The Stanley Cup Hockey's Greatest Prize

The Stanley Cup Hockey's Greatest Prize

Hockey's Greatest Prize It's Game 7 of the 1996 Western Conference finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues. The winner will play in the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff finals. The game is tied 0-0 in the second overtime period. Everyone is excited as Detroit captain Steve Yzerman (EYE-zur-mun) grabs the puck. He dashes to the blue line and without warning-crack! -blasts the puck into the net. Suddenly, the building starts shaking as thousands of fans cheer at one of the most exciting goals in hockey history.

Lord Stanley's Cup Every season, players have one goal in mind: winning the Stanley Cup. Once the regular season is over, the real season begins. The playoff season is the most exciting time of the year. The Stanley Cup was named after Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley first saw a hockey game in 1889 and fell in love. He decided to build a trophy that could be awarded to the top team. The Cup was made in 1892. It was the prize for the best hockey team in Canada. In 1915, two hockey leagues agreed to play for the Cup. Later, those leagues would join some others, and new leagues would form. In 1926, the NHL became the only league to compete for the Cup. It's name changed to the Stanley Presentation Cup. In 1947, it became the Stanley Cup.

At that time there were only six teams in the NHL. They were from Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Boston. Those teams still play in the NHL today. People call them the “ Original Six. " The original Cup was made out of silver. It was 7. 2 inches (18. 5cm) tall and 11. 4 inches(29 cm) wide. The first one was placed in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1963. A new Cup is used today. Hockey is the only major sport in North America that uses the same trophy every year. The Cup has five bands at the bottom. The names of the winners are carved into the bands. When the bands are full, they are placed in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Then new bands are put on the Cup.

The Road to the Stanley Cup The road to the Stanley Cup is long and difficult, but hockey fans wouldn't want it any other way. Thirty teams are split into two conferences. The Eastern Conference has the Metropolitan and the Atlantic Divisions. The Western Conference has the Central and the Pacific Divisions. Only sixteen of thirty teams make the playoffs. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs. The remaining spots are filled by the next two highest-placed teams in each conference.

Fighting in Hockey Hockey is known for being fast, exciting, and rough. In fact, hockey is the only North American sport that allows players to fight. A 1922 rule change decided that fighting players would receive a five-minute penalty. Some people think fighting helps stop players from taking cheap shots and using their sticks as weapons. However, others feel that fighting in the NHL is too violent and should be banned. It is important that kids and amateur players never fight. Once the playoffs begin, teams go through four best-of-seven rounds in order to win. They play in conference quarterfinals, conference semifinals, conference finals, and the Stanley Cup finals. The Stanley Cup finals pit the Eastern Conference champions against the Western Conference champions. It may be the most thrilling playoff series in all of sports!