it! When the players finally remembered where they’d left the Cup, they returned to find it transformed into a lovely garden centerpiece. This mishap gave new meaning to the phrase “growing the game of hockey.”
3. The Cup Once Spent a Night in a Pool
Sacred baptism or wild pool party? The Stanley Cup has done both! After the Colorado Avalanche’s 1996 championship, defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre used the hallowed trophy to baptize his newborn daughter. A touching family moment that’s hard to top.
Later that same summer, another Avalanche player decided the Cup needed cooling off. He tossed the 35-pound silver trophy into his backyard swimming pool where it spent the night underwater. Morning revealed the Cup resting peacefully at the bottom, having survived yet another aquatic adventure with only minor cleaning needed.
4. It’s Been Forgotten at the Side of the Road
Even hockey legends have forgetful moments. Montreal Canadiens superstar Guy Lafleur once committed the ultimate hockey sin – abandoning Lord Stanley’s Cup on a roadside! After celebrating with teammates, Lafleur placed the trophy on his car roof while fumbling for keys.
Distracted, he drove away with the Cup still perched atop his vehicle. The precious cargo inevitably tumbled off somewhere along his route home. Panic turned to relief when a good-hearted Canadian fan discovered the Cup by the roadside and promptly returned it to the team.
5. It Survived a House Fire
The New York Rangers celebrated paying off Madison Square Garden’s mortgage in 1940 with a fiery ritual. Team officials placed the mortgage papers in the bowl of the Stanley Cup and set them ablaze – a symbolic gesture that nearly turned disastrous.
The Cup caught fire! Quick-thinking Rangers doused the flames before major damage occurred, but not before the trophy sustained some scorching. Hockey superstition links this fiery incident to the infamous 54-year championship drought that followed. The “Curse of 1940” became legendary among hockey fans.
6. The Cup Was Used to Feed a Horse
The Stanley Cup has doubled as a unique feeding bowl more than once. Following their 1994 championship, New York Rangers forward Ed Olczyk brought the Cup to Belmont Park racetrack. His prize-winning horse, “Finder’s Key,” enjoyed drinking oats and water from hockey’s most prestigious trophy.
Even more eyebrow-raising was Detroit Red Wings player Kris Draper’s 2008 Cup experience. He proudly placed his newborn daughter in the bowl for a photo op. The baby promptly had a diaper malfunction inside the Cup! Thorough sanitizing followed before any champagne celebrations resumed.
7. It’s Been to War Zones
Few sports trophies can claim combat experience. In 2007, the Stanley Cup traveled to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan to boost morale among deployed Canadian and American troops. Soldiers lined up for hours in the desert heat just to spend a moment with hockey’s holy grail.
The Cup was transported aboard military aircraft and required special security clearances. Despite being in an active war zone, the trophy emerged unscathed. Many soldiers, far from home and facing daily dangers, described touching the Cup as a powerful reminder of normalcy and the country they were serving.
8. It’s Been to Strip Clubs and Late-Night Parties
Hockey’s premier trophy has seen the inside of establishments that would make other sports leagues blush. Multiple Stanley Cup champions have brought the trophy to gentlemen’s clubs, where it has reportedly been used as an elaborate champagne glass and photo prop.
The NHL’s “handler” who accompanies the Cup on its travels has countless stories that will never make official records. One legendary tale involves the Cup being left at a Moscow strip club after a wild celebration with Russian players. Hotel bathtubs filled with champagne and the Cup floating like a silver boat is practically a championship tradition.
9. It Was Dented by Patrick Roy’s Son
Even hockey royalty isn’t immune to Cup calamities. After the Colorado Avalanche’s 2001 championship victory, legendary goaltender Patrick Roy invited his family to share in the celebration. His young son Jonathan was granted the honor of skating with the trophy on the family’s backyard rink.
Disaster struck when the boy lost his balance while holding the 35-pound silver chalice. Both Jonathan and the Cup crashed onto the ice! The fall created a noticeable dent in the bowl section. NHL officials quickly whisked the trophy away for emergency repairs before its next appearance, with no hard feelings toward the goalie’s son.
10. It Was Stolen—Sort Of
The Great Stanley Cup Heist of 1962 caused panic at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Staff arrived one morning to find the trophy missing from its display case. Police were called, reports filed, and hockey fans mourned the apparent theft of their beloved chalice.
The mystery was solved weeks later when a photographer sheepishly admitted he had “borrowed” the Cup for a photoshoot and simply forgotten to return it. No charges were pressed against the absent-minded artist. Since this incident, the NHL implemented stricter protocols for handling the trophy, including assigning official “Keepers of the Cup.”
11. It Has Been Mistaken for Trash
From prestigious trophy to almost garbage – the Cup has seen it all! After a championship celebration in Pittsburgh, players left the Stanley Cup outside on a porch while the party continued indoors. A neighbor walking by mistook the silver trophy for an elaborate trash can.
The concerned citizen nearly called sanitation workers to collect what they thought was an oddly-shaped garbage bin. Fortunately, a hockey fan recognized the iconic silhouette just in time. The Cup was rescued from its near-garbage fate and returned to the celebration.
12. It’s Traveled to the North Pole (and Siberia)
Few trophies can match the Stanley Cup’s passport stamps. In 1996, the Cup journeyed to the Arctic Circle when players from the Colorado Avalanche brought it to their remote hometowns. Local children in parkas gathered around the gleaming trophy as it sat on the polar ice.
Russian champions have transported it to remote Siberian villages where hockey-crazed locals treated it like a visiting dignitary. The Cup has also visited tropical beaches, deserts, and mountain peaks. Each NHL champion gets 24 hours with the trophy, creating a unique global pilgrimage that no other sports prize can match.
13. The Names on It Are Misspelled—and Hilarious
Hand-engraving thousands of names onto silver bands leads to inevitable human error. The Cup bears numerous spelling mistakes that have become part of its quirky charm. Legendary goaltender Jacques Plante appears as both “JOCKO” and “PLANT” in different championship years.
The 1981-82 New York Islanders were immortalized as the “ILANDERS” missing a crucial ‘S’. Boston Bruins player Milt Schmidt saw his name carved as “SCHMIDT” while teammate Pete Peverley became “PEVERLY.” These permanent typos give the trophy character and remind us that even hockey’s greatest symbol isn’t perfect.