Hockey fans praise NHL for handing trophy to players over owners - "One of the few things the league gets right"

The Stanley Cup handed down by the National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the most prestigious prizes in the world of sports. The trophy itself is a piece of heritage and is more than a century old. When teams win it after a long grueling season, it feels well deserved. Reddit noticed something that made the NHL different from its counterparts, the NBA and the NFL.

It was the fact that the NHL gives the trophy to the winning team's captain first during the ceremony. In the NBA and the NFL, the trophy is first handed to the owners of the team.

There is just no comparison. by u/Kapeter in nhl

The post showed a picture of the Larry O'Brien and the Lombardi trophies being handed to Stan Kroenke. Kroenke's NFL team, the LA Rams won the Superbowl in 2022. His NBA team, the Denver Nuggets became champions yesterday.

In contrast to that, Kroenke wasn't handed the Stanley Cup. His team, the Colorado Avalanche won it last year but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, team captain Gabriel Landeskog was given the trophy first.

This contrast was noted by many hockey fans on the r/NHL subreddit:

Comment by u/ooMEAToo from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/BenjRSmith from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/ithinkitsnotworking from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/goneballisticagain from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/No_Angle_8106 from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/badgerbob1 from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/StPatrick174 from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/Cid_Darkwing from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/austnasty from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Comment by u/ch47600 from discussion There is just no comparison. in nhl

Among the "Big Four", the NHL and hockey, itself, have not seen much commercialization or hype in comparison to the NBA or the NFL. Hence, it does seem to have retained a certain charm even though it is not as popular as basketball, football, or baseball.

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Hockey fans in Vegas happy after the Stanley Cup victory

Hockey fans in Vegas were delighted to see that their team won the Stanley Cup in the fashion that they did. Mark Stone was handed the prestigious trophy by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. It was well deserved as Vegas played good hockey throughout the regular season and the postseason.

During Game 5, they made easy work of the Florida Panthers. The Panthers, who were known for their discipline and physicality, melted down against the Golden Knights

The sport can be a cruel mistress sometimes. The Panthers had a fairytale story but it all ended in tragedy.

Even before Mark Stone scored a hat trick, a four-goal surge in the second period on Tuesday, which featured goals by Alec Martinez and former King Michael Amadio, placed the game beyond the grasp of the tenacious but undermanned Panthers.

Matthew Tkachuk, a forward for the Panthers, was out due to an undisclosed ailment, but even he might not have mattered against the tenacious Golden Knights.

One of the original Misfits, Jonathan Marchessault, was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for being the playoffs' most valuable player. The game was opened by him and four other original Golden Knights, which was a nice touch by head coach Bruce Cassidy.