History Highlight: Lord Stanley and his Cup

    Its the most wonderful time of the year.  It is playoff hockey time and my team is in the playoff's.  Not only is it amazing sport, the best if you ask me, but it has a nice long history.

     So a little history on my favorite British Earl.  Our man was that of Frederick Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby.  And why you ask would he be so great to create the most amazing trophy in sports.  Well I was getting to that.  So Lord Stanley was a born in London, England in 1841 to Prime Minister Edward Smith-Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby.  He was educated at Eton and Sandhurst.  After, he received a commission in the Grenadier Guards rising to the rank of Captain.  In 1865, Stanley left the army for politics and became a Conservative Member of Parliament from Preston from 1865 to 1868, North Lancashire from 1868 to 1885 and Blackpool from 1885 to 1886.  He also served as a Civil Lord of the Admiralty in 1868, Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1874 to 1878, Secretary to the Treasury (1878), War Secretary 1878 to 1880 and Colonial Secretary from 1885-1886.  In 1886 he was created Baron Stanley of Preston and served as President of the Board of Trade from 1886 to 1888 until he was appointed Governor General of Canada.

    Stanley was Stanley was appointed the Governor General of Canada and Commander in Chief of Prince Edward Island on 1 May 1888.  During his term as Governor General, he travelled often and widely throughout the country. His visit to western Canada in 1889 gave him a lasting appreciation of the region's great natural beauty as well as permitting him to meet the people of Canada's First Nations and many western ranchers and farmers. During his visit he dedicated Stanley Park, which is named after him. He also experienced the joys of fishing and avidly pursued the sport whenever his busy schedule allowed. As governor general, Derby was the third holder of that office to whom Queen Victoria granted the power of granting pardons to offenders or remitting sentences and fines and the power of mitigating capital or any other sentence.

    But the real reason we are he is to understand why it is we have a Stanley Cup.  While living in Canada, Lord Stanley's sons became avid ice hockey players and played in the amateur leagues that were all over Canada.  Due to their sons involvement, Lord and Lady Derby became huge hockey fans.  

    In 1892, the Stanley Cup was created. He originally donated the trophy as a challenge cup for Canada's best amateur hockey club but in 1909 it became contested by professional teams exclusively. Since 1926, only teams of the National Hockey League have competed for the trophy. This now famous cup bears Derby's name as tribute to his encouragement and love of outdoor life and sport in Canada. In recognition of this, Derby was inducted into the Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945 in the "Honoured Builders" category. The original size of the Stanley Cup was 7 inches (180 mm) and now is around 36 inches (910 mm) and 35 pounds (16 kg).


    There are actually three Stanley Cups: the original bowl of the "Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup", the authenticated "Presentation Cup", and the "Replica Cup" at the Hall of Fame. 

   There are many traditions associated with the Stanley Cup. One of the oldest, started by the 1896 Winnipeg Victorias, dictates that the winning team drink champagne from the top bowl after their victory.  The Cup is also traditionally presented on the ice to the captain of the winning team after the series-winning game; each member of the victorious club carries the trophy around the rink.

One of my favorite thing about the Stanley cup is that each player gets to spend 24 hours with the cup doing what ever they want.  Often players take it to their home towns and share the victory of winning with everyone they know.  Others take it to children's hospitals and let kids enjoy spending the day.  Some eat cereal and others drink expensive wine.  

The cup over the years has travelled, always accompanied by its handlers, across the globe.  Not only do the players get to spend time with Lord Stanley, but it has been to numerous military bases and even into a combat zone in 2007.  Lord Stanley visited Kandahar, Afghanistan in May.  It briefly endured a rocket attack, but came out unscathed.  That was only the first of trips that the Stanley Cup has made to combat zones.  In a way it proves how tough hockey players really are.

So here is to all fans out there enjoying hockey: LETS GO DUCKS!!!!!