What is the Stanley Cup made of? 5 other interesting facts about the NHL Playoffs trophy

The Stanley Cup, one of the most renowned trophies in the world, is awarded every year to the NHL team that wins the playoffs.

After a team wins, the name of each of its players gets engraved on the Cup while each player gets to keep the Cup for a day during the summer.

Here are some other interesting facts about the Stanley Cup.

What is the Stanley Cup made of?

The Stanley Cup is made of silver and nickel alloy and weighs 37 pounds. The NHL had to add different bowls to the Stanley Cup to fit the winning teams on it.

How many names are on the Stanley Cup?

After the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Cup officially had 2,394 names on it. However, not every person who has won the Cup remains on it as the Stanley Cup is made up of five barrel rings that get replaced once the bottom one gets filled up. When a new ring is needed, the top one is removed and the new one moves to the bottom.

After the Washington Capitals won in 2018, the top band featuring champions from the 1953-54 season, the Detroit Red Wings, to the 1964-65 season, the Montreal Canadiens, was removed. It was the third band to be removed, with the engravings being sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

How old is the Stanley Cup?

The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy in North American pro sports as it was first purchased for $48.67 in 1892.

The trophy is named after Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, or Lord Stanley of Preston, who purchased the original silver cup.

Several misspellings on the Stanley Cup

With someone engraving the names on the Stanley Cup by hand, there have been some misspellings on the Cup. Although some names have been corrected, some were never fixed. Among those that have been misspelled are Jacques Plante, whose name has been misspelled five times, and Bob Gainey, whose name was misspelled "Gainy" when he was a player for Montreal.

Meanwhile, the name Toronto Maple Leafs was spelled "Leaes" in 1963. Notably, one name was later scratched out: Peter Pocklington, a former Edmonton Oilers owner, put his father's name, Basil, on the Stanley Cup in 1984. Today, there is a series of "Xs" over Basil's name.

Whose name has been engraved the most?

No one's name is on the Stanley Cup more than Jean Beliveau, who has been engraved on the Cup 17 times, 10 times as a player and seven times as part of the front office.

Henri Richard, meanwhile, has his name on the Cup the most as a player as he won the Stanley Cup 11 times as a player.

Who engraves the Stanley Cup?

Currently, Louise St. Jacques of Montreal is the engraver. She became the official engraver of the Stanley Cup in 1988 when she took over previous engraver Doug Boffey.

The names being engraved on the Cup started in 1924. Since then, only four people have ever been the official engravers.