Washington, D.C. — When you look Alex Ovechkin hoisting the Stanley Cup high in the air, it obvious there's something special about this trophy.
Of course, the skill and teamwork it took to win it. But there's a mystique about the thing itself. That unique, strangely-shaped, instantly-recognizable silver cup.
The Stanley Cup has quite a legacy. It is the oldest trophy in major league Sports, dating back to 1892 when Lord Stanley of Preston commissioned the original.
The really cool thing about it is that the winning team gets to keep the Stanley Cup for 100 days.
And every player gets to spend a day with it.
The Cup has seen and done some crazy things, as Snoop Dogg explains in a video on the NHL website:
"Players have eaten out of it. Drink Champaign out of it, and one even chipped his tooth on it. A couple of babies were baptized in it. Praise God. And a couple of kids accidentally baptized it." Don't worry, it gets cleaned. It's been to the top of a few mountains, been to Leonard's tomb in Moscow, and in the 60's the MaplesLeafs accidentally threw it in a bonfire."
The Stanley Cup is now chaperoned by a designated Keeper of the Cup who is now Phillip Pritchard. His job to watch that famous Cup 24-7.
Now, here's what's on the Stanley Cup: the bottom part has five bands where the winner's names are engraved.
And when a band gets filled, the oldest band gets retired, and brought to the Hockey Hall of fame. A new band is now being added for the 2018-2030 seasons. Typically teams submit 52 names. Including every player, coaching staff, owners and managers.
