Biscuit Confessions: Will you still watch the Stanley Cup playoffs if your team is eliminated?
We asked over 7,500 people in the United States if they would still watch the Stanley Cup playoffs if their team was already eliminated and over 80% said no. Wow, we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the Vegas Golden Knights for winning the 2023 Stanley Cup.
History of the Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff winner. It is one of the most prestigious and iconic trophies in professional sports. The cup is named after Lord Stanley of Preston, who was the Governor General of Canada in the late 19th century and donated the trophy in 1892 as an award for Canada’s top amateur hockey team.
The Stanley Cup is unique compared to other sports trophies because it is not a permanent possession of the winning team. Instead, the names of the players, coaches, and other team personnel are engraved on bands attached to the cup’s base. Each year, the winning team gets to keep the cup for a limited time before returning it to the NHL, which then presents a new cup to the next year’s champion.
The trophy itself consists of a silver bowl mounted on a black base, with multiple rings added over the years to accommodate the engraved names. The original bowl is made of silver and stands about 89 centimeters (35 inches) tall and weighs approximately 15.5 kilograms (34.5 pounds). Due to its historical significance and tradition, winning the Stanley Cup is a significant achievement for any hockey team and is celebrated with great enthusiasm by players, fans, and the hockey community.