ALL ABOUT THE STANLEY CUP

Our "Picture of the Week" is focusing on the NHL playoffs since they are in full force!

The Stanley Cup has a very long history. Back in 1893, Lord Stanley of Preston donated the cup, which was only 7 inches high! There were many different hockey divisions whose teams competed for the Stanley Cup over the years (National Hockey Association, Western Canada Hockey League, the Western Hockey League, and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association). The National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs we see today have decided the Stanley Cup Champion ever since 1927. The cup now measures 35 ½ inches high (in order to fit all the players' names from the winning teams) and weighs 32 pounds!

Here are some fun facts about the Stanley Cup playoffs:

1. The first Stanley Cup was presented to the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association in 1893.

2. The Montreal Canadians have won the Stanley Cup more than any other team in history – 23! Second on the list is the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 victories.

3. The Conn Smyth Trophy is given to the most valuable player (MVP) of the Stanley Cup playoffs and is selected by the Pro Hockey Writers Association. Jean Beliveau was awarded the first one in 1965.

4. The longest overtime game played during the Stanley Cup playoffs was in 1936. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons in the sixth overtime period. That’s an extra thirty minutes of hockey!

Here are some fun facts about the NHL:

1. There are three, 20-minute periods in a regular season NHL game. If the score is tied after the three periods are over, the game goes into overtime. A period in overtime lasts only five minutes. If neither team has scored, another five minute overtime period is played. This keeps going until one of the teams scores a goal to break the tie.

2. Goalies didn’t start wearing facemasks until 1959. Goaltender Jacques Plante was the first to wear one after having had his nose broken during a game.

3. Wayne Gretzky has won the Art Ross Trophy (also known as the NHL scoring title) 10 times, more than any other player.

4. Gretzky, along with Mario Lemieux, has been named MVP of three All-Star games – another record.

5. Gretzky and Lemieux also make up the top ten best scoring seasons of all time. Gretzky has eight while Lemieux has the other two.

6. Joe Malone, who played for Quebec during the 1920 season, has scored more goals in a single game than any other player – 7!

7. The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada.

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