Lord Stanley's Cup

The Cup. Flyer's fans now have their eyes fixed on this legendary sports trophy. We were teased by dreams of temporary ownership of this Hockey Holy Grail last June. We had those dreams surgically ripped from our guts by a soft, bad angle goal allowed by the now banished re-tread Michael Leighton in Game 6 OT last year in the Finals. After last evening's trouncing of the Sabres, Flyers faithful are feeling the visceral stir of renewed Cup coveting. While we await the outcome of tonight's games and the identity of our opponent for the next round, we look at the only trophy in North American Pro sports that is not newly produced each season: The Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup was originally donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada.Lord Stanley ahd been appointed by Queen Victoria and he became a big-time hockey fan. The Cup eventually became the Championship Trophy for the NHL in 1926. The Cup itself was made in Sheffield, England and cost about $48.67. This bit of bill of sale trivia was shown on the big screen at the Flyer's game this Friday when my son and I were in attendance.
Unlike other trophies, the Stanley Cup has engaved names of the players,coaches and management of each winning team. As a resuly of this yearly addition of data, it has been necessary over the years to add "rings" to the cup.
This piece of hardware has not resided in the Quaker City since 1975. We came close in 1987 and 1997,and again last year. The NHL playoffs are long, arduous and entertaining. For now, a team in pursuit can only focus on the next team and the next best-of-seven.